North West Shared Community Partnership

When: April - May 2023

Number of responses: 308

This consultation offered people in the North West of the borough the chance to tell us what was missing in their communities, what activities and services they needed and what they would like to do. With their feedback the Council applied for and secured funding. A process of applying for the funds was developed and groups and organisations sent us their ideas. A panel considered the applications and some of the funds were allocated.

The projects are to be set up in all three Wards of the North West that will involve and support communities, see below for more details.

Why we carried out this consultation

This consultation which closed in May 2023 asked people in the north west of the borough, Camperdown, Longbenton and Weetslade wards about volunteering and which services and activities were missing in these areas. This was done to try and build the case for need in the area in order to apply for funding.

What the consultation told us

308 people completed the survey questionnaire. The results show that there is a demand for volunteering opportunities and community groups across the three ward areas. The reasons that people do not currently volunteer or engage in community groups are due to a lack of knowledge and commitments to other things such as work and caring responsibilities.

Applying for funding

North Tyneside Council then applied to the UK Shared prosperity Fund (UKSPF) arguing a community partnership could help to overcome these barriers by raising awareness of current opportunities and offering opportunities that are outside of working hours and that are accessible for those with health issues, carers and the people they are responsible for.

It was agreed that there was need and awarded North Tyneside Council £1.5 million to spend in these areas. See new feeds below.

The funding pots

We received the the funding to be delivered from March 2024 to March 2025.

£600,000 – Large grants up to £50,000 – For bigger projects with longer goals and legacy.

£400,000 – Capital work grants – For infrastructure of Buildings, decoration, refurbishments and bigger building works.

£250,000 – Youth projects grants – For young people 11 years plus, youth clubs and social gathering.

£150,000 – Medium Grants up to £10,000 – For smaller organisations who need support to develop bigger projects

£40,000 – Small Grants up to £1,000 – For community groups and resident groups to deliver something to bring communities together.

What happened next

We advertised the availability of this funding inviting applications from groups and organisations to provide services and activities in the north west wards. A panel which included representatives from a wide range of interests sat to consider the applications and decide who should be awarded funding.

Large Grants – 20 applicants 12 successful

Youth Grants – 13 applicants all successful

Small Grants – 26 applicants 11 successful with a further 4 pending further information

*Capital and medium funds will be offered in May 2024. There are still small grants funds available.

Successful Large Fund Projects

1. Equal Arts Longbenton will run activities at West Farm Care Centre for older people with life limiting health conditions. These would involve help from the wider community including relatives and school children. There will also be cross generational dementia-friendly training in the centre which will involve the wider community, to build an age-friendly community. There will be quarterly seasonal events as a mechanism to involve people and celebrate achievements.
2. Helix Arts Weetslade will listen to what local people say they would like to see happen to develop their communities then support them to design and deliver a project that shows how they can make a difference to their local area. They will guide a group through a development programme over 8 sessions, then plan and budget an arts project responding to needs, support the community to design and lead that project and put their skills into action then offer community members a more self-led project opportunity in which they can begin to build a sustainable legacy.
3. Justice Prince Longbenton will develop small neighbourhood’s networks in each of the three wards and ensure the seldom heard are at the heart of the Hive project. The CD programme will provide residents with an opportunity to come together and share their concerns about their neighbourhood and to identify and celebrate their community assets. We will support collective working so that local people can develop solutions to local issues and concerns. As a result, new social groups, activities and events will emerge from the process. Volunteering opportunities will increase as a result of the new community led activities and events.
4. New Fordley Juniors Camperdown will grow the club and improve facilities for the whole community to enjoy, opening up the main room. This will create more space which is open more often, providing open sessions and specific sessions creating a safe space for the community and residents.
5. Newcastle cat and dog shelter All Wards will implement a transformational volunteer program to strengthen links with the Longbenton community and increase the services that the shelter can offer them.
6. North Tyneside Arts Studio Longbenton will establish creative community spaces where people come together to participate in creative workshops delivered by experienced community artists in safe, inclusive and accessible places.
7. North Tyneside Parent and Carers Forum Longbenton will create opportunities for parent carers and their young people with special education, needs and disabilities (SEND) to access activities with their peers to develop relationships, provide an opportunity to learn new skills and encourage wellbeing.
8. Out of Sight Weetslade will increase the current work they are undertaking by providing more services, including bus trips, parties and events for visually impaired children and their families and vulnerable members of our community.
9. Quadrant leisure Weetslade will provide a wide and varied range of healthy living, community learning, befriending, support and physical activity programmes for older people of all abilities and interests as part of their Be Connected Project.
10. Salute Her Weetslade will deliver 4, 12-Week Health and Wellbeing Course which has been designed to support women in improving their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, whilst simultaneously developing skills and access training to enhance career opportunities. . The project aims to provide a comprehensive approach to health and wellness, incorporating exercise, nutrition, self-care, and personal development strategies and will take place in the Salute Her UK Café at the John Willie Sam's Centre.
11. West Moor Residents Association Longbenton will expand its activities to include support sessions for new dads and a "DIY Shed" to enable people to swap skills and chat. Also a weekly fun ‘hidden' exercise/games class for post toddler children who are not interested in football or dance. Further projects would include life skills, cooking for one, cooking on a budget, one pot cooking, gardening skills, as well intergeneration sessions looking at tech advice, local history and home skills.
12. Sports Works - Weetslade and Camperdown will provide sport and physical activities for people over 55 year old to overcome sedentariness, loneliness, and mental health concerns. . Sessions will take place weekly and last 2 hours, we expect the funding to cover 64 weeks.

