Listed here are our Community Stories, examples of help and assistance Tees Valley Community Foundation have given to local organisations. Please feel free to read and explore these stories and some may inspire you to contact us about ways we can help your own organisation.

Middlesbrough Community Bowls - Wednesday 29th June 2011

Middlesbrough Community Bowls received a cash injection of £2,760 from the Foundation to help with this year’s green fees and for new equipment. The grant was from the Active at 60 programme run by the Department for Work and Pensions and the club hopes that being financially secure for this season will give them more time to devote to recruiting new members to join in activity that helps older people to keep active and make the most of later life.

Doncaster’s Diva Drops By ..... - Wednesday 29th June 2011

Hartlepool Male Voice Choir was delighted to be joined in concert by one of Britain’s most popular soprano singers, Lesley Garrett, CBE. Performing to a sell-out crowd in Hartlepool‘s Borough Hall, songs included ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and ‘Going Home’ and, in response to a standing ovation from the 840-strong crowd, finished with one last unplanned song,  ‘Bless This House’. Funding of £3,600 in 2011 from the Foundation has helped the Choir in their efforts to reach a membership of 80. This will be a fantastic achievement (as very few Choirs reach this level) and will ensure that the Choir can continue with its charitable performances (nearly every performance is in support of a charitable cause, with the Great North Air Ambulance being the Choir’s chosen charity for 2011).

Stranton Football Club - Wednesday 29th June 2011

Stranton Football Club caters for children of all levels of ability from several socially deprived and disadvantaged areas of Hartlepool. Set up in 2006, the club provides a constructive pastime for its two teams (under 10’s & under11’s), introducing them to a fun / healthy activity where they learn and develop self-discipline, communication, social, life and team building skills. The Club is affiliated to the Durham County Football Association and the Teesside Junior Football Alliance and has FA Charter Standard status. Supported by the Foundation in 2006 with a start up grant, the group were awarded further funding of £3,958 in 2010 from the Sport Relief Fund for new kit & equipment and the Foundation looks forward to hearing more from the Club concerning their achievements in the forthcoming seasons.

Stranton Church & Youth Team - Hartlepool To Moldova - Wednesday 26th January 2011

The group from Hartlepool received a grant from the Foundation as a contribution to the overall cost of what turned out to be a life changing journey across Europe to Moldova. The team of 12, mainly teenagers, experienced a 36 hour rail journey to enable them to spend 2 weeks working in a care centre for the elderly established by a Hartlepool resident.  They picked potatoes for their food and drew their water from wells and spent their time digging fire pits and building fences, they even built a chicken coop to help the centre become more self sustaining. The visit culminated in the group hosting a party for local children.  One of the team told us “what did strike us was the sheer delight of the children’s faces when they received a slice of cake or a cup of pop”.  This was a truly once in a lifetime journey for these young people and one they will remember for years to come.  

Haswell Avenue Allotment Association - Bridging The Age Gap - Wednesday 26th January 2011

Many people, when they picture the typical allotment scene would probably imagine something resembling Last of the Summer Wine.  The community surrounding Haswell Avenue Allotments thought it was about time this was changed.  Using a grant from the Grassroots programme they decided to build bridges across the generations linking the existing allotment holders, who they admit were mostly in their 60s or above, with the local school and local scouts to work together to learn about horticulture.  The grant provided special small scale tools for the children, many of whom had no access to gardens, and enabled the development of an area within the allotment site that was accessible and safe for all to use.  This project has been a real cross generation success  helping to dispel at least one myth about the age gap.  

Friends Of Ward Jackson Park - Family Fun Day - Wednesday 26th January 2011

The Foundation awarded a Grassroots grant to enable Friends of Ward Jackson Park to run social events to the people of Hartlepool.  The grant money enabled them to present events to the townspeople of Hartlepool, including fairground rides, face painting and stalls, bringing people together and building essential community spirit. The Park has become a focal point in the town and the fun family atmosphere based in this beautiful park enables people to appreciate what this town has to offer. These family fun days have become fixed events in the minds of the people of Hartlepool who in their own words said “many, many thanks for making this possible.”