Aimee moved to the North East in 2022 to study at Newcastle University and has been volunteering with Building Self-Belief CIO since 2024. She is described by the CIO as “an outstanding role model for the children that we support”, including working hard to reach young people. Colleagues have highlighted her kind and caring nature. She has also taken the time to lead fundraising efforts through Newcastle University’s Dance Society and was part of the Point North Know Your Neighbourhood Volunteer Team. In the last 12 months alone Aimee has supported hundreds of underprivileged young people of all ages across the North East. 

Elijah is a 10-year-old from Seaham who chose to support the Great North Air Ambulance Service after the charity saved his grandfather’s life in 2013. He undertook a month-long swimming challenge with an initial goal of swimming two miles per week and raising £200 for GNAAS. Exceeding all expectations, he swam 924 lengths of a 25-metre pool – a total distance of 14.3 miles and raised nearly £468 for the air ambulance. Through his actions, Elijah has demonstrated outstanding determination, gratitude and generosity, while raising awareness of the vital role air ambulance services play in saving lives across the region.

At the age of 13, Luke used his Christmas and pocket money to purchase a 3D printer with a clear goal of making a difference in his local community. Inspired by his father’s work as a volunteer ranger and a passion for outdoor safety, he developed an innovative fundraising project, creating 3D-printed safety whistles in support of the #BeAdventureSmart campaign and Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team. His dedication to helping others has earned national recognition, culminating in his selection as one of only 22 young people across the UK to receive the prestigious British Citizen Youth Award Medal of Honour at the Palace of Westminster.

Will is using his passion for comedy and performance to make a positive difference in his community. He organised and performed his first full-length live stand-up comedy show - Will Palmer Live & Laughing - in support of Hadrian School’s £2m Big Dream Project. The initiative aims to create a new disability community resource, including specialist facilities to support children and adults with additional needs across the region. Having witnessed first-hand the positive impact of the school’s facilities and the dedication of its staff, Will was motivated to contribute to a cause that improves opportunities and quality of life for others.

Back on the Map is a regeneration charity working in the ward of Hendon, Sunderland, an area historically placed within the most deprived wards in England. It operates a portfolio of affordable rental homes, while also offering vital community services, support and activities from community and youth hubs. Guided by a "dual-engine" leadership mindset, the organisation operates a Charity Board alongside a dedicated Enterprises Board. Trustees manage a complex property and regeneration business where profit is directly re-invested into local frontline services. The board is majority resident led and makes decisions based on both a commercial and a community basis.

Emmaus North East offers a home and support to help people progress after homelessness. It delivers a range of programmes, projects and pathways to assist people on their journey to a better future. The organisation’s board of trustees has been leading the charity on a significant period of growth, appointing a new CEO and working to improve the long-term sustainability of the charity. Last year its chair received a national award from Emmaus UK for the contribution he has not only made to Emmaus North East but his national influence in several areas.

The board of Northumberland County Blind Association brings a host of key skills and experience to the organisation and has shown a deep commitment to the people it supports. The last 12 months has seen the board work to achieve growth in its activities after a long period of stagnation. That included securing new funding, expanding community outreach and focusing on new technology and innovation. The charity has also upgraded its centre in Morpeth, along with systems and management tools. This has been achieved through broad consultation with the charity’s service users.

The Board of Trustees of Rape Crisis Tyneside & Northumberland provides leadership, expertise and stewardship to one of the region's longest-established specialist sexual violence organisations. A mixture of several long-serving trustees with five recently recruited members brings together expertise in governance, finance, safeguarding, equality, health, law, strategy and organisational development, united by a shared commitment to supporting survivors of sexual violence and creating a society free from violence against women and girls. Trustees act as ambassadors, advocates, critical friends and champions for the organisation, ensuring that survivor voice, safety and inclusion remain at the heart of decision-making.

4Louis was started by Bob and Tracey McGurrell as they supported their daughter Kirsty through the grief of baby loss. From an initial plan to create 10 memory boxes, the charity has grown over 16 years to be working with 11 North East and North Cumbrian NHS trusts. The organisation is recognised locally and nationally as a leader in the support of maternity bereavement and the impact on mental health and wellbeing following baby loss. In the last 12 months, Bob has delivered bereavement training courses across the UK into more than 100 NHS trusts, working with hundreds of student midwives, as well as experienced clinicians and consultants.

