AmpuTea Time

24/05/2026

Aaaaand she’s off! 🎶

22/05/2026

If you fancy getting back into physical activity, this program would be a good start & a way to see physical activity in a new light!

Move Forward

A FREE 8-Week Support Programme.

Understanding physical activity, building confidence, and learning how to move safely at your own pace.

Move Forward is a relaxed and supportive 8-week programme designed for people living with disabilities and long-term health conditions who would like to become more physically active but may feel unsure where to start.

Many people worry that becoming more active could make their condition worse, cause pain, or leave them feeling overwhelmed. This programme has been created to help people better understand what physical activity actually means, how it can look different for everybody, and how it can be approached safely, gently, and at a pace that works for you.

This is not an exercise class and there will be no physical activity required during sessions. Instead, the programme focuses on learning, understanding, confidence-building, and exploring safe ways to introduce movement into everyday life.

Throughout the programme we will explore:

🌿 What physical activity really is
🌿 Common barriers that prevent people from being active
🌿 How disabilities and long-term conditions can affect movement and energy
🌿 How to approach activity safely without making conditions worse
🌿 Pacing, rest, confidence and wellbeing
🌿 Gentle ways to build movement into daily life
🌿 Tools, support and strategies to help you move forward at your own pace

Sessions will be delivered via Zoom. Sessions will take place in a small, supportive group environment where people can learn together without pressure or judgement.

Participants will also receive access to recordings of each session, allowing you to revisit the information in your own time and at your own pace.

Please book your place via the link: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/GMZF

21/05/2026

Some new faces alongside our Peterlee AmpuTea time regulars at today’s catch up🙂.. Thanks everyone for a couple of hours of chat and chuckles😂

18/05/2026

DATE CORRECTION

Morning All,

Really sorry but, I gave you the wrong date for the next Amputation Foundation meeting in Middlesbrough.

The next meeting will be on 29 May not 30 May. 😳
David RichardsonAllison Friday

17/05/2026

Good evening All, I hope you have had a lovely, relaxing weekend.

AmpuTea Time will be meeting again this week.

We’ll be at at the Community Hub (Central) on York Road in Hartlepool on Tuesday 19 May between 1:30 and 3:30pm.

And we’ll be at ASDA Peterlee Café, Surtees Rd, Peterlee SR8 1AR on Thursday 21 May between 1:30 and 3:30pm.

We hope to see you there but if those times and places aren’t convenient for you:

AF Middlesbrough Support Hub has a face to face support group meeting on the last Friday of the month between 11:30am and 13:30pm. They meet at St Mary’s Church Hall, Morton Carr Lane, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, TS7 0JU. Their next meeting is on 30 May. Contact details are [email protected]

NE Amputee has a face to face support group meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month between 1:00 and 3:00pm. They meet at the MetroCentre Community Hub which is on the first floor between M&S and what used to be House of Fraser. Their next meeting is on 26 May. Contact details are neamputee.co.uk

And if you’re interested in free gym sessions; the charity Steel Bones in collaboration with Legion Strength & Fitness, run free gym sessions every Tuesday between 11:00am and 13:00pm. The gym is run by an amputee and is located in Unit 4-5 Evans Business Centre, Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham, DH1 1ST.
Registration with Steel Bones is free, just type the following into your search engine www.steelbone.co.uk
David Richardson Allison Friday

08/05/2026

Good Afternoon All,

As usual, AmpuTea Time will be hosting cuppas and chats for amputees and their families this month. The dates for May’s sessions are:

Hartlepool Community Hub (Central) on Tuesday 19 May between 1:30 and 3:30pm.

Peterlee ASDA cafe on Thursday 21 May between 1:30 and 3:30pm.

Hope to see you there.
Allison Friday David Richardson

01/05/2026

Well done Cornerstone👏👏👏. A rare but much needed provision for those with not only accommodation but also additional accessibility issues. Fantastic to see 🙂

A charity is converting two flats in County Durham and Hartlepool to be better suited for wheelchair users.

28/04/2026

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/we-were-proud-to-welcome-new-guests-to-our-ugcPost-7454492127352401920-1Cse?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAABWCzLsB6a3yoYoslzKR-rIvx7zKOzb7GJk&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=facebook

22/04/2026

Maybe not something we’ll see soon but shows it can be done 🤞🙂

Exciting news for many travelers. ✨🛩️✨

Image description: a BlueSky post by Misa on Wheels that reads, “Airbus has just demoed and successfully tested Airspace U Suite, an accessible seating and securement system that would allow wheelchair users to remain seated in their own mobility devices while flying.” Beneath the text is an image of a woman with blonde hair wearing a blue shirt sitting in her wheelchair utilizing the aforementioned wheelchair accessible securement system on a plane. This person is seated across from another person who is sitting in a traditional airplane seat. 

21/04/2026

We were delighted to recently participate in an online meeting of the AAIG. The Aviation Accessibility Implementation Group is an industry-led group that provides support for the implementation and monitors progress of the recommendations set out in the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group’s independent report.

The group replaces the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group and promotes continuous improvement in aviation accessibility.

There is undoubtedly a long way still to go in making air travel a consistently pain free experience for those with accessibility requirements but initiatives like these , led and supported by users, providers and Government provide real hope for those of us who want nothing more than to be able to experience travel like everyone else. ✈️
Allison Friday David Richardson

The Aviation Accessibility Implementation Group is an industry-led group that provides support for the implementation and monitors progress of the recommendations set out in the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group’s independent report.

10/10/2025

It seems that until we manage to break the shame, guilt and stigma surrounding Mental health that we don’t see around Physical health, we need a “Day” to recognise it.
Hurt is hurt. Broken is broken. Healing is healing. Whatever form it takes.
I look forward to a time when we can recognise simply “ World Health Day”
Until then, remember you are enough. You are loved. You are not alone. 💜💚💛