Blog | Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency

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.

A day in the life of a Community Connect development officer

29 January 2018 - 2:17pm

Ever wondered what it looks like? Its not all cups of tea and cake!

I will spare you the details of the chaos that occurs before my working day officially starts; all I will say is that I have a 16-month-old son who is very strong willed and neither getting dressed nor teeth brushing are on his list of priorities.

Only the lonely

21 December 2017 - 10:24am

We have all heard about the impact of loneliness and social isolation; equating to the damaging effects of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We have reports and studies coming out of our ears.

We know it’s a huge issue but what are we doing about it?

Since October this year I started working on a relatively new service, Community Connect, as a development officer.

Where have all the disabled people gone?

11 September 2017 - 2:59pm

Unexpected things happen at funerals.

Certainly you do not expect to be considering how the VCS can respond to the austerity inspired changes to the rights and benefits for disabled people whilst paying your last respects, but hey, I suppose stranger things have happened and all that. So, sat at the wake of a relative the other week I got talking to relations of my wife whom I had never met before, and before long the subject of Politics arose.

How Sported uses Sport for Development in all its diverse ways

3 August 2017 - 11:51am

Guest blog by Emily Burns, North East Regional Manager at Sported

Every week at the ARC in the centre of Stockton on Tees young women of varying backgrounds and nationalities come together to celebrate their diversity, learn about different cultures and get fit in the process.

Whilst five miles across town in Coulby Newham, a diverse group of young men, including asylum seekers, travellers, offenders and ex-offenders, come together to improve their health and well-being, and in some cases get their lives back on the right tracks.