East Durham Area Action Partnership

Better for everyone

East Durham Area Action Partnership Annual Report

2020/21 Introduction

The past twelve months have challenged us all in many ways. The Covid pandemic has changed how the council and Area Action Partnerships (AAPs) have had to work as many communities and local residents have struggled because of the restrictions that we have all had to follow.

If there are positives we can take from this terrible situation it is that ‘community’ is alive and well in . Thousands of people have stepped forward and have taken action to ensure the most isolated and vulnerable have been looked after. The people of County Durham need to be applauded for their efforts.

Many of those organisations that have been helping out have been supported by the AAPs who have provided funding to numerous groups enabling them to do their vital work. Some of this funding has come directly through the AAPs whilst other resources have been allocated from the County Councillors Neighbourhood Budgets. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the AAP teams for their help and support in ensuring that our Neighbourhood Budgets have been making a real difference in local communities.

The next year will be no less challenging but I am delighted to say that the AAPs are being given extra resources to help communities recover from the pandemic. There is also new funding to support the County Council’s Towns and Villages Programme and the AAPs will be playing a key role in ensuring this funding helps to improve communities across County Durham.

Finally I would like to thank all those involved with AAPs including the members of the public who regularly support their work. I am very proud to have been involved with the AAPs over the past twelve years and know that they will keep making a difference in County Durham.

Councillor Brian Stephens, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Local Partnerships East Durham Area Action Partnership 2020/21 Key Information

Processed East Durham Area Action £916,325.98 Partnership of councillor neighbourhood budget allocated to 131 projects and £144,902 157 amount of external match generated Better for everyone community projects supported of AAP Funding allocated to 26 local COUNCILLOR through AAP and Councillor funding £514,773.18 projects FUNDING

