Blog | Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency

A tablet to mask the pain

11 March 2019 - 5:11pm

Prevention is the word on everyone's lips for health and wellbeing, yet why do my experiences suggest we still look to mask symptoms rather than cure them?

The current health and social care agenda has a focus on prevention, the Care Act 2014 stated that there will be ‘A greater emphasis on prevention ‘ - local authorities and providers of support would encourage and assist people to lead healthy lives, reducing the chances of them needing more support in the future’

Guest blog: Keeping all the plates spinning at A Way Out

26 April 2018 - 10:42am

Guest blog by Sarah McManus, CEO of A Way Out

I am a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother… and, for the last 18 months, CEO of an organisation called A Way Out – a charity now celebrating 16 years of supporting vulnerable women, families and young people in Stockton.

Like so many women, life can sometimes feel like a circus - a whirling carousel incorporating the ups and downs of operating under each of these multiple identities. There are plates to spin and hoops to jump through in order to keep everything going!

It’s Nice to be Nice

27 February 2018 - 12:29pm

I was browsing through my Facebook page recently and came across a heart-warming story about a local bus driver. A school girl had missed her bus, but the bus driver noticed her in his mirror as he was pulling out. Unable to stop, he drove around the block and picked her up on the second time around. The passengers gave him a round of applause and organised a whip round.

Oriana's experience of volunteering with Healthwatch South Tees

23 February 2018 - 10:27am

Healthwatch South Tees is the independent champion for people using local health and social care services. We listen to what people like about services and what could be improved and share their views with those with the power to make change happen.

We have a group of volunteers who actively support us to gather feedback, hold information stalls, support us with our work plan and promote Healthwatch.

Oriana has volunteered with us for 3 years and has given an overview of her experience during that time.

Why we're supporting Recovery Connections’ #familiesconnected campaign

16 February 2018 - 2:35pm

Nothing is more likely to bring a tear to your eye than a story that resonates with your own struggle. Sitting in the audience at the recent Recovery Connections AGM I was impacted deeply by the courage of a mother who had braved this packed event to share publicly her experience of trying for many years to support her daughter, addicted to substances.