Projects supported by Stanley Area Action Partnership

Stars Youth and Community CIC - Freedom Zone

This Funding will enable the continuation of a dedicated youth and community worker to support members of the LGBTQ+ community via the 'Freedom' Project, including those facing issues relating to gender identity and their sexuality. The Youth & Community Worker provides advice and guidance, facilitating two sessions each week aimed at creating a social space, building peer support, sharing experiences, and providing activities supporting LGBTQ+ needs. Sessions are split for ages 12 plus to 18 (activity) and 16 to 25 (drop-in), with cross working and peer support where volunteering is encouraged and fostered. Clients are also supported on a one-to-one basis.

Oxhill Nursery - School Sensory Space

Stanley AAP Area Budget funding will be used to set up a sensory room & outdoor sensory space to help develop children and meet their individual needs.  Sensory specific equipment will be purchased to ensure the Nursery have a large range of equipment and toys to meet the needs of all children. The new spaces will be a shared facility also used by our Community Toddler Group. Due to the current cost of living crisis, we feel some children are unable to access equipment that they would benefit from using, this particularly applies to children with additional needs as the equipment tends to be more expensive than most toys and not as easily accessible to families from lower income households. We will ensure the spaces are safe and fit for purpose, as well as kitted out with equipment that makes the spaces accessible to all, offering a more inclusive education going forward.

Tantobie Association for Sport and the Community - Sustainable Recovery and Repairs

The Sustainable Recovery & Repairs project within our Community Centre has three strands; first is to provide low cost/free children's activities for children by hiring coaches to deliver a range of sporting activities including cricket, gymnastics, dance, and archery, second is to redecorate the Community Centre to make it a more welcoming and vibrant venue for all users, and third is to help with core running costs for the community centre that will result in more of the income which is generated being used to ensure the centre, activities and events will be able to continue after the project ends.

South Moor Allotments - Fencing and Waste Removal

Funding from Stanley AAP has allowed the group to secure the allotment site with the installation of new fencing as previously several allotment sites had tenants, but no secure perimeter boundary. The new fencing will ensure tenants plots are safe to be tended and secure from unwanted visitors.  The funding will also be used for the removal of waste as a number of allotment plots have historical hidden/present waste from previous tenants. Removing this waste will help new tenants to tend their new plots and grow vegetables and fruit etc. without contamination. Tending allotments is an excellent outdoor hobby and improves tenants' health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally. The social interaction between plot holders is also great for tenants as they make new friends, share growing skills and knowledge, and ultimately helps to tackle social isolation.

Just for Women - Art Therapy

Funding support from Stanley AAP has enabled women and girls to take part in art therapy classes focusing on supporting mental health, empowering victims of domestic abuse, and enhancing overall well-being. The funding has also allowed Just for Women to plan and deliver a series of tailored sessions using craft therapy as a tool to reduce anxiety and stress while encouraging them to envision their futures and explore their aspirations. The project is facilitated by experienced art therapists who specialise in working with individuals who have experienced trauma and face mental health challenges. By creating a safe and nurturing environment where participants can freely express themselves through various art forms, such as painting, drawing, and sculpting, the therapeutic nature of these activities will help participants process emotions, gain insights into their experiences, and develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Beamish Football Club - New Goals

Beamish Junior Football Club receiving Area Budget funding from Stanley AAP to help them replace and upgrade all football goals on their 9v9 and 11v11 pitches. Previously we have secured external funding that has allowed us to improve and maintain the playing pitches for all our children and young adults. AAP funding has allowed the club to purchase mobile goals which will allow the club to increase the number of participants as well as alleviating damage to the pitches as we can move pitches to allow the goal mouths to regenerate and repair themselves through the season. The club is growing at a rapid speed, and we would like to increase footfall within the centre year on year. The New Goals project will allow us to welcome more attendees to the club. The football club is at the heart of the community and we're a lifeline for lots of families within the area.

The Activity Den - Open Access Youth Work

The Activity Den have been successful in securing funding from Stanley AAP to assist them to continue their open access youth work with funding targeted at their Youth Project Lead and Den Assistants wages, core costs, Young Volunteer training costs, activities, and the provision of food at all our groups. The Den's weekly groups consist of: Sound Hub - Our music project provides opportunities to learn from our expert tutors at an affordable cost. Instruments are provided and members are welcomed regardless of musical ability.  Den Shoots - Our club for children aged 6-8 years. Den Shoots offers games, activities, and arty stuff to get involved with whilst making friends and getting active! Healthy Futures - Our club for young people aged 9-12 years. The group has activities such as crafts, sport, games, and drama on offer as well as healthy snacks and a focus on young people as well-being. Later - For young people aged 13+, offering opportunities to chill-out, socialise and take part in youth led activities. Den Download - Our group for ages 10+. Den Download allows a safe inclusive space for the exploration of issue-based topics chosen by them and supports young people to get involved in social action projects. Den Dance - Our new dance project provides opportunities for members aged 6+ to take part in dance lessons delivered by an expert tutor. Young Volunteers Task Force, - For members wanting to give back to the community. Young Volunteers aged 13+ attend as many youth groups and events as possible and support our youth workers in running stimulating activities for children and young people and other tasks.

