Charity regulator visits Tyneside charities to mark Good Care Month
The Chief Executive of the Charity Commission for England and Wales paid visits to three Tyneside charities this week to mark the start of Good Care Month.
David Holdsworth met staff and volunteers at St Oswald’s Hospice, The Tiny Lives Trust and Gateshead Carers on Tuesday (1 July).
St Oswald’s Hospice provides specialist care to people of all ages living with a progressive, life-limiting condition, as well as to their families and carers. David toured the Gosforth site’s adult inpatient ward and day services facilities, alongside the hospice’s specialist departments for children and under-25s. Hospice CEO Steph Edusei, Head of Care Services Angela Egdell and Chair of the trustee board Steve James also showed David the hospice’s new self-contained young adults’ accommodation suite. Opening soon, this development will promote greater independence and a smoother transition for younger patients as they move into adulthood. David also met volunteers from one of the charity’s retail shops and its bereavement support service.
Tiny Lives Trust supports and champions premature and sick newborn babies and their families, at the Newcastle Neonatal Service and across the North East and North Cumbria. David met staff including CEO Kelly Blakeney, trustees including Chair Andrew Dunsmure and other volunteers who work together with NHS colleagues to support more than 800 families each year. The charity offers a wide range of support services to help make the experience of neonatal care more comfortable, both while on the ward and back at home, including offering post-discharge activity groups across Tyneside.
Gateshead Carers is an association run by and for unpaid carers in the area, providing peer support for caregivers and campaigning to ensure their legal rights are recognised by employers, local authorities and others. CEO Steve Cowen and Chair Ian Mearns introduced David to the charity’s services, which include running monthly Carer Café events and offering short breaks for carers in a holiday cottage in Cumbria.
During his visits, David Holdsworth heard about the extent of each charities’ involvement on unpaid volunteers, and the challenges of financial sustainability facing charities of all sizes.
David Holdsworth, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, said:
“It’s always hugely fulfilling to visit charities and to get the chance to meet staff, trustees and other volunteers in the actual environment where they are making a difference. Seeing the impact these Tyneside charities are making at first hand was a fitting start to an important awareness month.
“St Oswald’s, Tiny Lives and Gateshead Carers are inspiring examples of the invaluable social care provided by registered charities across Tyne and Wear and it was good to help recognise the contribution they make at different stages of peoples’ lives.”
Good Care Month highlights the vital contributions of carers – both paid and unpaid – who provide support to vulnerable individuals across communities. The national initiative also aims to raise the profile of care as a rewarding career path.