£76,540.09 Amount of match / external funding £99,888 There were generated of emergency Covid funding granted, supporting 29 local 1,314,919 Potentially organisations engagements with the community through social media with the average post 17,037 getting just under 3,677 views beneficiaries are being supported through the main AAP funding East Durham Area Action Partnership Our People Established in 2009 East Durham AAP (EDAAP) brings together local people and partners to take action on Anyone who lives, works, studies or volunteers in the area can local issues. Areas covered within the AAP boundary include the towns of & and the outlying get involved with the Area Action Partnership. We currently have villages. 900 people who are part of our wider Forum who receive regular updates and who are invited to get involved in the work of the The AAP serves a population of over 90,000 people and is the only AAP that has the whole coastline of AAP. County Durham from Crimdon to Seaham. Our Board is the decision-making body of the AAP. It is made The area’s proud mining heritage is remembered in many memorials and pieces of art in every community up of local people, elected councillors and representatives from and that mining heritage is demonstrated in the strong community spirit especially in the pit villages. partner organisations. Our board members were: Cllr Angela Surtees Cllr Audrey Laing Welcome from the Chair Cllr Alan Napier Councillor Angela Surtees Cllr Lynn Pounder Cllr Leanne Kennedy This last year has been one of the most trying times that every one of them and further on Cllr Susan McDonnell many of us will have faced in our lives. As I took the Chair behalf of the East Durham AAP in April 2020 all board meetings were suspended to board and staff commend their Cllr Isabella Roberts (Parish Council Rep) comply with social distancing ‘good practice’ and it took work which was vital to their local Edna Connor (Public Representative) a few of months before we were able to hold meetings communities. Bill Smithson (Public Representative) online Once the first lockdown was over the AAP procured over Julie Griffiths (Public Representative) Behind the scenes staff and board members were 13,000 reusable masks to enable community centres working overtime during the first lockdown as the County and organisations to continue their activities and our Linda King (Public Representative) Council took the decision to support each AAP with remaining year’s work was focussed around a Covid 19 David Blackwell (Public Representative) £100K to support community-based initiatives to support response with the set up of MSFOOCC Priority group Rona Hardy (Public Representative) the more vulnerable members of our society. made up of Board and task group members. This group Jim Shand (Public Representative) Such was the scale of the activity that the extra £100K for bore the burden of the AAPs work during the pandemic Covid 19 related activities provided by the County Council and I would like to extend a thank you to those members Vacant (Business) had almost been allocated within the first two weeks of it for the time and energy in ensuring that our area budget Chris Williams (Fire and Rescue Service) being made available. was directed into projects that met immediate need. Inspector Emma Kay/Joanne Malkin (Police) Thirty projects received funding and a number of paid We are still working tirelessly to ensure that our Tina Balbach (NHS – DDES CCG) workers and volunteers risked their health to support communities are supported as we entered another their wider community, numerous organisations provided lockdown after Christmas focus was given to the Susan Robinson (Durham County Council) food, food and medicine delivery, home based activities, community centres and development of hubs in villages Ian Porter (Housing) wellbeing support, etc… At the forefront of many of the and towns to allow locals to get local support and I hope Graham Easterlow (Voluntary and Community Sector – ED Trust) activities was East Durham Trust playing a coordinating that the wider community will support the work of our local organisations and volunteers in ensuring that we and supporting role for many groups and organisations The following County Councillors are attached to the East across the patch. come through the other side of Covid. Durham AAP; Lynn Pounder, Rob Crute, Leanne Kennedy, Kevin My final thanks go out to John, Julie, Ian, Wayne and Whilst our NHS workers and associated colleagues rightly Shaw, Edward Bell, Jennifer Bell, Angela Surtees, David Boyes, Laura (our AAP team) who have not only continued to get most of the public praise there are hundreds of June Clark, Ian McLean, Alan Napier, Joyce Maitland, Karen volunteers here in East Durham who rose to the occasion support local members and administer the projects but Hawley, Audrey Laing, Harry Bennett, Sue McDonnell, Karon to make sure those less fortunate or less able than have had to adapt to new ways of working from home and Liddell, Gerry Bleasdale, Sue Morrison, Eunice Huntington, themselves were supported during the first lockdown. often not being in the communities they so passionately I would like to send a personal thank you to each and support and assist has proven a challenge for them. Ivan Cochrane, Peter Brookes, Lucy Hovvels, Jude Grant, John Higgins. 2020/21 Funding Allocation