Bensham Grove Community Centre is one of the North East’s oldest home‑grown charities, with a history stretching back over 100 years. The centre provides a warm and inclusive space where communities come together across cultures, ages, and backgrounds to take part in creative, cultural, educational, and wellbeing activities that improve quality of life. Activities include women’s wellbeing groups, arts and crafts classes, heritage projects, refugee and migrant cultural celebrations, family events, exhibitions, and community food initiatives. One user described it as “the only place I feel welcome”.

Recovery Connections was founded in Middlesbrough in 2008 to provide recovery support for people affected by alcohol and substance use. It now operates in seven local authority areas across the North East, employing more than 170 staff and also being one of the region’s largest Individual Placement & Support (IPS) employment programmes, supporting people into meaningful work. Lived experience is fundamental to the organisation’s work with 92% of staff having lived experience of addiction themselves, ensuring that people accessing support are met by individuals who genuinely understand the challenges of stigma, trauma, exclusion, and rebuilding their lives.

Unfolding Theatre uses inclusive theatre to bring people together, strengthen communities and build social cohesion. Since 2008, it has championed a collaborative approach that places underserved communities at the centre of the creative process. The company’s work is delivered through touring theatre, community co-creation, long-term engagement programmes, and partnership projects with schools, local authorities, universities and cultural organisations. The last year has seen one of its highest participation figures, with more than 12,000 people attending 27 live events. The company’s Dear Sunderland built on 19 years of community work in the city, bringing people together to write letters to their city.

Danny is an inspirational leader whose passion, vision, and determination have transformed the lives of people with disabilities and learning difficulties across the North East. In 2023, Danny realised his dream of establishing Lifelong Ability North East, creating a charity dedicated to providing opportunities, promoting independence, and ensuring that people with disabilities are valued, included, and heard. The charity was founded to address gaps in support and create meaningful opportunities for people to develop skills, confidence, friendships, and aspirations. From the outset, it has been centred on listening to individuals and families and building services that reflect their needs and ambitions.

Hannah has been part of Silverline Memories since its very beginning, and has become a familiar and valued presence, volunteering regularly and developing a deep-rooted connection to the charity’s mission. Her long-standing commitment led her to officially join the team as a staff member at 18, taking on part-time administrative roles while continuing to build her experience and understanding of the sector. Over the years, Hannah has grown into a passionate and powerful advocate for people living with dementia. Her insight is shaped not only by her professional work, but also by her personal experience supporting her grandmother.

Kirsty came to work with Her Circle after significant personal trauma when she was trying to re-build her life. She became an active member of the Her Circle community before moving into a volunteer role, where her warmth, empathy and ability to connect with women made a lasting impression on both staff and service users. Kirsty's lived experience gives her a unique understanding of the realities faced by the women the charity supports, and she is described as being “compassionate without being judgemental, supportive without removing accountability and hopeful without minimising the challenges women face.”

Tarik originally came to the UK from Syria, and chose to get involved in the community through volunteering roles with the North East Refugee Service and Action Foundation. Through these roles, he supported other refugees and people seeking asylum, while developing his own skills and confidence. Drawing on his lived experience, he quickly became someone others trusted for practical guidance, encouragement and understanding. After gaining refugee status, he became a support worker with West End Refugee Service, and has since grown into one of the key members of its team. He is described as being an “emerging leader in the refugee and migration sector.”

2 Way Tenancy Solutions is a North East social enterprise dedicated to preventing homelessness, sustaining tenancies and helping people build stable, independent lives. Since 2014, the organisation has demonstrated that commercial success and social impact can go hand in hand, with its business model combining commissioned services, training programmes, supported accommodation, financial inclusion initiatives and specialist tenancy sustainment support. Recent developments include supported accommodation for prison leavers, temporary accommodation for families fleeing domestic abuse, the Home Ready Tenancy Training Programme, energy support initiatives and specialist services for people with complex needs.

Cricketqube Initiative CIC is a Newcastle-based community sport social enterprise using cricket as a vehicle for genuine social change across the North East. The organisation works with communities that mainstream sport often overlooks, including older adults in care homes, isolated seniors, women and girls, children at risk, and young people from South Asian and other marginalised backgrounds. Rather than depending on grant funding to survive, it has built contracted, traded income, most notably through regular sport sessions delivered directly into care homes, while reinvesting that revenue into free and subsidised community programmes. This means the social impact is not contingent on the next funding cycle.

