Thrive Teesside

24/06/2026

Last week, we had the opportunity to visit Stockton's Waterfront Urban Park, and what an absolutely gorgeous space it is! 🌳

It's fantastic to see so many people across the community championing this change and making the most of the park. The space is already bringing people together, creating opportunities to connect, relax and enjoy the outdoors. It's just what Stockton needed.

As members of Stockton's Positive Living Forum, we're proud to be part of conversations that raise awareness of the challenges people face across the borough, while also celebrating the incredible projects, organisations and action making a positive difference every day.

The Waterfront Urban Park is a brilliant example of what can be achieved when we all come together to create places where people can thrive. 💚

22/06/2026

Last week our West View Eco Club did a rainbow litter picking walk, we collected several bags of different coloured litter to make some artwork with! 😄🌈

Does anybody have any suggestions for what we could create?

West View Primary School West View Advice and Resource Centre Voices Of Hartlepool

17/06/2026

17/06/2026

04/06/2026

Popped down to the community garden for a few hours today to tidy up and give the plants and veg a good feed while the kids were keeping dry. Always nice to keep things ticking over for everyone and I finally got to break in the new Sycamore Gardening workwear too!

Donations for the garden are always welcomed! Voices Of Hartlepool

04/06/2026

Huge thank you to Matthew from Sycamore Gardening for visiting our community garden at West View Advice and Resource Centre today to give it a tidy and pull some weeds. It’s so I just want to give a big shoutout to all of our fantastic community volunteers, we wouldn’t have this fantastic space without all of you🪏🪴🌱🫛

01/06/2026

More people showed up. More people spoke up.

Before the election, we launched our campaign alongside Hartlepool Community Trust, Hartlepool Opportunities Partnership - HOP, Hartlepool Foodbank CIO, Voices Of Hartlepool and other stakeholders/residents to encourage people in Hartlepool to get to know their local candidates, use their voice, and take part in local democracy.

And something changed.

Hartlepool’s local election turnout increased from 24.20% in 2023 to 35.25% this year. That is an increase of over 10%.

Some wards saw particularly high turnout, with Fens & Greatham reaching 45.19%, followed closely by Rural West at 43.24% and Seaton at 42.99%. Manor House had the lowest turnout at 26.31%.

We want to know why.

What made more people head to the polling stations this time? What motivated you to use your voice and vote?

Whether it was hope, frustration, change, community, local issues, or something else entirely, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

Your feedback will help shape future campaigns encouraging more people to vote, regardless of who they vote for.

Please keep the conversation respectful and open to different experiences and opinions.

Jonathan Brash MP for Hartlepool Hartlepool Borough Council

01/06/2026

01/06/2026

During COVID, I was one of several young people involved in shaping a series of events based on a research project, exploring the impact of lockdown on young people’s mental health.

As part of the project, we were then given the opportunity to co-produce a film based on the findings and our experiences.

About the film "When lockdown brings 17-year-old Matt’s world to a standstill, isolation and digital exclusion begin to take their toll. As he retreats further into himself, an unexpected moment could change everything."

The film was created through a collaboration between West London NHS Trust, Inner Eye Productions and Imperial College London, with funding from the Burdett Trust for Nursing.

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel down to London for a screening of the film and to take part in a panel discussion and Q&A afterwards. We reflected on the long-term impacts of lockdown and discussed what we, as a society, need to do differently if we ever face a similar situation again.

I spoke about digital poverty, the disproportionate impact on people living in deprived communities, and how poverty often exacerbates challenges such as poor mental health. I also highlighted the importance of recognising socio-economic disadvantage as a protected characteristic within equality law.

It was a really special evening, a chance to reflect, challenge, and share experiences, and I was proud to represent and shout out Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees!

19/05/2026