Area Budget Covid Emergency Support £3,118.00, Harbour, Domestic V support £13,000 awarded to East Durham Trust for Holiday Activities We have provided £99,888 of emergency Covid funding to £5,060.00, Eden Hill PC & HPRC, Covid 19 response with Healthy Food. East Durham provided food and activity support 29 local organisations: £2,193.94, Horden Parish Council, Holiday Actvities packs to children and young people in conjunction with £4,092.00, East Durham Trust, East Durham Responders extended programme Youth and Community Centre, £2,000.00, Community Spirit, N’hood Support Peterlee £2,000.00, Thornley Village Centre, Continuation of Covid Regeneration Partnership, and Seaham Youth Centre. Support and Packs £4,800.00, Dawdon YCC, Dawdon Community Foodbank £11,500 awarded to Shotton Partnership 200 Ltd for £2,150.00, Eastlea Community Association, Covid Holiday Activities with Healthy Food, providing food and £3,000.00, Murton PC, Op Easter Bunny £3,450.00, , Covid Food and Activity Packs activity packs to children and young people. This project £4,500.00, Shotton Com Centre, Covid 19 Support was delivered working with Haswell and District Mencap, £4,500.00, Church & Co-op, & Wingate Covid Neighbourhood Budget Wheatley Hill Community Association, and United Benefice Support £1,025.00, Wheatley Hill Community Primary School, Holiday of Wingate, Wheatley Hill and . £2,000.00, Thornley Parish, Keeping links School Open/ Breakfast/Teatime Club £5,000 awarded to Eden Hill People’s Centre to deliver £3,568.00, Greenhills, Meals on Wheels £20,000.00, Peterlee Town Council, Peterlee over 70s holiday activity packs and provide access to food for £9,970.00, Groundwork, Peterlee Pandemic Response Shielding Support Service children and young people. The project was working with £2,000.00, Eden Hills Peoples Centre, Operation Tea Party Horden and Peterlee Rugby Club to help deliver this project £4,834.85, Seaham Youth and Community Centre, using their volunteers to enable delivery of the activity Establishment of food bank and delivery project £2,493.00, Blackhall Community Centre, Tea for the Shielded packs and packed lunches alongside their catering facilities £2,000.00, Macrae House, Helping Hands £1,500.00, DCC CYPS Wingate Primary School, Lockdown to prepare the packed lunches. £515.25, Café Together, Revenue Support Food Parcels £12,400 awarded to the East Durham AAP to purchase and £4,452.48, Free the Way, Support for Clients in Supported £16,152.63, Seaham Youth and Community Centre, distribute masks to community centres during the initial living Development Officer and Admin Assistant phase of the pandemic. This project was augmented by £3,610.00, Calm in ED, Mental Resilience during Social £10,000.00, Peterlee Town Council, Peterlee over 70s £5,000 from councillors’ neighbourhood budget. Distancing Shielding Support Service - Continuation £24,000 awarded to the Durham Heritage Coast £1,602.50, Salvation Army, Murton Corps £3,756.00, Macrae House The Community Club, Helping Partnership towards interpretation and footpath Hands 3 enhancements around the new Crimdon Hub building. £649.39, Horden Centennial Centre, Community Centre Running Costs £2,188.00, Easington Colliery Regeneration Partnership, £33,973 awarded to East Durham Trust for a continuation of Supporting Easington £639.59, Dawdon YCC, Foodbank Freezer the Advice and Support in Communities project with Advice £7,246.27, Clarke Lister Feel Good Centre, Kitchen Refit - £1,200.00, Atoms Education, Children’s Activity Packs and Support in County Durham. Meals on Wheels Project £4,950.00, Horden and Peterlee Rugby Club, Horden £14,750 awarded to East Durham Trust to provide clear £9,000.00, Dawdon Youth and Community Centre, Outreach Project - Food Delivery and coordinated advice on guidance to assist with their Community Food Bank £3,694.00, East Durham Trust, Social Isolation & Blackhall navigation of a vast array of guidance and legislation, to £3,888.00, Easington PCC, Floodlighting St Mary’s Church allocate dedicated resources for VCS infrastructure support Support £2,270.00, Horden Parish Council, Horden Summer within East Durham. £4,900.00, Haswell Catering Services, Covid 19 Support - Activities 2020 £29,939 awarded to Durham Deafened Support to continue Haswell £5,000.00, Wheatley Hill Community Primary School, and extend the We are Listening project in East Durham, £1,500.00, Wingate Primary School , Food Packages Sensory Garden including establishing a befriending service. £1,050.00, Calm in ED, Mental Resilience during Social £5,000.00, Wheatley Hill Community Association, Greenhills Distancing addition £500 awarded to for the provision Covid Secure of a maintenance package for the EBikes bought last year £7,888.00, Community Support, Easington Colliery £1,100.00, Shotton Partnership 2000 Ltd, Shotton using Area and Neighbourhood Budget. Regeneration Partnership Community HUB defibrillator 2020/21 Funding Allocation

