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
Biffa Award Main Grants Scheme
Projects across the North East could access funding through the Biffa Award Main Grants Scheme, which supports community-led work under four key themes. Each theme offers grants of between £10,000 and £75,000 for capital projects that improve local spaces and deliver clear community benefit. The four funding themes Nature Recovery (up to £75,000) Supports projects […]
Healthwatch North Tyneside Young Voices Fund
Grants of up to £2,500 are available to help VCSE organisations engage children and young people in North Tyneside about their experiences of health and care. Healthwatch North Tyneside is looking to better understand what matters to young people, including what’s working well, what could be improved, and where they access information and support. As […]
VODA CEO Vlog | June 2026
June 2026: In this update, we highlight the range of support available to VCSE organisations across North Tyneside. From governance and funding advice to communications support, volunteer recruitment and free training opportunities, our experienced team is here to help your organisation grow and thrive. We also share how we represent the sector at key strategic […]
Warburtons Community Grants
Warburtons Community Grants offer small grants of up to £400 to support local charitable organisations delivering activities that improve health, place or skills for families in their communities. Funding is distributed locally through Warburtons bakeries and depots, with Community Champions making decisions based on applications from their area. Grants are awarded quarterly. The current round […]
The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust offers grants of £500 to £8,000 to UK-registered charities for projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged people through arts, creative health and heritage crafts. Projects can include community music, arts-based health activities, support for young carers, animal-assisted therapy, horticulture and traditional crafts that help with skills, training and employment. […]
Wise Music Foundation Grants
Grants of up to £5,000 are available from the Wise Music Foundation to support small charities improving the lives of vulnerable people across the UK. The Foundation focuses on those facing hardship, illness or poverty, including children, older people, people experiencing homelessness and those with disabilities. Funding also supports a wider range of charitable activity, […]
Golsoncott Foundation: Funding to Promote Excellence in the Arts
Arts organisations across the UK can apply for grants of up to £3,000 from the Golsoncott Foundation to support projects that demonstrate excellence in the arts and provide clear public benefit. The Foundation supports a range of activity including writing, theatre, music, ballet and visual arts. Funding is usually offered as a one-off grant. Applications […]
Green Community Grant Scheme
The Green Community Grants scheme, established in 2025 by The Wildlife Trusts with funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery and Postcode Green Trust, is now open for its latest funding round. The programme offers flexible, one-year grants of up to £25,000 to support projects that protect and improve the natural environment. What the fund supports […]
Armed Forces Covenant Trust: Supporting Partners Programme
The Supporting Partners Programme, delivered through the Ministry of Defence’s Armed Forces Families Fund (AF3) and managed by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust, is offering grants of £10,000 to £150,000 for projects lasting up to three years. The programme aims to support partners of serving personnel, including reservists, by addressing the challenges that military life […]
Freelands Foundation: Grants for Visual Arts Education Projects
The Freelands Foundation is offering grants of up to £25,000 for UK-based visual arts education projects that engage people creatively with making and materials. The fund aims to support activity that might not otherwise take place. About the fund This funding supports exploratory and ambitious projects that focus on creativity, experimentation and collaboration. The Foundation […]
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.