Nite Light Community Interest Company (CIC)

Teesside

Community Fund 2022

Total Votes:

2531

A digital pay forward scheme that provides food and drinks to those who need it most won the top prize of £1,000 from the Venator Community Fund.

Nite Light Community Interest Company (CIC) aims to provide aid, support vulnerable people and strengthen communities through a range of projects across the Tees Valley, including Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool, Darlington, and Redcar and Cleveland.

During lockdown, Nite Light CIC came up with an innovative way to increase support for its work though digital technology. The ‘pay it forward’ scheme enables people and businesses to make donations online without the need for cash or physical contact whilst also supporting the homeless and other vulnerable members of the community.

The CIC aims to reduce begging on the streets, and these online donations are transferred into cards that can be exchanged at its partner cafes, restaurants and bistros, ensuring those who need it most receive essentials such as food, drinks and hygiene packs.

Since launching its digital pay it forward scheme in April 2020, Nite Light’s services have significantly increased and its volunteers now also run three market stalls to help more people gain access to essentials.

The charity will use its £1,000 Venator Community Fund grant to provide new uniform for all its volunteers, as well as developing a community hub with communal showers, washing machines and dryers.

Nadia Gibany, Director of Nite Light CIC, said: “We have a fantastic team of volunteers who we need to provide ID badges and uniform for, so we’ve already used some of the grant for volunteer T-shirts which has been a huge help.

“We’ve also been looking at gaps that we can fulfil and are on the cusp of opening a community hub which will need redecorating. We plan on using the rest of the grant on paint and materials to give it a fresh look.

“We will be installing communal showers, washing machines and dryers and it will be a place where people facing homelessness or poverty can come along to and get a shower or wash and dry their clothes.

“What’s different about our pay forward service is we give these plastic cards out which can be redeemed at cafes and bistros, which means we are helping local businesses out as well as the local community.”

For more information about Venator’s Community Fund please follow us on Twitter and Facebook @VenatorFund.

"We have a fantastic team of volunteers who we need to provide ID badges and uniform for, so we’ve already used some of the grant for volunteer T-shirts which has been a huge help."

Nadia Gibany
Director of Nite Light CIC

Other Winners