Neighbourhood Budget £1,425.00, Groundwork NE, Deneside Detached £2,796.00, Durham Elvet Rotary, Eden Hill defibrillators Programme £9,900.00, Murton Colliery Banner Group, Murton Colliery £30,751.18, DCC Neighbourhoods, CCTV installation in Banner £2,500.00, Seaham Harbour Cricket Club, Repairs to and Seaham Purchasing of Seating £1,498.00, South Hetton Parish Council, External defibrillator £17,200.00, Shotton Partnership 2000 Ltd, Shotton £2,700.00, Seaham Park Cricket Club, Junior Strips - Community Hub Outdoor Area £4,200.00, Murton Welfare Association, Kitchen Seaham Park CC Improvements to meet Covid-19 Guidance £2,720.00, Horden Parish Council, Station Road Allotments £16,000.00, Peterlee Town Council, Santa’s Wish Car Park £1,398.00, Haswell Parish Council, Haswell defibrillator £3,050.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Chicken’s Green target £3,000.00, 1932 (Blackhall) Squadron Royal Air Cadets, £3,000.00, Blackhall Methodist Church, Replacement Boiler hardening Blackhall Air Cadets ICT Blackhall Methodist Church Hall £1,965.00, Seaton Community Association, Stage Removal £2,320.50, DCC Neighbourhoods, B1280 Wingate - Bollards £2,000.00, Dawdon 2nd Seaham Scout Group, Roof Repairs and Flooring and decoration £2,500.00, DCC Heritage Coast Partnership, Tracks and £20,000.00, South Hetton Parish Council, South Hetton Play Trails Horden £7,200.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Car Park adjacent to Equipment Tonia’s - Target Hardening £37,750.00, Durham Constabulary, ANPR £20,000.00, Horden Parish Council, Horden Tower Artwork £4,950.00, Groundwork NE, Covid 19 Detached Youth Work £3,355.00, Wingate Parish Council, Welfare Park Target £17,070.00, Groundwork NE, Covid 19 Community Hardening £6,000.00, Children in Nature CIC, Wingate Nursery - Response Coordinator Outdoor Learning £10,812.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Blackhall Speed Visors £28,888.30, DCC, Rosemary Lane Link Road and Layby £9,802.78, Horden and Peterlee Rugby Club, Horden and £15,100.00, Durham Constabulary, ANPR Peterlee Rugby pitch barriers £5,000.00, & District Angling Club, Lake £12,500.00, Horden Parish Council, Road, Aerator – Shotton Pond £4,643.86, Greenscape, Greenscape Community Garden Horden, Play Area £1,200.00, Free the Way, Fareshare Project £5,000.00, East Durham AAP, Masks Save Lives £1,613.27, DCC Neighbourhoods, Wingate Off Road & £2,000.00, Holy Trinity Wingate Parochial Church Council, Vehicle Nuisance Phase 3 £5,300.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Speed Visor Wingate Garden of Remembrance £23,394.55, Peterlee Town Council, Bring Back the Denes – £1,000.00, Wingate Parish Council, Wingate Community £2,000.00, Seaham Golf Club, Driving Nets - Seaham Golf New Tractor Flagpole Club £21,063.50, Blackhall Community Centre, Touch free £1,690.00, Wheatley House Moving Forward, Wheatley £3,700.00, Dawdon Youth and Community Centre, Covid 19 environment House New Carpet Response - Shine a Light at Christmas £7,000.00, 2nd Wheatley Hill Scout Group, Wheatley Hill £2,500.00, Blackhall Community Association, Blackhall £21,000.00, Thornley Parish Council, Youll House Scouts Grass Cutter Community Centre - Covid Secure Renovations £5,647.50, Wheatley Hill Community Association, WHCA £9,000.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Cotsford Primary School £6,840.00, St Saviors Shotton PC, New Churchyard Path Back for the community – Traffic Calming Extension £4,500.00, Easington Colliery Regeneration Partnership, £4,057.00, Murton Parish Council, Lest We Forget Seating £2,000.00, Seaham Eastlea and District Community Covid19 Support Winter Activities £6,000.00, East Durham Veterans Trust, Veterans Hub Association, Coronavirus Challenge £1,398.00, Dawdon Youth & Community Centre, defibrillator £3,094.75, Thornley Parish Council, Thornley Christmas £17,844.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Beverley Way, Peterlee £15,000.00, Natural , Castle Eden Dene Visitor Safety Lights – Traffic Calming and interpretation app £1,946.54, DCC Neighbourhoods, Seaton Lane, Seaton £3,240.00, Murton Parish Council, Murton defibrillators £805.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Eager Beaver - Numbered Flower Beds £3,400.00, Wingate Community Association, Holiday Streets Project £2,095.00, Seaham Red Star Junior Football Club, Goal Activities and Sewing Club £6,010.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Forster Avenue, Murton - Posts £3,000.00, CALM in East Durham CIC, CALM Creations - Traffic Calming Home-made Christmas project 2020/21 Funding Allocation