Successful Youth Fund Projects

1. Helix Arts – Longbenton The Make It Happen (MIH) arts project involves a series of development stages; initially awareness with the local community, recruiting community volunteers, training and development courses, planning and design of action-learning projects. The group forms a community task group who shape all stages and design and deliver their project with Helix Arts support. The group recruits and manages an artist(s) to deliver on the project. We plan to deliver the work from the Oxford Centre in Longbenton but may also deliver sessions in the ward’s schools and community groups.

2. Justice Prince – Longbenton will run an open door, drop in service three day per week alongside supporting weekly Forum meetings where young people will have an opportunity to discuss issues of concern to the young people, they will establish a programme of wellbeing activities which will reduce social isolation and increase connectivity, as a result young people will be supported to explore new opportunities available to them. We will provide 1-2-1 bespoke support. We will continue to support vulnerable young people who feel life has little to offer them, we will work with those young people to develop solutions to the problems and issues they face. We will link the forum to existing structures within the borough with a view to increase the voice of the seldom heard and often misunderstood young people.

3. North Tyneside Music Opportunities 4 Young People – Weetslade this music project will comprise of one full day taster workshop, weekly two-hour workshops running throughout the school term and holidays, and two community events to share the creative outputs. Content of workshops will be shaped by the young people, but we will offer access to a variety of musical opportunities including DJ Skills, writing music, creating music videos, learning to record and produce music and develop young people’s knowledge of different genres of music, including hip-hop, rapping and beat-boxing. Young people have also indicated that they would like the opportunity to learn to play an instrument or sing and so budget will be included for taster sessions there. We will be offering the opportunity to work with a filmmaker on documenting the work of the project, with the option of producing a final music video. The two community events are also essential to the project. The first in December 2024 will aim to “reach out”, with young people planning something that can take place in the community. The final showcase in March 2025 will be a larger community event with young people inviting friends, family, teachers and other members of the community to celebrate what they have achieved.

4. Out of Sight – Weetslade will support families who have visually impaired children, many who are wheelchair users and mostly all have special educational needs. We will pay for trips to organised events and short break holidays We will also include free holidays via Blackpool Holidays, and in our own accessible caravan at Amble Links. A trip in 2024 is being planned to take the children to a Theme park that accommodates wheelchairs.

5. NE Youth – Longbenton West Moor Youth Project is a new collaborative initiative between NE Youth and the West Moor Community Centre and will be held every Friday evening from 5-8 pm at West Moor Community Centre. The project caters to two distinct age groups: Juniors (ages 11-14, delivered 5-6.30pm) and Seniors (ages 15- 18, delivered 6.30-8pm). This youth-focused project aims to provide a safe and engaging space where young people can access information, advice and guidance as well as engaging activities geared towards their age group. The project will offer a tailored programme of support that encourages personal development, social interaction and skill-building opportunities for all young people in the area. The project seeks to provide a safe, engaging, and supportive environment that empowers young people to actively participate in addressing pressing challenges in their communities while nurturing their mental wellbeing and fostering healthy relationships.

6. NT Parent Carers Forum – Weetslade/Longbenton offers young people a safe space to connect and build relationships with their peers. Activity sessions will feed into strengthening young people’s mental health as well as building on life skills, creating opportunities for young people to support one another is an important component of this.

