Exciting News about our Community Garden

Exercise, Health and Nutrition / Know Your Neighbourhood Project / Benfieldside Community Garden / October 13th, 2023

Exciting News about our Community Garden

Building Self-Belief are delighted to be a new member of the the Social Farms and Gardens. We are in the final stages of securing our 25 year lease in Benfieldside Community Garden. Once this has been confirmed, we are ready to get going on what will be a fabulous transformation.

We Need Your Help

As a project we will need as much support as possible from the community.  As a community garden we want to create a fabulous space that people of all ages can contribute to and enjoy. There will be planters for growing food, and wildflower areas, some mature trees are already there. What we want to d is involve the community on how we redesign the space.

What underpins our purpose is that it is well known that gardening is so good for our physical and our mental health. In our area, many people only have back yards, therefore to have access to a garden is a brilliant new addition to their lives.

Here are some of the benefits to being involved in community gardening:

  • Outdoor gardening can help your body fight disease
  • Regular gardening builds strength, promotes sleep and helps maintain a healthy body weight
  • Gardening can help protect your memory as you get older
  • Gardening is a mood booster
  • Gardening calms you after a stressful event
  • Community gardens foster a feelings of connectivity
  • Gardening can five you a feeling of empowerment


We are open to suggestions about how the space is used, we are also happy for people to give up as much time as they can afford to help us get this project off the ground. If you would like to volunteer in the garden for us, please get in touch.

Volunteer for us

Aspirations and Future Planning / February 15th, 2024

Know Your Neighbourhood Project / February 15th, 2024

Lynne Ackland - Volunteer Podcast

Lynne has a wealth of experience in the educational and charity sector and is committed to local volunteering. In this podcast she shares with us how important it is to engage and encourage young people in local volunteering and to ensure that charities and companies provide those opportunities.

Youth Social Action / July 17th, 2025

Aspirations and Future Planning / July 17th, 2025

The National Astronomy Meeting with Moorside Primary Academy

As part of our Youth Employability and Aspirations Programme with Moorside Primary, the children were specially invited to the National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) at Durham University! The NAM brought together nearly 1,000 astronomers from across the UK to share the latest research about the Universe. We even made the local news!

Celebrating Stanley / December 16th, 2025

Digital Inclusion / December 16th, 2025

Kristy's Celebration of Stanley

Listen below to Kristy Smith's Celebrating Stanley Podcast as she shares her background of working in Stanley and her fond memories.