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

Youth Social Action / September 27th, 2025

Wellbeing and the Arts / September 27th, 2025

Celebrating Stanley / September 27th, 2025

Oxhill Nursery School Green Leaders Project

The ‘Oxhill Green Leaders’ project involved twenty five children from Oxhill Nursery School, in Stanley on a across the spring and summer of 2025.The sessions enabled the young people to become ‘Green Leaders’ and actively engage in ecology and sustainability based activities. We were also delighted that the success of the programme was recognised by the award of a Silver Medal from 'Northumbria in Bloom'.

Self-Belief and Emotional Wellbeing / May 7th, 2025

Youth Social Action / May 7th, 2025

Kye's Kick Off / May 7th, 2025

Kye's Kick Off - Charity Football Match In Memory of Kye Cunnington

Kye's Kick Off was a charity football match on Tuesday 29th April at South Shields FC. The match was between Boldon School's Yr 9 VS Yr 11, in memory of much loved student, Kye Cunnington. The total amount raised for Teenage Cancer Trust was just over £4000!

Youth Social Action / July 2nd, 2026

Wellbeing and the Arts / July 2nd, 2026

Digital Inclusion / July 2nd, 2026

Lived Experience of Digital Inclusion Event

We were delighted to host Digital Unite's Lived Experience of Digital Inclusion Event, where we had a broader look at digital exclusion across communities, including real stories from people.