Group's work to continue despite end to funding
Damien WootenA community group which supports children and adults across a range of issues and schemes has said its work will continue despite its funding coming to an end after five years.
Gateshead's Teams and Dunston Alive (Tada) has overseen a number of projects including a sensory room for children with additional needs, a men's group and support for people affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
It had been funded through two charitable organisations and the National Lottery, but now volunteers will take on the group's activities.
Tada's Christine Frazer said: "Often when projects end it's a time of sadness and worry about the future, but we've made sure these schemes are sustainable."
The Teams and Dunston areas were chosen because they were places where "a lot of people find life very difficult", Frazer said.
"Many working full-time still can't quite make it to the end of the month without accessing a foodbank or walking to work because they can't afford petrol.
"There's also high unemployment, issues with mental health and drug use and a lot of council cutbacks.
"On the flip side, it's a community with passion and a commitment to making life better and to supporting each other. We've seen that time and time again."
She says hundreds of people have been helped through activities such as knitting clubs and coffee mornings.
A women in communities group is also thriving having gone from a handful of members meeting monthly for breakfast to more than 30 attending, with hundreds more keeping in touch through WhatsApp.
'Caring and compassionate'
Volunteer Ian Wood believes Tada helped "bridge gaps between communities, allowed them to have conversations and, in some cases, change people's minds" by "breaking down stereotypes".
Formerly addicted to alcohol and drugs, and having lived with HIV for 20 years, Wood has helped with projects focusing on those areas.
"Local organisations had maybe had problems with addicts disrupting things or hanging around, so Tada collectively linked in with addiction and recovery organisations and local GP surgeries to give practical help.
"I explained my journey and talked about recovery being possible. It's about the value of seeing the person, not the addict.
"It's provided an opportunity to bring people together and have difficult conversations in a supportive, caring and compassionate way."
Looking to the future, Frazer said: "All of this work will continue with a small group of volunteers.
"It's not goodbye to community work and people stepping up in Teams and Dunston."