Side by Side Arts is a performing arts community interest company in Gateshead, offering in-person and digital music tuition, vocal coaching, stage schools, holiday clubs and performing arts projects in schools and community settings. The company has grown quickly, expanding from a "cupboard-like" space in the Gateway Studio CIO's space in the town centre to its current home, a two-story community building in the heart of the community. The organisation has delivered more than 20,000 lessons, developed courses for teachers to help them deliver music in schools, and delivered community events in collaboration with Gateshead Council arts and events team.

Sunshine Co-operative Community Interest Company is a social enterprise based in Sunderland that supports local producers to make sustainably grown, locally sourced food. The CIC has a focus on improving community wellbeing and strengthening the local economy. Sunshine creates Access to Work jobs for young people who face barriers into work, and is rooted in the belief that healthy food should be accessible to all. The social enterprise has been trading for six years, beginning with a shop on High Street West and has recently added a second shop in Villette Road, delivering food directly to households in Sunderland and across the North East.

Anne Fry became CEO of Eating Distress North East when it was navigating instability, uncertainty and significant operational challenges. Today, it is a financially secure, well-governed and strategically focused organisation, supporting more people across the North East to access compassionate, life-changing help. Anne has led a remarkable transformation over the past two years, showing leadership that is defined by the creation of a culture in which people feel safe, valued and able to grow. She leads visibly and consistently from the front, ensuring that the needs of service users remain central to the organisation’s work.

Janet Murphy is the founder and chief executive of ESCAPE Family Support, a Northumberland-based charity supporting children, young people and families affected by a loved one’s substance misuse. She founded the organisation following the tragic death of her daughter, an experience that showed her the lack of specialist support for families affected by substance misuse. She has grown ESCAPE from a small, volunteer-led initiative into a respected, countywide organisation delivering trauma-informed, evidence-based services, widely recognised as a pioneering and values-led leader within the sector. Her leadership has been recognised nationally through the award of an MBE and the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Peter Darrant is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion who has dedicated many years to creating positive change within communities across the North East and beyond. He first became widely involved in LGBTQ+ community service delivery as chair of Northern Pride, and as CEO of OUT North East, he has developed The ONE Centre as an LGBTQ+ community hub. Peter has a talent for bringing together the voluntary sector, businesses, public services, and community organisations. He understands that lasting change is achieved through collaboration and has worked tirelessly to build relationships that strengthen both communities and services.

Sarah McPhie is a values-driven charity leader with over 20 years’ experience dedicated to improving outcomes for communities facing disadvantage. Beginning her career at the Great North Air Ambulance in 2006, she has built a strong track record in leadership, partnership working, service development and strategic change across the voluntary and community sector. Sarah became chief executive of Stockton Citizens Advice in 2025, stepping into the role at a time of rising poverty, increasing demand and growing complexity across Stockton borough. She has led Stockton Citizens Advice through one of the most challenging periods in its history with resilience, energy and humour.

Now in its 40th year, Equal Arts exists to support older people living across Tyne and Wear, providing creative opportunities for people aged 55 and over to improve wellbeing and reduce loneliness. The organisation’s work reaches hundreds of older people each week, particularly in supported housing schemes and in care settings, where loneliness can be an everyday occurrence. Sessions aim to help people connect through creativity, building new friendships and learning new skills. In the last year it has been at the forefront of the emerging field of dementia-friendly reading, partnering with Newcastle City Library to provide Reading with Dementia workshops.

Open Clasp is a feminist theatre company which co-creates theatre with women and girls that calls for gender justice and systemic change. The company’s mission is to create theatre which ignites activism and places social, political, and personal change at its heart - changing the world one play at a time. In the last year, Open Clasp’s play Rupture has made a loud call to action for the rights of mothers in prison. Commissioned by Durham University in partnership with charity NEPACS as part of the Parental Right in Prison report, Open Clasp co-created the play with women who brought often traumatic lived experiences to the piece.