Neighbourhood Budget £6,183.61, Seaham Park Cricket Club, Additional seating £1,641.37, DCC Neighbourhoods, Blackhall Scheme area Houses Clean Up £20,656.00, Deneside School Allotment Association, Deneside Allotment Access Improvements £4,000.00, Seaham Eastlea and District Community £10,240.00, Horden Parish Council, Cemetery Wall Railings, £16,000.00, DCC Neighbourhoods, Horden Railway Station Association, Coronavirus Challenge CCTV, Defibrillator Outdoor Cabinet Fencing £3,938.62, East Durham Artists’ Network, Improvements to £10,000.00, Shotton Parish Council, Play Equipment Welfare £5,520.00, Murton Community and Young Peoples Club, the Art Block Park Something for everyone £1,470.00, Dawdon Welfare Cricket Club, Kit for Dawdon £3,000.00, Durham Constabulary, Shotton anti-social £5,000.00, DCC CYPS Wheatley Hill Community Primary Welfare Cricket Club behaviour project School, Cycling Project £1,398.00, Seaham Eastlea and District Community £10,857.53, DCC Neighbourhoods, Cleveland Peterlee – Association, Eastlea defibrillator Parking Provision £3,568.36, DCC Neighbourhoods, Passfield Way Barriers £1,398.00, Seaton with Slingley Parish Council, Seaton £6,204.62, Seaham Harbour Cricket Club, Landscape defibrillator improvements - Rear Patio Area Improvements £2,796.00, Durham Elvet Rotary, Peterlee West defibrillators £971.74, DCC Neighbourhoods, Graham Way handrail £15,369.00, Peterlee Town Council, Peterlee CCTV improvements £1,165.00, County Durham and Fire and Rescue Service, defibrillator £47,505.98, Horden and Peterlee Rugby Club, Repairs and Improvements £6,241.59, Macrae House The Community Club, Centre £6,000.00, Easington Colliery Parish Council, Memorial Improvements Benches £9,383.37, Murton Welfare Association, Gym Improvements £10,000.00, Haswell Parish Council, New sports changing £1,165.00, Believe Housing, Jubilee Centre defibrillator rooms Haswell Neighbourhood Budget is an allocation of £19,400 to each £18,000.00, DCC RED, Phone Box defibrillators £3,960.00, Horden Centennial Centre, Fit for the Future county councillor receives annually to support community £1,000.00, Eden Learning Trust t/a Seaham High School, £1,600.00, Shotton Parish Council, Shotton External projects. The neighbourhood budget process is supported Community Orchestra defibrillator by the East Durham AAP team. The above projects were funded by county councillors: Rob Crute; Lynn Pounder; £9,963.04, Murton Welfare Association, Glebe Centre £5,418.59, Seaham Town Council, Town Park Car Park Leanne Kennedy; Kevin Shaw; Eddie Bell; Jennifer Bell; Automatic Doors £1,600.00, Seaham Town Council, Hexham Avenue Target David Boyes; Angela Surtees; June Clark; Ian McLean; Hardening £7,120.00, Parkside and District Community Association, Joyce Maitland; Alan Napier; Karen Hawley; Harry Bennett; New flooring £1,398.00, Parkside and District Community Association, Audrey Laing; Karon Liddell; Susan McDonnell; Geraldine £10,000.00, Parish Council, Scheme defibrillator Bleasdale; Susan Morrison; Ivan Cochrane; Eunice Houses Re-vamp £12,846.00, Durham Constabulary, ANRP Huntington; Peter Brookes; Jude Grant; Lucy Hovels; and John Higgins. £1,398.00, East Durham Artists Network, defibrillator £13,487.39, Dawdon Youth and Community Centre, £3,876.50, Seaham Rugby Club, Youth Kit and Equipment Community Kitchen Information on what projects individual Councillors have supported can be found on the Durham County Council £1,000.00, DCC CYPS Seaham Trinity Primary School, £1,531.53, Calm in East Durham, Security shutters for website on the relevant councillor’s page via the link below. Seaham Trinity Sensory Garden studio For further information or if you are interested in applying for £1,655.00, Seaham Red Star Football Club, Scaffolding, £1,791.50, The Hesledens Residents Association, about a County Councillor’s Neighbourhood Budget please netting, and dugout repairs Hesledens 2021 Activities contact the AAP office whose details are on the last page. £3,231.00, Durham Heritage Coast Partnership, Easington www.durham.gov.uk/councillors Local Nature Reserve Path Enhancement The Difference We Have Made

