Birthday funding boost for Whitby DAG

Beyond Housing has donated £500 to Whitby, Scarborough and Ryedale Disability Action Group (DAG).

Formed on 1 October 2018, Beyond Housing is marking its first birthday by donating £500 to ten charities and community groups across the footprint it operates in, spanning from Redcar and Cleveland to Scarborough.

Set up in 1994, Whitby DAG is a user-led organisation run and managed by disabled people, providing information, advice and practical support for other people with disabilities to help them live as independently as possible.

The group works with more than 1,000 people every year, including both residents and visitors to the area. More than 220 people are supported annually to claim welfare benefits, which go towards the care and support disabled people need, with Whitby DAG helping users to recover more than £250,000 in unclaimed benefits in the last year alone. DAG also offers opportunities to reduce isolation and loneliness through social, leisure and volunteering activities.

Ian Peck, Whitby DAG Manager, said: “We are delighted to receive this donation from Beyond Housing. It will help DAG maintain the services and activities it provides to support disabled people living in Whitby and the surrounding areas. We would also like to wish Beyond Housing a happy first birthday and look forward to working with them in the years to come.”

Tracy O’Neill, Executive Director of Customers and Communities at Beyond Housing, said: “At Beyond Housing, we’re committed not just to delivering high quality homes that people choose to live in, but to enriching and enhancing our communities too.

“What better time than our first birthday to recognise the contribution and potential of our community groups in helping to make our areas vibrant and attractive? We’re delighted this donation will empower Whitby DAG to continue doing the great work they do.”