The Volunteer Activism Group at Rape Crisis Tyneside & Northumberland is a survivor-led collective of volunteers who use their voices, experiences and expertise to challenge sexual violence, misogyny and inequality across the North East. Through campaigning, research, education and public engagement, the group has become a powerful force for social change, helping to ensure conversations about violence against women and girls are not only heard, but acted upon. The group’s work combines grassroots activism with education, partnership working and creative campaigning, tackling both the immediate realities of sexual violence and the wider social attitudes that enable it.

Recovery Connections was founded in Middlesbrough in 2008, initially providing recovery support for people affected by alcohol and substance use. Since then, it has expanded significantly across the North East and now operates in seven local authority areas, becoming one of the region’s largest Individual Placement & Support employment programmes, helping people access meaningful work across multiple communities. Lived experience is fundamental to the organisation’s identity and success, with 92% of staff identifying as having lived experience of addiction themselves. This ensures that people accessing support are met by individuals who genuinely understand the realities of stigma, trauma, exclusion, and rebuilding their lives.

Accenture’s Newcastle office took charge of a national effort to run the length of the country in a relay involving the company’s eight UK offices. More than 700 people took part, covering nearly 800 miles and raising over £100,000 that went to Multibank and The Junction Foundation, the Tees Valley charity that runs the region's Multibank, collecting surplus essential goods and getting them to local families who need them most. In a part of the country where nearly half of all children live in poverty, that work matters enormously. Accenture said that the organisations “felt like the right causes for something that started in the North East”.

The partnership between Karbon Homes and Building Self-Belief CIO has had a huge impact upon the lives of hundreds of people in the Consett and Stanley areas of County Durham across many years. The partnership involved the establishment of the Consett Youth Panel, which has worked to empower young people and give them strategies and the self-belief to take ownership of their lives. The two organisations have also worked together on a Greener Future for Stanley that has seen local young people create a new green space for their peers and community to enjoy.

RE:GEN North East works alongside housing associations, local authorities and community partners to transform homes and neighbourhoods, giving it a deep understanding of the challenges facing the sector. It has worked with Back on the Map, a place-based social and economic regeneration charity based in Hendon, Sunderland, to support the development of Hendon Youth Hub, a dedicated space in the area for young people creating opportunities for self-discovery, self-improvement and inspiration. RE:GEN North East donated all of the labour and materials required to transform a derelict building into a vibrant, open-plan youth hub featuring two dedicated youth zones.

The partnership between Sage Foundation and Newcastle Rugby Foundation was established to tackle the lack of diversity, confidence, and participation in STEM among young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Tackling Insights programme blends rugby with real-world data and technology to bring STEM to life. By combining classroom based learning with practical, tag rugby sessions using AI-powered Smart Ball technology, pupils explore coding, data analysis and performance insights in a fun, accessible way. The innovative approach reflects both organisations’ strengths, leveraging the power of sport as an engagement tool while equipping young people with future-facing digital skills.

Alison Jones is head of sports at North East law firm Muckle LLP and has advised countless charities across the region, on governance and other legal issues. Last year she sat on the Charity Law Association working panel responding to proposed changes in the Charity Governance Code. As part of that work she arranged for the chair of the steering committee to travel up to the North East from London to co-present the revised Code to the region’s charities. In the last 12 months Alison’s three trustee roles have seen her become involved in several key projects.

Retired couple George and Kate Taylor were looking for volunteering opportunities and chose to support the 4Louis charity. They split their time between volunteering on site to creating products they sell at car boot sales and craft markets to help raise monies for 4Louis. Kate has fabulous crafting skills and is often found in the sewing room making precious Angel Gowns or the specialist bedding that goes into the early miscarriage boxes. George uses his talents making a range of bird boxes, benches and tables. The charity says: “The time they give, the money they raise and the hearts they touch is priceless.”

Iris has been a dedicated volunteer with CT Charity for more than 30 years and is one of the organisation’s most valued and respected team members. Now aged 80, she continues to volunteer three full days every week, demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to supporting local people and helping the charity achieve its mission. She is described as a “trusted friend, mentor and source of support to colleagues, volunteers and members of the community alike”. Colleagues praise her warmth, kindness and genuine care for others.

Jennifer Parvin first came into contact with the Teesside Hospice in 2024 when her husband was cared for at the facility during his final days. She has recently become a trained celebrant, delivering ceremonies for funerals, weddings and naming ceremonies, and using her own experiences to ensure she meets the wishes of other families and loved ones. She also supports the hospice through fundraising and as a widely recognised ambassador, being joined by family members to raise more than £20,000 for the hospice’s work.