Dawdon Youth and Improvements to Easington Shotton Partnership 2000 Community Centre – Local Nature Reserve (LNR) Ltd - Shotton Community Covid19 Response to reduce flooding HUB

From the beginning of the pandemic Dawdon Youth Easington Colliery LNR is an important local Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic Shotton and Community Centre have been at the forefront amenity site and a haven for wildlife. Over the Partnership continued to offer vital services to the of the community response. Contributions from the winter of 2020/21 the site experienced severe residents of Shotton and surrounding villages. AAP Covid19 Funding and neighbourhood budget flooding that caused damage to the 1.9km of paths The centre quickly adapted to providing food, food from Cllr Kevin Shaw and Cllr Angela Surtees has that serve the LNR. Funding was provided from parcels, home shopping services to vulnerable and helped to provide: 2398 Food Parcels; the delivery Cllr David Boyes and Cllr Angela Surtees to enable shielding residents. This also included picking up of 2611 hot meals; the Durham Heritage Coast to carry out drainage prescriptions, providing information on universal and path improvements that made the site useable credit, and a range of other advice and guidance. 120 Activity Packs for children; 95 pack lunches again for the local community and 52 Emergency takeaway Meals; 180 children received a socially distanced home visit from Santa and gift; and 151 Christmas Lunches with gifts were delivered. The Difference We Have Made

United Benefice Community Spirit in Peterlee The Community Club at Wingate, Station Town, Hutton Henry, Thornley and Wheatley Hill Covid19 Response Macrae House in Murton Community Spirit is a charitable association that Benefited from the Covid-19 Financial Assistance The Church project provided vital services to was set up in 2018 carrying out spring bulb Funding administered by the East Durham AAP residents in need during the Covid-19 pandemic. planting, litter picks, and organising social events with a grant of £2,000. The Community Club are A new group was established in Wheatley Hill of activity in the Cotsford Hall neighbourhood of providing 200 food parcels to the most vulnerable volunteers that helped distribute, food, clothing, Peterlee. In response to a need for volunteers to residents in Murton, delivered by volunteers from meals etc. Volunteers worked across a wide assist residents in the neighbourhood who are the centre. geographical area to help those most in need of unable to leave their homes, Community Spirit support during the difficult times. extended its remit to include support, particularly in terms of shopping for essential items. Support was given to elderly people or people who have been advised by the NHS to self isolate and who have no other source of support. Community Spirit also Contact Details have a volunteers who are experienced in helping people through difficult times with a regular phone East Durham AAP Spectrum 8 call. Seaham SR7 7TT

Tel: 03000 262054 Email: [email protected] www.durham.gov.uk/eastdurhamaap