Friends Action North East

08/08/2026

Meet our Oliver McGowan Co-Trainers (Part 1)!

We’ve had an excellent time recently training our Oliver McGowan Co-Trainers, and we thought it was time for you to meet some of them! Meet Ruth, Pat, Marc and Harry — watch on to find out more about them. 👋

They’re dedicated, professional and passionate, and ready to bring their expertise and lived experience to your training sessions. Stay tuned for Part Two, where you can meet more of our brilliant Co-Trainers!

We’re offering Oliver McGowan Tier 2 Training from September. We will also be offering Facilitator and Co-Trainer training for organisations who wish to run their own training.

Call us on 0191 2314327

Email [email protected]

Or visit our dedicated training website page: https://rb.gy/ha1u9a

07/08/2026

We’re so proud of our Oliver McGowan Co-Trainers. They are amazing and so committed — we couldn’t agree more!

Here’s Richard doing some absolutely brilliant Makaton practice during a recent training session. 🙌

The lived experience of our Co-Trainers brings the training to life, encouraging meaningful conversations that cannot be achieved through theory alone. Their insights help participants reflect on their own practice, challenge assumptions and build the confidence to make reasonable adjustments that improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

From September, we are delighted to be offering Oliver McGowan Tier 2 Training. The training is mandatory for health and social care staff and recommended for anyone else who works with autistic people and/or people with a learning disability.

We will also be offering Facilitator and Co-Trainer training for organisations who wish to run their own training.

Call us on 0191 2314327

Email [email protected]

Or visit our dedicated training website page: https://rb.gy/ha1u9a

Are you ready to meet our Oliver McGowan Co-Trainers? Follow us and keep an eye out for more snippets over the weekend… 📲

30/07/2026

Happy International Friendship Day! 💙

At Friends Action North East, we know that friendship can change lives. Every day, we see first-hand the confidence, belonging and joy that grow when people with additional needs have the chance to make friends, share experiences, and be part of a community. We love this snap of Shaun, Rich, Matty and Dan having a brilliant time at Lee Kyle’s comedy night at The Stand in Newcastle recently.

Today, we’re celebrating the friendships that make our North East communities stronger, kinder and more inclusive. Thank you to all of our FANE and Kapow members, staff and volunteers who help to create places where everyone is welcomed, valued and supported to be themselves.

21/07/2026

Get ready for an evening of music, games and great company at our Summer Disco on the 5th of August! 🎶

It’s an open social, so we’d love our FANE and Kapow members, their carers and families, as well as past and present volunteers to come and celebrate with us!

Details Below:

- Wednesday 5th of August
- Slug & Lettuce, Newcastle (1st Floor)
- 6:00pm – 8:30pm
- Just £5 per person (Carers go FREE!)

Join us for a fantastic summer celebration with a DJ, games, and plenty of fun.

To book your place, call 0191 231 4327. 📞

20/07/2026

Here are a few snippets from our new Oliver McGowan Co-Trainers attending their training last week! 👋 Stay tuned this week to see more snapshots of what they’ve been getting up to, including some fantastic Makaton practice.

From September Friends Action North East will be providing Oliver McGowan Tier 2 training, for health and social care staff.

Choose Us Because:

- Our Lead Trainer is neurodiverse, a former lecturer & social worker, facilitating all learning along with our Co-Trainers with lived experience.

- We are a small local grassroots charity and every penny earned via training goes directly to support our members.

- We offer quality training at a fantastic venue, and offer the lowest price for training in the North East.

- We will also be offering Facilitator and Co-Trainer training for organisations who wish to run their own training - please get in touch for more information.

Call us on 0191 2314327

Email [email protected]

Or visit our dedicated training website page here: https://rb.gy/ha1u9a

17/07/2026

Meet and Mooch

Here’s a glimpse of our Meet and Mooch Social! Attendees meet regularly, supported by our group leader Tracy and FANE volunteers, to have a lovely catch up and cuppa together. Space to catch up and connect is so important, so we’re pleased that Meet and Mooch provides this for the adults we support within our FANE community. ☕️

06/07/2026

Happy Monday! We’ve got that fresh week and new month feeling at FANE HQ. 😌

Here’s a few recent pictures from our Saturday Social group visiting Saltwell Park. Did you know that the park is 150 this year? 🌳

To find out more about what we offer, including one-to-one mentoring and inclusive social groups, head to our website: www.friendsaction.co.uk.

25/06/2026

Thank you for the lovely feature! 💜

Our Small Charity Week spotlight today is Friends Action North East 💜 They help people with autism and other disabilities to gain transferable skills that will help them to make and maintain sustainable friendships in their local communities. Discover more about the work they do in our blog - written by our Support and Development Officer Gus ⬇️

https://www.connectedvoice.org.uk/news-and-information/blogs/small-charity-spotlight-friends-action-north-east-fane