7. Power Through Sport/Sport England – Camperdown will deliver local sport activities, collaborating with the community to find the right activities, staff, delivery style, location, and time. The project will take place for two hours outdoors on a Thursday or Friday evening between April and October, and then indoors between October and March. It will offer a mix of local activities aimed at engaging and inspiring young people. A youth worker / sports coach will lead activities, providing guidance and oversight of a range of multisport activities. A live DJ will curate a soundtrack to keep the energy high and foster a lively environment for the young people to participate. There will be a local graffiti artist on hand to offer workshops which allow young people to express themselves artistically, in a safe environment. Nutritious food will be provided to all participants. Lastly, to encourage participation and celebrate achievements, there will be prizes awarded, creating a sense of accomplishment and motivation among the young people.

8. Sport Works SEND – Camperdown This will provide a special educational needs and disabilities inclusive programme over 50 weeks. Each session will be 2.5 hours long in a variety of venues. There will also be opportunities for volunteering and by offering a drop-in session we can offer training courses to young people. By delivering the Sports Leaders qualification we can offer an unlimited number of young people a volunteer pathway into our sessions across the northeast. For a handful of volunteers, there will be a pathway into employment by becoming a paid coach/youth worker at SportWorks.

9. Children North East – Camperdown will offer a weekly youth drop-in session for young people 11+ from 6pm – 7:30pm in Burradon Recreation Centre. The group will be a safe place from which to participate in enriching activities and socialise with other young people. Through consultation with the young people, we will develop a strong youth voice to lead the project, ensuring that it is relevant to their needs and interests. The group will be open access and tailored to the needs of the young people, with an educational or experiential learning aspect and a focus on caring for the local environment via local groups and organisations.

10. New Fordley Juniors – Camperdown will consist of developing and strengthening new football teams both boys and girls, aged 11-19, training 2-3 times per week with weekend matches. It will also create a youth panel to be involved in decisions that involve the young people, meeting once a month. It will provide suitable coaching staff, with recognised qualifications for development and additional activities, provide training and cover costs to our youths as a natural progression in linesmen and referee qualifications, along with equipment costs.

11. Inspire Youth – Longbenton will deliver detached workers in the Weetslade Ward for 8 weeks to engage with young people, build up trust and give a presence within the area. They will then provide the young people with a free open access space for 42 weeks that is a safe and controlled environment to socialise, stay active and get fed. It will be inclusive to ensure there are no boundaries in attendance. Programs will focus on working with young people around mental health, personal hygiene, sexual health, social actions, money management, knife crime, county lines, cooking, substance misuse, employability skills, music, first-aid, extremism, wellbeing, DIY, and radicalisation.

12. Inspire Youth – Weetslade will deliver detached workers in the Weetslade Ward for 8 weeks to engage with young people, build up trust and give a presence within the area. They will then provide the young people with a free open access space for 42 weeks that is a safe and controlled environment to socialise, stay active and get fed. It will be inclusive to ensure there are no boundaries in attendance. Programs will focus on working with young people around mental health, personal hygiene, sexual health, social actions, money management, knife crime, county lines, cooking, substance misuse, employability skills, music, first-aid, extremism, wellbeing, DIY, and radicalisation.

13. Quadrant Leisure – Weetslade Inspiring Futures (IF) aims to offer a safe space for young women to learn new skills and socialise, explore career opportunities through life skills workshops, reduce their likelihood of becoming unemployed, explore physical literacy and improve and empower positive self-awareness.

Alongside a weekly event where we will offer various activities for young girls those who sign up to our IF programme will be offered modules that will incorporate cooking skills, nutritional awareness, self-defence, self-awareness support, a first aid certificate and a Level 1 Food Hygiene certificate and support to plan and deliver a community project.

Successful small grants

The following projects have received up to £1000

Camperdown

"Street Party" Killingworth

New Age Kurlers

Burradon Litter Pickers landscaping

Burradon & Camperdown Pensioners Coffee Morning

Burradon & Camperdown Pensioners Bingo

Burradon Bowling Club

Burradon Juniors FC

Burradon and Camperdown Community Association

Longbenton

Fostering Social Group North Tyneside

High Kicks

Westmoor Ladies Group

Benton Estate Community Group

West Moor Litter and Environment Group

West Moor Gardening Club

Weetslade

Moorcroft Residents Association

Friends of Fordley Planta

The Life of Reilly

Cramlington Tabletop Gaming

Coping with Cancer Northeast

Wideopen and North Gosforth C.A