18 Years of Connection
Report 2024
Introduction…
In my second year as Chair at East Durham Trust, I have witnessed the organisation go from strength to strength and being part of it all has been a privilege.
We have once again continued to thrive as an organisation, maintain and build new relationships with communities, working tirelessly to provide our communities with the vital support and services needed, especially through what are very challenging economic times.
I am extremely grateful to all our community partners, funders and volunteers, who continue to support us in many ways, also the Board of Trustees for their support this year. Working together as an ecosystem constantly evolving and adapting to meet our community’s ever-changing needs.
However, most of all I would like to commend our CEO Graham for his vision, commitment and dedication, the fantastic team who work tirelessly to deliver a fantastic range of vital support and services, dedicated to improving the lives of people in our communities.
This year’s report highlights the activities, projects, services, and opportunities that have been delivered this year by East Durham Trust. We hope you enjoy hearing about some of our incredible work
As part of our improved reporting, we have outlined highlights of the activities, projects, services and opportunities that East Durham Trust have delivered in this financial year. We hope you enjoy hearing about some of our incredible work.
- Joanne Angus, Chair of Trustees
Highlights;
Projects… Programmes… Services... Opportunities…
The East Durham Community Resilience project was created as a response to accelerating concerns for a combination of declining emotional health and wellbeing and deteriorating financial positions for many individuals and families across East Durham. Funded by the East Durham Area Action Partnership the East Durham Community Resilience Partnership this 18 month long programme included an integrated and fully connected task force to acknowledge, support and address the correlation between effects of financial instability and mental health and the significant negative impacts this has on our communities.
“The support helped me get out of a dark hole, East Durham Trust are my saviour.”
Community Collaborators;
East Durham Connected
East Durham Veterans
Calm CIC
NE First Credit Union
Mental Health Matters
Durham Carers Support
Easington Healthworks
Eden Lane People’s Centre
Blackhall Community Centre
Following the collapse of his 35yr old business as a result of Covid – Michael found himself in extreme financial difficulty and suffering badly with his mental health he relocated back to Seaham to be close to his family. Upon receiving support from the financial wellbeing practitioner, via the Debt Centre a bankruptcy order was secured alongside a £1200 grant to help with living expenses. Gary also secured additional benefits with help and guidance from the project. Michael has engaged with Mental Health matters and receives regular support with his ongoing mental health challenges.
Dawdon Youth and Community Centre
The Greenhills Centre, Wheatley Hill
Macrae House, Murton
Parkside Community Centre
Eastlea Community Centre
Wheatley Hill Children’s Centre
Horden Salvation Army
Horden Social Welfare
St Bede’s Catholic School
Shotton Hall Primary School
Shotton Hall Academy
Our Lady of the Rosary Acre Rigg Primary School
Seascape Primary School
Shotton Primary School
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund East
Durham Connected is a five-year project to transform information, advice and guidance services across East Durham. This scheme includes community partners delivering their own services in the community. Year 1 of the project was completed in December 2022. We are now into year 2 of the project. We are working with a range of community partners and residents in coproducing advice support in East Durham.
Through the Household Support Fund we have also facilitated a range of direct support, which has been very successful.
“Its great that you help people in need. Its nice to know there is someone to turn to when you need help.”
Judith was referred for food crisis. On speaking to her it was found she was a domestic violence survivor, where her 12 year old daughter had been a witness, including witnessing an attack in the village where the victim died. Judith and her daughter were offered advice and guidance and were assisted with a house move to another location, given debt support resulting in a Debt Relief
Order to remove unmanageable debt and was facilitated to access support for household white goods through grant funding through the Sherburn Fund and Greggs Foundation.
Community Collaborators;
Shotton Hub, Greenhills Centre
Dawdon Community Centre
Eastlea Community Centre
Café Together
Horden Youth and Community Centre
Horden Salvation Army
Edenhill People’s Centre
Trimdon Residents Association
The Community Club at Macrae House
The Robin Todd Centre
Wingate Parish Council
Greenhills Community Centre, Wheatley Hill
Little House of Hope Thornley
Seaham Youth and Community Centre
Safe Harbour Seaham
No More Nowt is one of 39 across England funded as part of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places National Portfolio. In September 2023 the programme, formerly known as East Durham Creates was renamed to reflect its new Countywide remit, drawing its name from a project led by local young people. The new name highlights the programmes ongoing commitment to improving and increasing access to great arts and culture in Left Behind places where people often feel ‘nowt happens’. Last year 99% of audiences we engaged were from low and medium engagement segments meaning that they do not regularly engage with arts and culture (and 79% were from low engagement segments).
No More Nowt Launch. The Big Club – Newton Aycliffe
“Absolutely incredible experience. Something I've never done before, an unforgettable experience.”
The programme has also established a network of nine Cultural Hubs, community facilities regularly supported to lead culture in their spaces. No More Nowt has led a number of significant large-scale commissions shaped by local people, including If These Walls Could Talk, which transformed bus stops in Horden and Above Below Beyond, a commission led by young people reclaiming their local heritage. The programme has developed a new purpose built arts space in Peterlee, the Arts Café at Community House, connected to its host organisation and developed partnership projects that aim to change how communities in County Durham connect with and through culture.
