Families First - North East

05/10/2026

Good Afternoon Everyone

It is with great pleasure that we announce September’s STAR OF THE MONTH....

Lucy Barnes

Lucy is Care and Support Worker within our Children and Young People’s team

Her recent nominations included :
“I would like to nominate Lucy Barnes for her kindness and the positive way she supports both clients and colleagues.

Lucy always works extremely well with the clients. She is helpful, caring, patient, and always has a happy and positive attitude. She goes above and beyond to make sure that clients feel comfortable, supported, and valued. Lucy is a kind and compassionate person who consistently puts the needs and wellbeing of clients first. Her positive attitude, helpful nature, make her a wonderful member of the team and a very deserving candidate for this nomination.”

Well done Lucy and thank your for brining your positivity and sunny disposition to the team.

Remember that you can nominate your colleagues throughout the month via https://forms.office.com/e/iMpijbHdmY

04/10/2026

Good Afternoon Everyone

It is with great pleasure that we announce August’s STAR OF THE MONTH....

Aaron Asker

Aaron is apprentice Care and Support Worker within our Children and Young People’s team

His recent nominations included :
“I’d like to nominate Aaron for Employee of the Month. Whenever I work with him, he is great with the children. He always takes the time to play with them, have a laugh with them, and make sure they are having a good time.

When I’ve worked with children that I don’t know very well but Aaron does, he’s always been really good at helping them and what works best for them. He has built strong relationships with the children, and they clearly enjoy spending time with him.

Aaron is always calm, patient, and approachable. He brings a positive attitude to every shift and is a valued member of the team. I think his hard work and dedication deserve to be recognised.

Aaron is very good at reading the children, if he thinks a child or staff member is struggling he will offer his support, he will ask how he can help and then support them.”

He was also nominated by two of our young people who said:
“Lovely dude, very nice to be with. And conveniently ‘good’ at cards” &
“Very very very very good at cards, good with the lot at street funny guy”

Well done Aaron and thank your efforts to support our young people and your colleagues.

Remember that you can nominate your colleagues throughout the month via https://forms.office.com/e/iMpijbHdmY

03/10/2026

After almost two years of refurbishment works at Lorne House Residential Home, yesterday our resident Rachel had the honour of cutting the ribbon and officially reopening our Activity Room, and brought our ground floor communal rooms back into service..

A huge amount of behind‑the‑scenes effort has gone into bringing these spaces back to life (with a fair few frustrations along the way, but what else can you expect from a building celebrating its 150th birthday this year). The transformation has been worth every moment, and our residents were delighted to see the new look and reclaim their favourite seating spots.

A big thank you to John Rowe and his team at Cherryburn Construction in Hartlepool, who stepped in at the trickiest stage of the project and restored our communal spaces to an exceptional standard.

Another big thank you to James Black from Park High School for donating four large touch/interactive screens for our residents and children across our sites. They’re already a huge hit and empowering those we support to do more independently.

Finally, the biggest thanks go to EVERYONE who contributed ideas, feedback and patience throughout the disruptions. You’ve shown our attitude at its absolute best.

26/09/2026

Join us for our Halloween fundraiser ! It's going to be Epic !

🎉 A Halloween Party… But Make It 1980s! 🎶

This Halloween, forget the spooky stuff - we’re turning One77 into a full‑blown 80s & 90s pop explosion in support of Families First North East, helping children and young people with additional needs across our community.

We’re absolutely delighted to welcome the phenomenal, high‑energy band Smash Hits Party Band: 80s vs 90s to Hartlepool. These legends of live entertainment will blast out the biggest throwback anthems, guarantee wall‑to‑wall dancing, and bring the kind of electric atmosphere you’ll be talking about for weeks.

Join us at One77, 177 York Road, Hartlepool, from 7.30pm on 31 October 2026 for a night of neon nostalgia, feel‑good vibes, and pure pop magic.
🎟 Tickets: £10
Your ticket includes a tasty half time snack to keep you fuelled for the dancefloor.

It’s Halloween… just not as you know it.

Big tunes. Big energy. Big heart.
Tickets online now at - https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/ticketing/80s-halloween-party or by scanning the QR code on the image below.

🎉 A Halloween Party… But Make It 1980s! 🎶Forget the fright night — we’re rewinding the clock and turning Halloween into the ultimate 80s & 90s pop party in…

22/09/2026

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Did you miss out on next year's Great North Run Ballot ? 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Could you take on the Great North Run for Families First North East? 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

The atmosphere, determination and incredible achievements we witnessed at this year’s Great North Run have inspired us once again. Seeing thousands of runners cross the finish line, challenge themselves and raise vital funds for causes close to their hearts was truly amazing.

Now, we’re looking ahead and would love to hear from anyone interested in running the Great North Run in support of Families First North East on 12 September 2027.

Whether you're a seasoned runner chasing a new personal best or you're thinking about taking on your first half marathon, this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to local children, young people and families while achieving something incredible for yourself.

By running for Families First North East, you'll be helping us continue to provide vital support services across our communities, ensuring families get the help they need, when they need it most.
💜 Interested in joining Team Families First North East?

Register your interest today and be among the first to hear about charity places, fundraising support and how you can get involved. >> https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/wu2yX0iFpQ

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

A huge shout out to our intrepid Great North Runners for their sterling efforts yesterday. They battled the blazing heat, powered through 13.1 miles of unforgiving tarmac between Newcastle and South Shields, and somehow still crossed the finish line smiling.

Every single one of them should be bursting with pride… and they’re right to be. We’re bursting with pride for them too.

