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Success Stories
Claire Skelton    
 

Claire Skelton (bottom left) is a very special athlete from Redcar. Aged 28, Claire suffers from Downs Syndrome but she certainly does not let this get in the way of her ambitions. Claire was selected to represent Great Britain in the World Special Olympics 2003 in Dublin. Tees Valley Community Foundation awarded a grant from the “Pursuit of Excellence Fund” to help meet the costs of Claire attending the event.

The rhythmic gymnast won three gold medals, a silver and a bronze - an amazing achievement for this exceptional athlete.
     
Powerhouse Dragonboat Club
  Established in 1999 the club has been very successful at drawing together young people from socially excluded and disadvantaged areas across Teesside. Based at the River Tees Watersports Centre, they provide professional Dragonboat Racing training sessions. 11 junior members have been selected for the GB junior squad and will attend the European Championships in Poland. The Community Foundation’s Teesside Youth Fund provided a grant of £1080 to help provide the GB kit to allow the members to compete.
     
Beech Grove Primary School
  The Teesside Power Fund enabled all Year 6 children from Beech Grove Primary School to enjoy a fantastic residential trip to Northumberland.

Many of the children are from low-income families and have special educational needs; this unique experience has left a long lasting impression on the children and
has given them memories to treasure for a long time
to come.
 
Hartlepool Sea Cadets Corps
  The Local Network Fund For Children and Young People made a grant of £7,000 to the Hartlepool Sea Cadets, which will be used to develop a centre of excellence in sea going training for young people. The centre will support the sea cadets, army, air force, youth clubs and schools across the region.

The project will bring young people together in an exciting, challenging yet instructive way. The aim is to teach the importance of teamwork and friendship as well as building confidence and self esteem.
     
The Friends of Ayresome Gardens
  A grant award of £1,480 was made to the Friends of Ayresome Gardens, the volunteer group encouraging involvement in local community activity. They aim to improve the garden area and promote its importance in the locality as well as developing social, recreational and educational facilities in the garden. With the help of the grant, the group were able to hold a gala day in the gardens to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, which helped promote community spirit.
 
Redcar & Cleveland Disability Access Group
  Over the last two years, the Tees Valley Community Foundation has awarded £8,900 to Redcar and Cleveland Disability Access Group to help set up a vitally needed Shopmobility facility.

The Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chest for the area has made the grant possible. Redcar was the only principal town within Tees Valley not to have a Shopmobility scheme. The scheme has allowed disabled and elderly people to access the facilities in the town centre and become more involved with the local community. This has made a huge impact on the users of the service boosting confidence and reducing isolation and dependency on others.
     
Body Talk    
  Deaf children from Middlesbrough experienced a fantastic array of workshops and performances from a group of internationally renowned artists from India. The Foundation issued the grant, which allowed the Kathakali Performers to travel to the region and perform using 400 year-old Indian Sign Language.

The programme ran by ‘Body Talk’ enabled severely deaf children, some with visual impairment and other difficulties, to access the arts through sign language, visual arts and dance. Deaf and hearing children from Asian and non-Asian backgrounds worked together at this superb event.