Members of the Breathe Easy Darlington group at one of their ten pin bowling sessions at the Hollywood Bowl in Stockton
A specialist Darlington lung health charity is on a roll after securing a four-figure funding boost from a County Durham developer.
Breathe Easy Darlington helps dozens of people living in Darlington and the surrounding areas living with respiratory or lung conditions enjoy a better quality of life.
The volunteer-run group offers regular free respiratory exercise classes at the town’s Eastbourne Sports Complex and Tai Chi sessions at Business Central in Union Square which help to enhance its members’ core fitness and gives them the chance to get some support and social contact with people who personally understand their situation.
And now, after securing a £1,000 grant from the Banks Group’s Banks Community Fund, it has been able to add monthly ten pin bowling sessions at Hollywood Bowl in Stockton to its event schedule, with up to 16 members competing in two teams against each other on the lanes while enjoying some gentle exercise and social time together.
Originally founded in 2009 as part of what was then the British Lung Foundation, Breathe Easy Darlington became an independent charity in 2023 and is one of only three groups of its type in the North East, with members living across County Durham and Teesside as well as within Darlington.
It currently has around 65 members living with conditions including asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, cancer and bronchiectasis, and invites family members and carers to be part of the group.
Alongside its different exercise classes, Breathe Easy Darlington also runs a monthly First Tuesday lunch club at the Copper Beech pub in Darlington and organises trips out for its members.
Ann Boyd, secretary and trustee of Breathe Easy Darlington, says: “People with respiratory conditions can often find that the active hobbies they used to do are now beyond them and can sometimes struggle to find alternative activities that suit their needs.
“Our exercise sessions are designed to help encourage an increase in mobility and muscle strength which help to reduce their symptoms while also offering some social interaction with a supportive group who understand and share their limitations and motivations.
“The positive health and well-being benefit this approach delivers, are widely recognised and we see them being realised in the improvements that our members have in their mobility, muscle strength, balance control and breathing, as well as the confidence they gain by participation alongside people in the same situation as they are.
“While ten-pin bowling might not seem like the most physically challenging of sports, there are lots of ups and downs as players come forward to take their turns, while having the chance to sit and chat with fellow bowlers between times is just as important to everyone’s well-being.
“We were all thrilled when we heard that we’d been awarded this grant by the Banks Group, especially as it removes any financial barriers to people coming along to bowling, and we’re looking forward to showing off our bowling skills over the next 12 months.”
Banks is the business behind the proposed Beaumont Hill residential development to the north of Darlington, which would see up to 600 homes on a 35-hectare site to the south of the River Skerne that identified for residential development in the 2022 Darlington Borough Local Plan.
Substantial areas of public open space, a small retail convenience store unit and a range of biodiversity enhancements also feature in the project design.
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “The simple steps that Breathe Easy Darlington helps its members take are clearly making a real difference to their physical and mental well-being”.
“We’re very pleased to be helping the team extend what they can offer and hope all the members enjoy some friendly competition on the lanes.”
The Banks Group’s community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation).
Anyone from a community close to a Banks Group project who is interested in applying for funding from the Banks Community Fund should contact the company via its website enquiry form (www.banksgroup.co.uk/contact-us/) to find out if their group or project is eligible.