Community Poverty, Health & Wellbeing Support
Thanks to funding secured through Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership, Lifeline Community Action continue to successfully support families and help to rebuild community togetherness across Newton Aycliffe.
The organisation was successful in applying for and securing funding through the GAMP Area Budget fund. The project is two-fold, it helps to provide much-needed essentials and baby care packages for households in need and secondly provides community-based interactive and group activities such as knit & natter, craft sessions, painting and drawing, exercise and social dance. These sessions aim to address loneliness and isolation across the GAMP area.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, LCA have provided essential packs to individuals and families who were experiencing financial difficulties and struggling to purchase goods. However, in their latest project they have gone one step further and began to directly target isolation within the community, by delivering activities where families and individuals can enjoy taking part in activities in a group setting again in a local venue.
Pauline Chambers, from Lifeline Community Action, said: “The demand across the area for our service dramatically increased when the outbreak took hold, with more families and individuals requiring our support. The funding received helped us greatly in the ability to support those additional families that found themselves in need during this difficult time. This project has allowed us to help bring the community back together, helping to ease the isolation so many were facing.”
Brian Riley, Great Aycliffe & Middridge Partnership Coordinator, said, “Lifeline Community Action have provided an invaluable service to local Newton Aycliffe residents during the pandemic crisis and their efforts are greatly appreciated by the Great Aycliffe & Middridge Partnership Board.”
To date the project has helped support nearly 400 individuals/families and is on track to exceed its target of over 500.
