Ellie's Celebration of Stanley
I never knew there was so much history in Stanley. I always thought it was just a random, boring town that had always been here. I did know a bit about the mining history because I live in Quaking Houses, which used to be a mining village. But, I had no idea about Stanley’s involvement in the FA Cup or anything like that. Learning all of this made me realise that Stanley actually has a rich and interesting past.
Right now, though, Stanley feels boring. It seemed like it had more spirit back then, and now people just think of it as a rough area. For the future, I’d like that to change. I think we need to bring back that sense of community that used to exist. We could do that by organising festivals, events, and things that bring people together.
“It’s a shame there’s no football ground or community space where people can go to enjoy themselves. Having something like that could really help rebuild community spirit and give people a reason to feel proud of Stanley again.”
- Ellie McGuire
Celebrating Stanley / September 30th, 2025
Thomas's Celebration of Stanley
Thomas was born in Shotley Bridge Hospital, but grew up in Shield Row, one of the villages surrounding Stanley. He is 28 years old and was once a Stanley Town Councillor. Read his thoughts on Stanley's present and future here...
Self-Belief and Emotional Wellbeing / July 2nd, 2025
Youth Social Action / July 2nd, 2025
Aspirations and Future Planning / July 2nd, 2025
Raising aspirations through Beth's work with Building Self-Belief
From helping young people raise aspirations in the classroom to painting and growing a beautiful garden – the experience of helping the community on multiple levels with Building Self-Belief
Benfieldside Community Garden / December 17th, 2025
Benfieldside Community Garden Sensory Area Launch
A lovely day at Benfieldside Community Garden celebrating the launch of our new sensory area!A big thank you to Durham County Council Counillor's Terry and Kathryn Rooney for funding this area, your support is truly appreciated.We would also like to send our thanks to Benfieldside Primary School for joining us to celebrate.