And let’s not forget, every one of these runners took on the Great North Run to raise funds for Families First North East, helping us continue the work we do supporting children, young people, adults, and families across Hartlepool. They didn’t just run the miles… they ran with purpose.

A special mention also goes to our elite squad of cheerleaders, strategically positioned at the final 400 metre mark. Their duties included: Eating sandwiches, Eating sausage rolls, Occasionally eating a scotch egg….and, at some point, shouting encouragement

They fulfilled these responsibilities with unwavering commitment and absolutely no shame.

My only job was to take great photos so their heroic moments could be immortalised. Unfortunately, it turns out that spotting pink T shirts in a stampede of 63,000 runners is… tricky. Very tricky. By the time you’ve squinted, panicked, zoomed, and shouted “THERE THEY ARE!”, they’ve already sprinted past and you’ve taken a lovely picture of a stranger’s elbow.

Still, not quite as hard as actually running the GNR2026. Or trying to escape South Shields afterwards.

So yes, apologies for the questionable photo quality. But they capture the spirit of an amazing day, and we hope you enjoy them anyway. If you’d still like to donate and support the work we do, you can visit any of the runners’ fundraising pages at:

Andy Booth - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/andy-booth

Chris Dawkins - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/chris-dawkins

Dan Charters - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/.../daniel...

Kwame Prempeh - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/kwame-p

Luke Thompson - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/.../luke...

Macy Thornton - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/macy-thornton

Martin Scarborough - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/.../martin...

Noah Whitton - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/noah-whitton

Rona Pout - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/rona-pout

Steven Donaldson - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/.../steven...

Tilly Burey - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/tilly-burey

10/09/2026

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Meet Our 2026 Great North Run Team!

This year, a brilliant group of runners are taking on the Great North Run to raise vital funds for Families First North East - supporting children, young people, adults, and families across Hartlepool and the wider community.

They’re lacing up, training hard, and putting in the miles… now we’re asking our supporters to help them smash their fundraising goals.

Below are all of our amazing runners, along with links to their individual fundraising pages. If you can spare a donation, big or small, it genuinely makes a difference.

🌟 Our 2026 Families First North East Runners
Andy Booth - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/andy-booth

Chris Dawkins - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/chris-dawkins

Dan Charters - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/daniel-charters

Kwame Prempeh - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/kwame-p

Luke Thompson - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/luke-thompson-ac87e

Macy Thornton - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/macy-thornton

Martin Scarborough - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/martin-scarborough

Noah Whitton - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/noah-whitton

Rona Pout - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/rona-pout

Steven Donaldson - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/steven-donaldson

Tilly Burey - Donate here: https://AJBellgreatnorthrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/tilly-burey

❤️ Why Your Support Matters
Every pound raised helps us deliver life-changing projects - from family support and youth programmes to wellbeing activities, community outreach, and inclusive events. Your donation directly supports local people who need us most.

🙌 Cheer Them On, Share Their Pages, and Help Them Hit Their Targets

Whether you donate, share their links, or simply send them some encouragement, it all helps. Let’s show these runners how much their effort means to our community.

07/08/2026

🎉 A Halloween Party… But Make It 1980s! 🎶

This Halloween, forget the spooky stuff - we’re turning One77 into a full‑blown 80s & 90s pop explosion in support of Families First North East, helping children and young people with disabilities across our community.

We’re absolutely delighted to welcome the phenomenal, high‑energy band Smash Hits Party Band: 80s vs 90s to Hartlepool. These legends of live entertainment will blast out the biggest throwback anthems, guarantee wall‑to‑wall dancing, and bring the kind of electric atmosphere you’ll be talking about for weeks.

Join us at One77, 177 York Road, Hartlepool, from 7.30pm on 31 October 2026 for a night of neon nostalgia, feel‑good vibes, and pure pop magic.

🎟 Tickets: £10
💥 Early Bird: £7.50 if purchased before midnight on 31 August 2026
Your ticket includes a tasty half time snack to keep you fuelled for the dancefloor.

It’s Halloween… just not as you know it.

Big tunes. Big energy. Big heart.

Tickets online now at - https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/ticketing/80s-halloween-party or by scanning the QR code on the image below.

25/06/2026

🌟 Join TeamAwesome at Families First North East! 🌟

We’re growing and we’re looking for passionate, caring, and motivated people to join our mission of supporting children, young people, adults, and families across Hartlepool.

Right now, we’re recruiting for:

👧 Children & Young People’s Support Worker (Ref: CYP/SW/APR26)
If you’re someone who believes in empowering young people, creating safe spaces, and making a real difference every day, we’d love to hear from you.
📅 Minimum 30 hours per week (36 hours preferred)
💷 £12.71 per hour
📍 Based at One77, York Road, Hartlepool

👧 Casual Children & Young People’s Support Worker (Ref: CYP/CASUAL/APR26)
If you’re someone who believes in empowering young people, creating safe spaces, and making a real difference every day, we’d love to hear from you.
📅 Flexible Hours to suit your availability
💷 £12.71 per hour
📍 Based at One77, York Road, Hartlepool

👧 Care Assistant / Support Worker (Ref: LH/SW/APR26)
If you’re someone who believes in empowering young people, creating safe spaces, and making a real difference every day, we’d love to hear from you.
📅 Flexible Hours to suit your availability
💷 £13.36 per hour (£25,009.92 pa)
📍 Based at Lorne House, Yarm Road, Stockton

📞 01429 812950 📧 [email protected]
🔗 Full details & how to apply:

Care Assistant / Support Worker - Lorne House £25,009.92 pa (36 hours per week) (Equivalent to £13.36 per hour) BASED IN STOCKTON ON TEES Read more …