Cullercoats Watch House trustee SOS
The Cullercoats Watch House is a fantastically distinctive building, full of local history and they would love to see the building reach its full potential as a thriving community venue. The existing trustees have already worked hard to bring this to fruition, but they now need support from people who can bring a variety of skills and experience to the table to help them move on to the next stage in
Celebrating the revitalisation of North Shields
We were delighted to be part of the Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) event on 2 September, which celebrated the completion of the revitalisation of North Shields that focussed on Northumberland Square and its surrounding buildings as well as Howard Street, including the historic Exchange Building. The event was ran in conjunction with the North Tyneside Together event, which took place in Northumberland Square. As well as the renovation programme the
Charity supporting older residents thanks to grant funding
Age UK North Tyneside is supporting older residents to get into fitness and community activities after launching a new range of weekly classes. With sessions covering everything from Pilates and balance exercises to reading and social groups, there’s something on offer for residents of all abilities. New classes are constantly being added to the schedule, with current plans for lunch clubs, dinner clubs and a refreshed book club, along with
Healthy body, healthy mind
March 2023 Healthy body, healthy mind: charity using exercise to manage mental health conditions. A mental health charity in North Tyneside is encouraging residents to look after their mental health through exercise. Tyneside and Northumberland Mind’s 12-week programme supports people to improve their physical and mental health and to manage their conditions through gym sessions. The charity provides members with individual assessments and workout plans which can include co-ordinated sessions
Newcastle Fibromyalgia Support Group
The Newcastle Fibromyalgia Support Group provides help, advice, friendship and, support for people in and around Newcastle who suffer from or have relatives that suffer from, Fibromyalgia, which is a chronic condition of widespread pain and profound fatigue. The group, which has been running for 16 years, hosts in-person meetings on the 3rd Monday of every month (excluding January) from 12.30pm to 2.30pm at the Oxford Centre in Longbenton. They
Homeshare UK
Homeshare UK is an innovative way of tackling the social care and housing crisis, which enables people to share their lives for mutual gain. It’s a shared living way of life, tackling two key issues in society around isolation and affordable housing. Homeshare tackles two key issues in society; loneliness and a lack of safe, affordable accommodation. Homeshare is an inter-generational programme, that brings together people with spare rooms, who are looking
Health Inequalities funding encourages residents to cook up a storm
Residents in North Tyneside have brushed up on their culinary skills by taking part in nutritionist led cooking sessions at the Linskill Centre. From healthier Christmas Biscotti to 10-minute noodles, the free cooking classes teach participants tasty but nutritional recipes that can be replicated easily at home. Each of the cooking courses are led by a qualified nutritionist and on average six participants attend the classes each week to learn
Royal Quays Community to benefit from a warmer, greener, much-improved community centre thanks to Biffa Award
Linskill and North Tyneside Community Development Trust has secured a £46,251 grant from Biffa Award for its Royal Quays Community Centre Improvement Project. Biffa Award is a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK, as part of the Landfill Communities Fund. The improvement project was awarded funding under Biffa Awards Community Buildings theme. This fabulous
Special community reflection areas open in North Tyneside
With help from the local community, areas of reflection and contemplation have been created by North Tyneside Council and were officially unveiled today (18 July). Special reflection spaces have been created in five areas across North Tyneside – all connected to the borough’s 30-mile waggonway network. The areas are places where people can visit to remember the loved ones that they tragically lost during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as
Keeping your IT secure – Jackdaw Web Design
Keeping your IT secure – some hints and tips from Jackie Latham of Jackdaw Web Design It goes without saying that we are living in very uncertain times. The last two years, plus the terrible situation in Ukraine, have left us all feeling, at best, unsettled. None of us know how the world will change in coming months, and much of it will be out of our control. But there
Living Well North Tyneside magazine
The Living Well North Tyneside partnership has published a third edition of its popular health and wellbeing magazine, packed full of information and advice specifically for people living in North Tyneside. The magazine will be delivered throughout March to every home in North Tyneside. A digital version of the magazine can be downloaded as a pdf here. Healthwatch North Tyneside has led the production of the magazine on behalf of the
A Wellbeing Framework for the North of Tyne
The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) , in a partnership with Carnegie UK Trust and stakeholders from across the North of Tyne have created a Wellbeing Framework to help deliver their inclusive economy ambitions. In 2021, Carnegie UK and NCTA brought together a ‘Roundtable on Wellbeing in the North of Tyne’ – a group of specialists with experience in different sectors, who were tasked with exploring the possibilities for
Raising awareness of Usher Syndrome
Jo Milne, founder and Chair of UK Charity Cure Usher has teamed up with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to create an educational film which will help to raise awareness about the condition both within the NHS and the wider public. The film, which gives viewers an insight into what life is like for Jo as well as hearing from medical professionals, was produced by Northumbria Healthcare’s charity, Bright, with
VODA’s AGM and VCSE Awards Presentation 2021
Our Annual General Meeting and awards presentation took place on Tuesday 23 November at the Linskill Centre in North Shields. This was our first in-person event since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 and it was fantastic to be able to catch up with everyone after such a long time. As well as a presentation of VODA’s latest annual report, annual review video and our accounts, the event
VODA VCSE Award Winners 2021
We are delighted to share the stories of our VODA VCSE award winners for 2021, who were presented with their prizes at our recent AGM by Dr Dave Tomson, Clinical Director of North Shields Primary Care Network. Read here to find out about our Sector Connector Community Friendly Business Award winners. Organisation of the Year Phoenix Detached Youth Project The Phoenix Detached Youth Project in North Shields started in February 2004. Working
Lessons learned from regional voluntary action in a time of Covid
On 14 July 2021, VONNE hosted an online event, funded by National Lottery Community Fund and attended by organisations from across the North East, to consider lessons learned from voluntary action over the previous year to help out during the pandemic. As an introduction to the discussions, Professor Irene Hardill and Dr Laura Crawford from Northumbria University provided an overview of the national study into Mobilising UK Voluntary Action in
People with learning disabilities and autism encouraged to take small steps to feeling good
A music project created by people with learning disabilities and autism aims to encourage people to move more and feel fitter and healthier. Developed as part of the HowFit programme, the NHS fitness programme developed by north east consultant Dr Steve Parry and his team, the project was created to support people with learning disabilities and autism to move more, as its widely recognised increased activity helps boost both fitness
National Mental Health and Wellbeing award for NT LIFE’s Ali Donkin
North Tyneside Mental Health and Wellbeing champion Ali Donkin has been awarded joint winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the Mental Health Sector’ award in the national Mental Health and Wellbeing Awards. These UK-wide annual awards celebrate those making a difference to people’s mental health and wellbeing and are judged by representatives from national mental health organisations. Ali is Lead Facilitator and the driving force behind VODA’s NT LIFE Recovery
Spirit of North Tyneside Awards
Nominate your unsung local heroes for the Spirit of North Tyneside awards! Nominations are open for the Elected Mayor’s Spirit of North Tyneside Awards 2021. Organised by North Tyneside Council in partnership with VODA, the event returns following the success of last year to celebrate our unsung heroes who selflessly give their time and energy to the people and communities of the borough. In 2019, the council declared a climate
New lease of life for old garage at Linskill
The Linskill and North Tyneside Community Development Trust has been awarded a £140k grant from NHS North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group to convert an existing garage into a Men’s Community Shed, supported with a rolling programme over two years to encourage health-vulnerable, older men into creative, practical and social activities at the Linskill Centre. This new venture will be the first of its type in North Tyneside and follows the