Our Community Partners

Below are a list of some of the community partners we work most closely with, it you are a community partner looking to register with us you can find out some more information here

Mental Health/Welfare

Waddington Street Centre

The Waddington Street Centre offers support and opportunities to local people experiencing enduring mental health problems. The centre provides a wide range of quality services, including educational courses, within a welcoming environment. Waddington Street Centre is an accredited learning centre, understanding that education is an essential factor in the recovery and personal development of its service users. Working in partnership with New College Durham, courses currently offered at the centre range from art and design, film studies, guitar workshops, pottery, relaxation workshops, short stories reading groups and stress busting classes. More information can be found on Waddington Street Centre's website.

If U Care Share

Inspired by the shocking story of 19 year old Daniel O’Hare, a teenager who without any warning took his own life, If U Care Share is a charity aimed at the prevention, intervention and support for those bereaved by suicide. Alarmingly, suicide is the second biggest killer of young people in the UK. The charity therefore works with schools, football academies and other suicide prevention groups in order achieve their aim of reducing the risk of suicide amongst young people. More information can be found on If U Care Share's website.

Respite Care

Willowburn Hospice

With an ethos of Care, Comfort and Compassion, Willow Burn Hospice is a facility offering palliative care, delivered by specialist nurses, for adults who have a life limiting illness. The hospice offers both round-the-clock care, as well as day care. The hospice also offers patients a counselling and advice service, with bereaved families, carers and partners of Willow Burn patients, being able to access similar services. Willow Burn also provides a ‘Hospice at Home’ service, as well as physiotherapy service, and other complimentary therapy services such as acupuncture. The hospice also offers help, or referral to, specialist nurse care, social workers, citizen’s advice, trained volunteers and chaplains. More information can be found on Willowburn Hospice's website.

Environment

Friends of Old Durham Gardens

Old Durham Gardens are situated less than a mile east of Durham City Centre and provide a unique public space to be enjoyed by all. Acquired in 1985, the gardens were derelict and so a council-led renovation project began, aimed at returning the gardens to their former beauty. The Friends of Old Durham Gardens was established in 2010, providing the council with the direct, voluntary public support necessary to maintain the gardens at their full potential. The organisation also hopes to provide educational opportunities for schools and other local groups, as well as booklets, leaflets and practical demonstrations. More information can be found on Friends of Old Durham Gardens' website.

Groundwork In Durham

Groundwork in Durham is a branch of Groundwork North East, an organisation committed to providing a society made up of sustainable communities which are vibrant, healthy and safe. These communities also respect the local and global environment, allowing individuals and enterprises to flourish. Groundwork in Durham works with hundreds of individual projects each year, but primarily in disadvantaged communities in which the organisation can make the biggest impact on resident’s lives. Projects include gardening schemes, Otter Holt construction and community play sessions. More information can be found on Groundwork In Durham's website.

Durham Wildlife Trust

Durham Wildlife Trust protects wildlife and promotes nature conservation not only in County Durham, but also in the City of Sunderland and the Boroughs of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Darlington. The Trust manages nature reserves, delivers conservation projects to protect the region’s wildlife, and provides education and volunteering opportunities for thousands of children and adults every year. Durham Wildlife Trust is a charity and relies entirely on the generosity of the public to help protect wildlife for the future, making the support of volunteers crucial to the trust’s work. More information can be found on Durham Wildlife Trust's website.

Animal Welfare

The Dog’s Trust

Dogs Trust was founded in 1891 and is the largest dog welfare charity currently operating in the UK. The charity’s mission is to eliminate the unnecessary destruction of dogs and it campaigns to achieve this aim in a number of ways. The charity never destroys a healthy dog; instead its 18 nationwide rehoming centres find new homes for 16,000 dogs each year. The charity also runs public education initiatives, teaching how to be a responsible dog owner. The Trust has also develped FREEDOM and HOPE projects, assisting dogs in the care of homeless people or individuals fleeing domestic violence, to access the necessary care they require. More information can be found on The Dog's Trust website.

Homelessness

Cyrenians

The Cyrenians is a charity that works with vulnerable, disadvantaged and homeless people. Promoting a ‘total acceptance policy,’ the charity works holistically, combining all the appropriate support and services needed by different individuals. The charity’s ethos is to make a lasting, positive change to the lives of disadvantaged people by providing access to training, education, employment, and where necessary, emergency care and intervention. The charity also helps those suffering from substance abuse, as well as those who may be isolated and longing to form new friendships. All of these services help the individual concerned to start a new life. More information can be found on the Cyrenians' website.

Durham Action on Single Housing

For thirty years, Durham Action on Single Housing has aimed to provide housing for single homeless people and individuals experiencing poverty. The charity also aims to make accessible care, education and training to those with a mental or physical disability. The charity works closely with around 30 people at a time, hoping to achieve independent living. More information can be found on Durham Action on Single Housing's website.

General

County Durham Community Foundation

County Durham Community Foundation provides grants that make a genuine difference to the lives of local people. The foundation manages charitable funds donated by local individuals, families, businesses and trusts, building up a source of long-term support for the community and acting as the vital link between donors and local needs, enabling people to achieve far more than they could by themselves. The charity is dedicated to helping communities grow by creating opportunities and tackling issues of disadvantage and exclusion. The foundation works with a wide range of people including families, individuals, trusts, public bodies and local authorities. More information can be found on County Durham Community Foundation's website.