Positive change from Teesside University staff donations

A charity supporting people with respiratory disease, a voluntary community group, and a running club promoting inclusivity have each received a funding boost from Teesside University’s Be the Change workplace giving scheme.

Staff across Teesside University have been donating the spare pennies from their monthly salaries to Be the Change, to help provide grants to local organisations which are nominated by contributors.

Be the Change has already been able to make a positive impact on a wide range of organisations since its launch last year, helping a range of charities and groups which deliver positive social impact in our local communities.

The first round of donations distributed last year saw a total of £5,500 shared between eleven local organisations which continue to address raising aspirations, build community cohesion, and promote digital inclusion across Teesside.

The next recipients to receive donations through Be the Change are support organisation Breathe Easy Darlington, Genesis Middlesbrough’s volunteer-run You Can team, and inclusive running group Newcastle Frontrunners towards its work in supporting a North-east running festival.

Gill Thomson, of Breathe Easy Darlington, which receives £500 towards the group’s ongoing activities, said: “Our aim is to provide classes, companionship and support to people from Darlington and surrounding areas who suffer from a lung condition.

“We have monthly social meetings, exercise classes which are mostly chair based, with plenty of rests in between. We also have a fortnightly choir class and yoga class, both of which are extremely good for lung health. Our new activity based at Stockton is walking sports, held every fortnight on a Friday morning. It is proving successful, and we hope we can continue to provide the sessions.”

School of Health & Life Sciences academic, Professor Sam Harrison, who nominated Breathe Easy Darlington, said: “Our relationship with Breath Easy Darlington began six years ago and during that time the group has supported us with several research projects, both as advisors and participants. They have shared their experiences of living with lung disease with students and helped us to forge relationships with local clinical services.

“They are the pluckiest group of individuals I have ever met, always willing to give something a go as part of our research projects, whether walking football, balance assessments, dance or yoga, in the hope of helping others with lung conditions and their families. Their resilience and determination to overcome any challenges, health-related or otherwise, is an inspiration and every meeting I have with them leaves me with a smile on my face.”

Volunteers from You Can, which is supported by the Genesis Project in Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, welcomed their £500 donation.

David Leopard, of You Can, said: “We offer support and aim to encourage people to develop a ‘you can do it’ attitude. Our aim is to help in making a positive difference to the lives of people in Grove Hill.

Their nomination came from Stephen Goodall, Public Events Officer in Communications and Development, who said: “You Can is a group run entirely by volunteers in Grove Hill, set up to provide activities for young people and their parents.

“They have also helped a number of young people on to training courses and into paid employment. The money will allow them to get more equipment for their youth club so they can continue to engage young people and keep them on the right path.”

Also receiving a boost is inclusive running club Newcastle Frontrunners, which receives £250.

David Nevins, of Newcastle Frontrunners, said: “We are an inclusive running club and well represented in the LGBT+ community. We run weekly rainbow runs of various abilities, and weekly development and strength and conditioning classes. Although we are a registered charity, we do a lot of fundraising to support other local charities. This donation will help us with rising costs related to organising a public run and it will certainly help us with the LGBT5k 2024.”

Dr Steven MacDonald, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology in the University’s School of Health & Life Sciences, who nominated the group, said: “I know this will go such a long way in helping support Newcastle Frontrunners with their upcoming LGBT5K Festival of Running.

“I joined the club whilst I was a trainee clinical psychologist here at Teesside University in 2018, and it has always been such a warm and inclusive space for individuals to come together with other members of the LGBTQIA+ community in sport.

“I’ve always aligned with their charitable aims of increasing awareness, visibility and inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community and tackling homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in sport.”

Steven added: “The LGBT5K Festival of Running is the big event of the club, bringing the wider North-East running community and the LGBTQIA+ community together. It is the most wonderful, inclusive, and colourful running event of the year, with the most fabulous costumes and sense of pride and community, which is so needed in these times. With a difficult economic climate and rising costs, this donation will go so far in helping the club continue to make this a success.”

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