Cultural Hubs -
Blackhall Community Centre
Dawdon Youth & Community Centre
Eastlea Community Centre
Greenhills Community Centre
Heart on the Terrace
Shotton Community Hub
Thornley Village Hall
Trimdon Station Community Centre
Community Collaborators;
Castle Dene Shopping Centre
Creative Youth Opportunities CIC
The Barn at Easington
Horden Hub House
CCW Colliery Championship Wrestling
Care Homes
Greyhound Tracks
Peterlee Town Council
Apollo Pavilion Projects CIC
Durham University
Durham County Council
County Collaborators;
Annfield Plain Community Centre, Annfield Plain Library, Quaking Houses Village Hall, PACT House in Stanley, The Big Club in Newton Aycliffe, TCR Hub in Barnard Castle, Gaunless
Gateway Big Local, Auckland Youth and Community Centre, Bishop Auckland Town Hall and many more…
Support in a crisis…
Food… Energy… Welfare... Wellbeing…
F.E.E.D
Food Emergency East Durham (FEED) is the food parcel service commonly referred to as the East Durham Foodbank. In the last year the Trust delivered a pilot project offering alternative methods of support to residents in food poverty. This included the provision of cash or shopping vouchers, as an alternative to an emergency food parcel, allowing beneficiaries to have more freedom of choice in purchasing the food items they require. The service also launched a new digital referral system for emergency food and fuel crisis support. Referral agencies and beneficiaries have welcomed the new options for support and mechanisms for making referrals. Sadly many people are falling into crisis and poverty for the first time due to the current cost of living crisis. This has seen need for our crisis support services more than double in the last 12 months.
3,656 Referrals for 12,048 residents 8048 Adults & 3192 Children supported 60% Higher need than a year ago
FEED is supported by kind donations with additional support from…
“I couldn’t sleep, worrying how I was going to feed my children. Thank you so much for helping me”
FEED Hubs -
Blackhall Community Centre
Dawdon Youth & Community Centre
Eastlea Community Centre
Greenhills Community Centre
Easington Healthworks
Shotton Community Hub
Thornley Village Centre
Glebe Centre, Murton
Lisa Dixon Centre, Haswell
Horden Youth & Community Centre
Little House of Hope Thornley
The cost of living crisis is a doubled edged situation for our crisis services. On average month by month have seen exponential increases in demand for our crisis services with food crisis referrals now 60% higher than 12 months ago. Some months we have seen demand leap by 110% comparable to the previous year. At the same time, we have seen our donations of foodstuffs fall by 50%. This means that we have had to purchase more food in the 12 months up to July 2023 than in the previous 12 months. In 2021/22 our expenditure on food was £4,363 in the 2022/23 period we have expended £8,810. This is an increase of 102%. At the same time, our cash donations for food crisis services have fallen by 4%.
Macrae House, Murton
Peterlee Pavilion
Robin Todd Centre, South Hetton
Salvation Army, Horden
Wingate Family Centre
60% of households referred were adult only households
21% of people referred were in employment
30% of households referred face multiple crisis
The Barn at Easington were commissioned to work with families with identified social and economic disadvantages from two primary schools. Overview of the aims for family sessions at The Barn were; To develop emotional wellbeing through the arts and nature using forest bathing and mindfulness techniques. To use creativity as a tool to give voice to agency and hope. To encourage authentic and collaborative communication. To grow collective and mutual self-help. To create a non-judgemental, accepting and safe space for the families to thrive in.
Gemma Robinson – Time Together Coordinator
“It’s good for your soul isn’t it stripping everything back and being in the thick of nature, such a healthy lifestyle, no wonder Nicola is so passionate about moss.”
“..taking things back to the simplest of things makes you realise the importance of doing them simple things”
The Barn worked closely with the family liaison officer at the school. They organised the transport and gathered up the families. The communication about the effect of the sessions was disseminated effectively by them to the school which resulted in additional AAP food and Fun funding for a 6 week summer project with the families. The wellbeing project was a tremendous success in reaching hard to engage families and we have created a strong net work based on trust and support. Their relationship to the school has grown too and they are looking to fund regular sessions at the Barn. The importance of having a link person from the school is shown by the numbers of families engaged with.
Community energy…
“I couldn’t sleep, worrying how I was going to feed my children. Thank you so much for helping me”
The cost of living crisis is a doubled edged situation for our crisis services. On average month by month have seen exponential increases in demand for our crisis services with food crisis referrals now 60% higher than 12 months ago. Some months we have seen demand leap by 110% comparable to the previous year. At the same time, we have seen our donations of foodstuffs fall by 50%. This means that we have had to purchase more food in the 12 months up to July 2023 than in the previous 12 months. In 2021/22 our expenditure on food was £4,363 in the 2022/23 period we have expended £8,810. This is an increase of 102%. At the same time, our cash donations for food crisis services have fallen by 4%.
FEED Hubs -
Blackhall Community Centre
Dawdon Youth & Community Centre
Eastlea Community Centre
Greenhills Community Centre
Easington Healthworks
Shotton Community Hub
Thornley Village Centre
Glebe Centre, Murton
Lisa Dixon Centre, Haswell
Horden Youth & Community Centre
Little House of Hope Thornley
Macrae House, Murton
Peterlee Pavilion
Robin Todd Centre, South Hetton
Salvation Army, Horden
Wingate Family Centre
60% of households referred were adult only households
21% of people referred were in employment
30% of households referred face multiple crisis
‘Hearts and Hopes of Horden’ – Partnership for People and Place
Future focused…
Beyond 2024 Energy... Power… Security…
Transfoming food security…
Gemma Robinson – Time Together Coordinator
Easington Beach; David Dawson
Love irl; Stuart Langley – photo Rachel Deakin
Thank you…
To our funders.
To our partners.
To our volunteers.
To our community.
To you…
‘The Future of Peterlee’ – Nocciola The Drawer &
Janice