PACT House - Sustaining Service

Stanley AAP funding is being used by PACT House to help sustain their work and strengthen two of our main support routes; firstly, access to free and affordable cooked food / meals, and secondly local self-referral access to mental health and well-being support, from social and learning sessions to 1-2-1 counselling. Funding will be used to support staff in our community cafe that runs six days a week. The PACT House community cafe and community meals currently provide in the region 250 free meals each week, more during school holidays and weekly provide approx. 150 affordable meals with costs ranging from £1.50 to £3.00. Much of the food support gives focus on alleviating food insecurities, helps massively in bring a community together to prevent isolation, loneliness and provide a wide base for people to engage, give peer support and share experiences. This route of support opens up ways PACT House can promote and engage with the wider community, supporting with mental health, advice, well-being, addiction, benefits and housing issues and more so currently costs of living and fuel poverty. The funding will also be used to support our mental services manager and sustain our Think Positive Durham project, a dedicated mental health support service providing, well-being, social, listening ear and 1-2-1 counselling services. Think Positive, being a member of the Durham Mental Health and Well-being Alliance opens up a gate way to Countywide mental health support and alternative provision.

Stanley Area Youth Consortium - Robotics

Funding secured from Stanley AAP will enable a pack of 15 Sphero robots, controllers, add ons and sensors, with teaching resources and learning aids to be purchased for the benefit of young people. Sphero is a system of orb robots that are used to teach young people about programming, robotics, and solving problems thorough using IT and coding. The robots can be used to compete or complete a collective task, whilst encouraging young people to use maths, problem solving and coding skills to direct and enable the robot to learn how to undertake tasks and challenges. Robots are controlled and programmed via an app that operates via android / apple or PC hardware. Expanding the project to include the Sphero RVR+ will allow young people to engineer and add additional mechanical parts to the base robotic tracked vehicle in order to build on their own ideas and creative thinking.
Our plan is to use this as a resource for SAYC and our affiliate members, loaning it to groups and providing learning materials so that each group can host a robotics session as and when needed.
Sessions can be delivered as a fun introduction or be built upon as young people desire to increase their knowledge base

Just for Women - Counselling Service

The Counselling Service delivered by Just for Women has secured funding support from Stanley AAP to enable the continuation of counselling services to women, men, and young people in the Stanley community who are dealing with mental health issues. Individuals seeking support will undergo an initial assessment that helps us understand their specific needs and challenges. Based on the assessment results, we will collaboratively develop a tailored support program for each participant that is designed to comprehensively address their mental health concerns.

The core component of our project is the provision of counselling sessions. Clients will have the opportunity to discuss their challenges, feelings, and thoughts in a safe and confidential environment. In addition to counselling, we will organize mental health workshops that will cover topics like stress management, anxiety coping strategies, and building emotional resilience.

Harbour Recovery Service

Harbour Support Service provides support for clients who have experienced domestic abuse across the Stanley area. Harbour's Recovery Service Survivor Groups provide opportunities for women to engage in social interactions with others who have had similar experiences and are an effective way to help women and families to develop life skills, extend their community and support networks, and most importantly, increase their self-esteem and mental wellbeing. Stanley AAP funding that we have secured will enhance the provision of activities offered at the Stanley Survivor Group, drawing on external resources to provide a range of classes and workshops that support mental health and well-being and facilitate personal growth. The Survivor Group will deliver a range of health & wellbeing activities, such as self-defence classes, pamper sessions, and a range of arts & crafts sessions.

The Venue - Welfare Rights Officer

Stanley AAP Area Budget funding has ensured the continuation of a Durham County Council Welfare Rights Officer in The Venue, Wear Road, Stanley every Wednesday providing seven hours of one-to-one appointments with residents who reside within the Stanley AAP area.  The Welfare Rights Officer provides advice and support on social security issues and makes referrals on other money matters where appropriate to other partners in the building, Citizens Advice County Durham, Durham Money Advice Service, and Home Group, and Foodbank services. Advice in County Durham Partnership Officers and Welfare Rights Service Staff will also provide training, information, advice and guidance to staff and volunteers from the local voluntary and community sector in the Stanley AAP area to enable them to support and signpost residents for assistance.

Find out about the range of activities and support available in our community.

Stanley activity and support information directory (PDF) [4MB]

Projects supported by your local county councillors

You can find out more about the local projects supported by your local county councillors through their Neighbourhood Budget on the Your councillors page.