Gym Possible was founded to address the lack of inclusive fitness provision, and has grown into a leading provider of specialist, fully accessible gym environments. Based in Gateshead and Benton, it has built fully accessible gym spaces designed specifically for wheelchair users and people with complex physical needs. It supports more than 90 active members, from individuals taking their first steps into fitness to athletes competing in wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, Paralympic sport, and adapted CrossFit. It is also leading the development of Neuro-Fit, a new competitive fitness sport designed specifically for wheelchair users, creating opportunities not just to participate, but to compete, progress, and be recognised.

Newcastle Women’s Aid is a specialist women-led charity providing support, advocacy, and safety planning for women affected by domestic violence and abuse. For 50 years, it has delivered trauma-informed services designed by and for women in Newcastle, ensuring survivors receive the understanding, safeguarding, and empowerment they need to rebuild their lives. Its activities include telephone advice and support services; one-to-one, individual specialist advocacy and safety planning; group work and holistic therapies; and domestic abuse and recovery programmes. The charity’s core income comes from charitable grants and commissioned contracts, but it has moved to strengthen its long-term sustainability by diversifying income streams.

OUT North East is a small but ambitious LGBTQ+ charity serving communities across the North East. The charity exists to ensure LGBTQ+ people are connected to the support, opportunities, resources and communities they need to live safer, healthier and more fulfilled lives. Founded on the belief that nobody should feel isolated or excluded because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, it combines direct support, community engagement, research, education, advocacy and partnership working to address the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people whilst creating opportunities for people to thrive. In the last year it has created The ONE Centre, the North East's first dedicated LGBTQ+ community centre.

Spectrum Holidays provides sensory-adapted respite holidays for autistic and disabled children, young people and adults, alongside their families. The charity was founded by Sophia and Malcolm following their own experience of trying - and repeatedly failing - to access a suitable holiday with their autistic son, Luca. Recognising that many families face the same barriers, they established Spectrum Holidays to create inclusive, accessible holiday experiences where none previously existed. The charity launched in 2019 with a sensory-adapted holiday home in Northumberland. It has since supported more than 3,000 families to access safe, successful, and meaningful respite breaks, many for the first time.

Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care is one of the North East’s most recognisable charities, providing free, specialist transport for cancer patients travelling to and from hospital for chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. The charity does far more than take patients from one place to another, providing comfort, dignity, companionship and peace of mind. Its support helps reduce anxiety for patients and families, particularly for those who may be elderly, isolated or facing repeated hospital visits over weeks and months. In 2025, the charity delivered 30,318 patient journeys, supporting 1,500 individual patients across the North East and beyond.

Family Gateway was established in 2011, working with individuals, children and families to alleviate poverty, improve wellbeing, raise aspirations and increase employability. In 2017, it took over a council-run building in the heart of Howdon and transformed it into the Howdon Community Hub, a welcoming, inclusive space that serves as the centre of its work. The charity recruits and trains people from the local community who have lived experience of the same challenges faced by those it supports. This includes working with families at risk of having children removed, partnering with primary care services, and delivering programmes to improve school attendance and attainment.

Handcrafted was founded in Durham in 2012 by a group of people from a local church who wanted to offer practical hope to people facing poverty, exclusion and crisis. Handcrafted now works through hubs and supported housing across County Durham, Gateshead, Sunderland, Darlington and Middlesbrough. The centres offer woodwork, cooking, crafts, free community meals, women’s and men’s groups, accredited training, supported employment, volunteering and one-to-one support. The charity aims to work with people who have been excluded, overlooked or written off, including those affected by homelessness, offending, poor mental health, addiction, domestic abuse, care experience, refugee or asylum experience and long-term unemployment.

Teesside Hospice exists to support people living with a life limiting illness, helping them live as well as possible, for as long as possible. Rated Outstanding following a recent CQC inspection, it supports more than 4,000 patients and families across the Tees Valley each year, with a 10-bed in-patient unit plus an outreach service that has nurses who visit patients in their own homes to offer assessment and discuss decisions. It also offers a bereavement counselling service and a lymphoedema clinic. The hospice is looking to grow its services to meet the ever-rising demand for care across the Tees Valley.