Household Support Fund-Over £95,000 distributed!

Self-Belief and Emotional Wellbeing / Youth Social Action / January 6th, 2026

Household Support Fund-Over £95,000 distributed!

Over the last few months we have distributed over £95,000.00 from our Household Support Fund. This has mainly been within the Consett and Stanley area. We have provided numerous ovens, washing machines, dryers, as well as food vouchers. Alongside this we have distributed over 300 winter warmer packs to local children. Our hope is that the families we have supported had a much better Christmas and a more positive new year, 2026.

Harder to manage

This year more than any other, has there been a demand for our Household Support Fund. For many, it is as simple as food prices have gone up, and everything is so much more expensive that even with careful budgeting, they just can’t manage. For others, they have their budgets sorted to the penny, but when something unexpected happens- like the washing machine breaks- they just don’t have the spare funds to cope.

Housing conditions

Damp appears to be an ongoing issue, where we have had requests for tumble dryers. Families are finding it impossible to get clothes dry in internal damp conditions combined with external freezing temperatures. A tumble dryer can make such a difference to homelife., especially with young children.

Examples of need

We organise our funds mostly through referrals from other agencies, mainly schools, plus through our close work with Karbon Homes. Here are some examples of need:

- Families who have not had a working cooker for over four years,

- An 84 year old man having to hand wash his clothes because he couldn’t afford a washing machine.

- A pensioner who no longer had a working fridge or oven becasue they had both broken and they could not afford new ones. There are many more examples.

Working people who struggle

What is becoming more apparent is the amount of families who are now in the 'working poor' bracket, where their outgongs are so high, they barely have enough to manage. It is particulalry soul destroying to be working hard, and have nothing but survival until the end of the month to show for it. As part of our approach, we also created and distributed winter warmer packs to our schools. One of the heads said that she had some parents in tears with gratitude because they are struggling to get by, families that had previosly been fine. It is heartwarming to hear that we have made a difference, it is heartbreaking that so many families are still needing so much support to just get by.

Moving forward

I have attended a whole series of consultations about ‘getting people out of poverty’. Now the (very expensive) consultations are over, we need some actions. This really has to be the lowest we can go as a society, there must be a more positive way forward than we currently have in place.

Thank you

A huge thank you to Point North for their support with the funding. Plus to our local schools and agencies for identifying those most in need, and helping us get the support to our community.

Chris Fletcher's Celebrating Stanley Podcast

Take a listen to Chris Fletcher's podcast, that as well as talking about celebrating Stanley, includes a section about the impact of our Household Support Fund.

Listen here

“Thank you so much!!!!!! We have used an air fryer for 4 years I am over the moon! You really have made our Xmas I could cry!!! Have a lovely Xmas xxxxxx ”

“He is over the moon with his new oven, as it’s over a year since he had a cooker as he hasn’t had one since he moved into the flat a year ago.”

“Thank you so much- I can actulloy look forward to Christmas now.”

“‘Xxxx is a widow who lives with her son who is in his 30's but is autistic and highly neurodivergent. She is also a carer for her elderly mum. She finds it almost impossible to work more than just a few hours part time so there is never money for replacing big items in the home. Their old cooker has reached the end of it's life and they would be very grateful for help to get a replacement. They just want a simple to use cooker.’ ”

“‘Sam messaged me to say she got her fridge. She's over the moon and very grateful. Thanks so much 😊’”

“ ‘You've given a very stressed woman hope, which is priceless. Thank you.’”

Consett Heritage Project / March 12th, 2025

Delves Lane Primary School Poetry Anthology Part 2

The children at Delves Lane Primary School learnt about the history of the Consett Steelworks and developed their understanding of the impact that the steelworks closure had, and continues to have, on the community. They created paintings, poems and decorated a quilt. Each group chose a photo relating to the Consett Steelworks, and wrote their own poems using poetic techniques. We hope you enjoy them!

Know Your Neighbourhood Project / February 3rd, 2025

Benfieldside Community Garden / February 3rd, 2025

Benfieldside Community Garden - January 2025 Update

Here's a short update of where we are up to with out plans for Benfieldside Community Garden. We are working through the winter, to get as much as we can in place so the community can enjoy the space over the summer months. A massive thank you to our volunteers, we couldn't do it without you!

Self-Belief and Emotional Wellbeing / December 4th, 2023

Huge Thank You to Sunderland Counselling Service for Building Self Belief’s Award

I was delighted to be a guest at Sunderland Counselling Services AGM on 30th November 2023 and help them celebrate their 40th anniversary. As CEO of Building Self-Belief, it was a great opportunity to see the timeline of how SCS has developed and evolved over the past 40 years.

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