Pride in Place weekly updates

Total consultation responses - 223

This week, the Lantern Café hosted an engagement session with 27 residents from the East Howdon community, who took part and shared their views on how the funding should be spent.

Play workers also visited three play sites within the funded area, where they promoted the survey to parents, played games with children, and captured their views in person.

Consultation responses so far - 205

This week we have attended an estate clean up in Percy Main and spoke with 20 residents who were all aware of the Pride in Place project, those who had not yet completed the survey were encouraged to do so.

We have invited expressions of interest from voluntary and community sector organisations to deliver engagement activities as part of the first stage of the consultation. These activities will gather residents’ views and be part of the final analysis of the consultation feedback. We will announce the successful organisations and their proposed engagement plans shortly.

During the Easter holidays, playworkers will also be attending play sites across the funded area. They will be speaking with children and parents to capture their views on how the funding should be spent.

This week we held our first in‑person resident event as part of the Pride in Place consultation. The drop‑in session took place on 23 March at The Parks Sports Centre and welcomed around 60 residents.

Those attending were able to share their views on local challenges, their hopes for the future and their ideas for how the £20 million investment could be used over the next ten years. Thank you to everyone who came along and contributed—your feedback is vital in shaping the Pride in Place Plan.

A press release was issued on 17 March to raise wider awareness of the programme and the upcoming events. Every household within the funded area received a letter and flyer explaining Pride in Place and how to take part in the consultation.

All businesses received a follow‑up email announcing the new Chair of the Neighbourhood Board and encouraging them to promote the programme. Printed materials were delivered to organisations across the area, and the banner railings are now installed.

Ninety‑eight members of Our North Tyneside Voice who live in the funded area received an invitation to complete the online survey and attend the in‑person resident event. VCSE organisations who applied for funding to run their own engagement activities were asked to submit costs and session plans.

Engagement continued this week, beginning with a coffee morning at St John’s Church on 9 March. This offered further opportunities to speak directly with residents about local challenges and what matters most to them.

Printed promotional materials will now be distributed across the area. Businesses without email addresses will receive follow‑up contact by phone or through in‑person visits to ensure everyone has access to the information they need.

All identified local businesses were emailed the Pride in Place information pack this week, outlining the programme and how they can get involved. Businesses without an email address were flagged for follow‑up by phone or in person.

The team attended mother and toddler groups on 5 March to speak directly with parents and carers, gathering early informal feedback. On the same day, staff joined neighbourhood clean‑ups in Meadow Well and used the opportunity to speak with residents on the street.

All promotional materials—including posters, flyers and banners—were finalised and sent to print.

This week marked a key milestone with the launch of the Pride in Place online engagement hub on 26 February. The hub provides information about the programme and allows residents to share their views and sign up for in‑person events.

On the same day, a dedicated engagement session was held with VCSE organisations working across community development, health and wellbeing, arts, sport, advice, food support and youth services. Organisations discussed pressures on community infrastructure, challenges linked to short‑term funding, and the impact of poverty and isolation.

There was strong support for investment in community buildings, trusted organisations, skilled staff and activities for all ages. VCSE partners emphasised the importance of community‑led approaches and enabling local people to shape and share their own stories. Many organisations expressed interest in staying involved and helping to promote the consultation.

Engagement continued this week with further visits to local businesses and VCSE organisations. These conversations are helping us build early relationships and ensure all parts of the community are aware of the Pride in Place programme.

The team also carried out additional drive‑arounds to deepen our understanding of the area. These visits helped us identify more local strengths, challenges and opportunities to raise awareness of the consultation.

This week we continued early engagement across the Pride in Place funded area. The team visited local businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to introduce the programme and begin initial conversations about local priorities.

We also carried out drive‑arounds of the area to build our understanding of local assets, challenges and opportunities. These visits are helping us identify suitable places for promotional materials and future engagement activity.

On 11 February, all schools within and around the funded area were contacted to raise awareness of Pride in Place and to let them know how they can get involved in the forthcoming consultation.