Point North welcomes Prima Cheese to Northern Lights match fund
Point North is delighted to welcome Prima Cheese to the ‘Northern Lights’ match fund, supporting the Lumiere Durham 2025 and helping to brighten lives throughout County Durham all year round.
What is the Northern Lights match fund?
To mark our 30th anniversary, we launched the Northern Lights match fund to strengthen our support for Lumiere Durham by offering businesses a unique opportunity to maximise their social impact and invest in the region’s cultural scene.
For every pound donated by businesses, Point North contributes an additional 50p (increased to £1) on selected partnerships.
Established in 1996 with a strong family heritage at the heart of the business, Prima Cheese is one of the biggest cheese processors in the whole of the UK.
This year, the County Durham founded business, has partnered with Lumiere on the Prima Commission, an artwork commission which champions innovation, creativity, and community.
How does the Northern Lights match fund make a difference?
Working with Artichoke, the match fund unlocks additional funding for the year round Lumiere Learning & Participation programme.
The Learning and Participation activities are integrated into the artistic programme of Lumiere Durham and offers a chance for local people to take part in the arts and to develop their creative skills.
In 2023, more than 1,800 local people across 18 community groups, 15 schools, six libraries and three prisons took part in Learning & Participation projects, working with artists to create Lumiere artworks.
Over 300 local volunteers and eight young trainees helped bring Lumiere Durham 2023 to life, developing valuable skills and improving wellbeing.
One of the young people who took part in the Learning & Participation programme shared: “It made me really happy knowing that I had contributed to the Lumiere because I’ve gone to it multiple times over the years with my family; it was really special knowing I had a hand in it.”
Nagma Ebanks Beni, Co-CEO at Prima Cheese said: “Connection has always been at the heart of everything we do, from connecting with our suppliers and our clients to bringing the best cheese there is to communities around the globe. The Lumiere artwork we have chosen to support as part of the Prima Commission reflects these values of connection and quality, and we can’t wait to see it come to life. As a family-owned business based in Durham for 30 years, we’re proud to support such a breath-taking event that celebrates the place we call home.”
Michelle Cooper, CEO at Point North said: “As we embark on celebrating our 30th anniversary, we are immensely proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Lumiere, a festival that brings magic, light and togetherness to our communities.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to experience and take part in arts and culture, and Lumiere embodies this by making world-class art accessible to all. It’s thanks to support from businesses like Prima Cheese who have donated through the Northern Lights match fund we can continue to enrich lives across County Durham and the wider North East.”
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Get in touch with us to learn more about the different ways we can maximise your charitable giving.
