Unity Trust Bank has awarded £5,000 to The Twisting Ducks Theatre Company as part of its £50,000 Unity Impact Grants programme.
The North East charity gives people with learning disabilities and autistic people the opportunity to create original theatre, film, and music that reflects and celebrates their lived experiences.
Nearly 200 grant applications were received this year from Unity customers. The Twisting Ducks Theatre Company is one of 10 organisations that were chosen by a panel of judges.
Every year the charity supports over 800 people who feel socially excluded. This is because they navigate a world that is not understanding of their differences.
Covering Tyneside, Newcastle, Sunderland and Northumberland, its programmes give people the chance to develop.
The £5,000 Unity Impact Grant will be used to contribute to essential, harder to fund, core costs. This will help it sustain a strong operational infrastructure such as marketing, business development and staff training.
Jay Hare, CEO at The Twisting Ducks Theatre Company, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to receive the Unity Impact grant. It will support our six-day per week theatre and music programme.
“This will enable those who are typically excluded from the arts to express their creativity, have a voice about what is important to them, develop their skills, confidence and social connections, and achieve their aspirations as artists.”
The Unity Impact Grant programme is part of the bank’s employee-led ‘Unity & Me’ pillar which empowers staff to deliver positive outcomes for colleagues, communities and the planet.
As well as the £50,000 grants programme, Unity has also awarded £30,000 to good causes in 2025, through fundraising, volunteering and charitable donations.
Joshua Meek, Chief Impact Officer at Unity Trust Bank, said:
“We launched Unity Impact Grants last year to mark our 40th birthday and this year we doubled the amount of grant funding to £50,000.
“We were highly impressed by the quality of applications from our customers and we are proud to support the 10 successful applicants because they are all providing such vital services in their communities.
“As a social impact bank we are committed to delivering inclusive growth in communities across the UK, that’s why the Impact Grants programme aims to support customers with funding they need.
“We will continue to build on this momentum to support our customers in making a positive difference.”
The other successful recipients of the Unity Impact Grant are Women’s Aid In Luton, Break The Silence, North Sea Conservation, Orange Bow CIC, In Your Space Circus Ltd, Green Futures Greater Grimsby, Birmingham Playcare Network, Health Psychology Management Organisation and The Canley Community Centre.
For more information, visit www.unity.co.uk/delivering-impact/
