From peer support groups for people suffering with arthritis to cycling support for children and families, voluntary sector organisations are beginning an important programme of work to help tackle health inequalities across North Tyneside.
A new Health Inequalities Grant Programme, developed by members of the Better Together group, has awarded grants of between £10,000 and £30,000 to fourteen Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations. Funding has been provided by NHS North East and North Cumbria (formerly North Tyneside CCG) and North Tyneside Council, with the grant programme being administered by VODA.
All funded activities focus on delivering outcomes relating to the key themes of the recently published Equally Well strategy for North Tyneside – ‘Equal life chances for all’, ‘Thriving places and communities’ and ‘Maintaining independence’.
The grants programme aims to be more than just an offer of funding. In order to build an evidence base of what works and to help identify scalable solutions, all successful applicants will attend six-monthly learning and development sessions delivered in partnership with Goodlabs – a local management consultancy that helps charitable organisations to enhance their social impact.
Case Studies
VODA CEO Vlog | May 2026
May 2026: In our May CEO Vlog, VODA’s Chief Executive provides an update on recent organisational changes to ensure the charity is well-positioned to meet the challenges facing the VCSE sector. The vlog explains why changes were needed, reflects on the impact on colleagues, and introduces VODA’s new, flatter and more agile structure, launched at […]
VODA CEO Vlog | January 2026
January 2026: Welcome to the January 2026 edition of VODA’s CEO Vlog. In this update, Vicky Smith shares a New Year’s welcome and highlights what’s coming up at VODA over the next couple of months. This includes the launch of our new membership handbook, which will be emailed to members shortly, and an overview of […]
VODA CEO Vlog November 2025
November 2025: In the latest edition of our CEO Vlog, Vicky shares an update on our AGM and Awards and launches our Annual Report for 2024-2025. Read more about our AGM & Awards Celebration 2025 here and view our Annual Report here.
Tesco Fruit and Veg Grants
Tesco has launched a new Fruit and Veg Grants programme to support organisations working with children and young people to improve access to healthy food across the UK. The funding is intended to help deliver activities that increase the availability of fruit and vegetables and support physical and mental wellbeing. Grants are awarded through a […]
Stuff Podcasts 15% Sector Connector Discount
15% Off All Services through Sector Connector Heywood & Stuff Productions presents Stuff Podcasts, a studio dedicated to turning your ideas, expertise, and conversations into high-quality, lasting content. From audio and video podcast production (up to 4 people) to talking-head content, Heywood supports the full process from recording through to final delivery. With over 15 […]
North Tyneside Volunteering Update
Explore the variety of volunteering opportunities in North Tyneside. Whether you want to enhance your skills, make a community impact, or connect with like-minded individuals, there is something for everyone.
You can search for all available volunteering opportunities on our online database, or take a look at our round-up below.
Urgent Call For Volunteers: Could You Be A Good Neighbour?
We are urgently looking for new volunteers to support the Good Neighbours Project across North Tyneside. Every day, Good Neighbours volunteers step in to help residents with tasks that have become difficult due to age, disability or changing circumstances. By giving a small amount of time, volunteers help people remain safe, independent and confident in […]
Trustee Recruitment: Barriers and Opportunities
Recruiting charity trustees has long been a challenge, but recent research suggests the scale of the problem may be even greater than many in the sector realised. A new survey, highlighted by Civil Society in its article Most people would not consider being a charity trustee, research finds, shows that the majority of people would […]
Triangle Trust 1949 Fund
The Triangle Trust 1949 Fund has opened its first funding round for 2026, continuing its focus on organisations working with young women and girls who are at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system. This round is open to projects supporting young women and girls aged 11–18. A later funding round, opening in September […]
Henry Smith Foundation – Proud Homes Fund
The Henry Smith Foundation has launched Proud Homes, a new fund supporting homelessness services to become safer and more inclusive for LGBT+ young people. Around one in four young people experiencing homelessness identifies as LGBT+, yet many first access generalist services where they may not feel safe, heard or represented. Through Proud Homes, the Henry […]
Work funded
- Tyneside and Northumberland MIND – support people with mental health problems to improve their physical and mental health and to manage their conditions through exercise.
- Whitley Bay Islamic Cultural Centre – creation of a new community gym.
- Linskill Trust – deliver community nutritionist led cooking sessions for parents and carers.
- North East Autism Society – support children and their families to address the health and care inequalities faced by autistic people.
- LD North East – support people with learning disabilities to access health services and overcome barriers to taking part in physical activities
- Versus Arthritis – set up a local volunteer-led support group for people with arthritis
- Quadrant Leisure CIC – offers opportunities, support, and advice to individuals to improve their lifestyles and to make informed choices about their health.
- Shiremoor Adventure Playground – support local children and their families to cycle to the adventure playground using the wagon-way. Will also offer cycling proficiency and maintenance sessions, bikes and equipment will be provided and at the end of the programme families will be able to access free, or low cost children’s bikes.
- Deaf Awareness NE – offer accessible health and fitness sessions to deaf and hard of hearing people.
- Smile Through Sport – provide disability specific sessions solely for autistic young people and work with recently disabled adults to fill a gap that has been created by the pandemic.
- MHA Communities North Tyneside – support older people who are referred from the local enablement service who are lonely and isolated. Volunteers will build a positive relationship with the older people, helping them access their community.
- Out of Sight – offer a range of social activities to reduce social isolation amongst the older people it supports, alongside healthy lifestyle support.
- Age UK North Tyneside – support hard to reach older people and those older people whose health is poor, or complex. It will work with four community venues to deliver singing, dancing, technology and cooking activities, setting up 12 new weekly groups.
- Support and Grow North East – set up 15 Cuppa Clubs across North Tyneside, where people experiencing loneliness, isolation and / or have mental health issues can access support.
- Peer Talk – develop more peer support groups for people with mental health problems.