North Northumberland Voluntary Forum

04/11/2026

HELP NEEDED – VETERAN SUPPORT IN SCOTLAND

We have been contacted for information about support for someone who served in the Armed Forces and now lives in the Scottish borders. Unfortunately, this former veteran has fallen on hard times due to ill health and is in need of some assistance.

We are appealing to anyone living in the Scottish Borders or anyone who may have knowledge of organisations north of the border, who could point us in the right direction.

We have plenty of contacts here in Northumberland but not those that cover across the border. We are aware of SSAFA, RBL & other service charities but we have no contacts or details in the Scottish Border Council or any welfare assistance schemes that may be able to offer help.

We appreciate that it is late in the evening, but we are hoping to gather as much information as possible tonight so that we can start making enquiries and take action first thing tomorrow morning.

If you know of any organisations or services that might be able to assist, please either:

• Comment below.
• Send us a private message.
• Email [email protected]

Any information, advice or signposting would be greatly appreciated.

Let’s see if we can pull together and get this veteran the support they deserves.

Thank you for your help.

04/11/2026

*NNVF Annual General Meeting*

This evening, we held our Annual General Meeting which was chaired by our President, Lord Joicey and attended by our Vice President, Terri Bearhope.

Both our Annual Report and Annual Accounts for the financial year ending 31st March 2026 were presented, adopted and approved by the Board of Directors.

We are pleased to announce that the following directors were elected this year:

Chair - Flora Simpson
Vice Chair - Jan Cason
Treasurer - John Elliott

Directors:

* Colin Hardy
* Melanie Dean
* Catherine Seymour
* George Farr

Congratulations to all those elected and thank you to everyone who continues to give their time, commitment and support to the North Northumberland Voluntary Forum.

We look forward to another positive year working together and continuing the important work of the organisation.

"Bringing community and voluntary groups together in North Northumberland"

https://nnvforum.org.uk/

04/11/2026

Quick shout out to Seahouses Hostel - fantastic community venue to hold an event!

04/11/2026

Due to operational commitments our team is having to rearrange the days they normally work this week.

Therefore the Berwick Voluntary Centre will be closed all day on Thursday 5 November.

We’ll be open on Friday 6 November instead…thank you for your understanding.

04/11/2026

Domestic abuse can affect anyone, regardless of gender. But for men experiencing abuse, taking that first step to speak out or seek support can sometimes feel particularly difficult.

That's why The ManKind Initiative has set aside 4th November for Supporting Male Victims of Domestic Abuse Day, to help signpost male victims and survivors to the support services in their area.

There are a number of organisations across Cleveland offering advice, guidance and specialist support for male victims of domestic abuse, including:

🩵 Harbour Support Services : 0300 020 2525
🩵 ARCH Teesside : 01642 822331
🩵 My Sisters Place : 01642 241864
🩵 Suzy Lamplugh Trust : 0808 802 0300

More information can be found here: https://mankind.org.uk/news-and-campaigns/male-victims-day/

04/11/2026

Do you live in one of the communities along the North East coast, from Berwick all the way down to Seahouses and Beadnell?

Our Rural Us Continues Project Officer, Sarah Critchlow, would love to hear from you!

Sarah wants to find out more about what’s happening in your local area and most importantly what community activities you would like to see happening in your community.

Are you involved in a local voluntary or community group? Or do you know of any groups that meet regularly in your area?

Sarah would love to connect with you and find out:

🟢What’s happening in your community?

🟢What activities or events would you like to see locally?

🟢Are there any local voluntary or community groups we should know about?

Get in touch with Sarah:

Call: (01289) 304141

Email: [email protected]

Please share details about your group, where and when you meet, and anything else you’d like us to know.

Let’s celebrate our rural communities and find out what’s happening in your area!

Follow the link below to find out about the project:

Rural Us Continues Project “Working together for mental wellbeing” The Rural Us Continues Project is led by the North Northumberland Voluntary Forum and is funded by The National Lottery Community…

04/11/2026

Check out the latest volunteering opportunities in North Northumberland - visit our website for more information:

Resident Organisations of the Berwick Voluntary Centre “Supporting the people who support our Communities” Volunteering in North Northumberland is a unique brokerage service set up to support community organisations, groups…

04/11/2026

Please share…

If you are a North East Veteran and you are struggling please call the Veteran Recovery College all are counsellors are fully trained and accredited.

We are here to support you

0191 308 4030

04/11/2026

Northumberland VCSE Mental Health Alliance are looking for people who live or work in Berwick and the surrounding rural communities to take part in their upcoming Berwick Mental Health Focus Group.

The session will explore local experiences of wellbeing, community support, access to services, and the challenges facing rural communities. They want to hear directly from people with lived experience and local knowledge so we can better understand both the strengths and needs of the area.

See the flyer below with full details.

If you know anyone who may be interested, please share it through your networks, community groups, newsletters, social media channels, or directly with individuals who live or work in the area.

People can register their interest by either scanning the QR code on the flyer or emailing:

[email protected] directly.

Places are limited and the session may fill up quickly. If demand exceeds capacity, they will look to arrange additional focus groups at a later date so that more people have the opportunity to contribute.