Join Adapt (North East) and work with us across Northumberland

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Adapt (North East) is a long-established charity working alongside disabled people and those facing disadvantage across Northumberland and the wider North East. We believe people are the experts in their own lives, and we work together with our communities, not for them, to tackle inequality, challenge barriers and build the conditions for everyone to live well and independently. We do this through services including social prescribing, mental health support, independent advocacy, community transport, our Adapt Community Hub and Healthwatch Northumberland. 

We are excited to be recruiting for three new roles that sit at the heart of our work. Whether you are passionate about welcoming people into a community space, championing the voices of health and social care service users, or keeping a vital statutory advocacy service running smoothly behind the scenes, we would love to hear from you.

Current Vacancies:

Community Hub Support Officer | 15 hours per week (3 days) | 12-month fixed-term contract | Hexham | Applications open | Closing Date: 27th April 2026 | Click to view job description.

Healthwatch Engagement Support Officer | 7.5 hours per week | 18-month fixed-term contract | Multiple sites within Northumberland | Access to a vehicle and a full current UK driving licence is essential for this role due to the requirement to travel to community locations across Northumberland, including rural areas not served by public transport | Applications open | Closing Date: 27th April 2026 | Click to view job description.

Advocacy Service Administrator | 37 hours per week (full-time) | Permanent Contract | Hexham & home based | Applications open mid-April |

Application Details:

All posts have access to our main office base in Hexham and are subject to an enhanced DBS check. We are committed to being an anti-discriminatory employer and actively welcome applications from people with lived experience of disability or disadvantage. Adapt (North East) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and children. If you are interested and think you’re a good fit, please send your CV and a covering letter (no more than 4 pages total) to generaloffice@adapt-tynedale.org.uk. We reserve the right to close early if we have sufficient applications.

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Hannah writes.. rural realities

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Rural realities: Why the new Northumberland Public Health Report reflects the heart of what we do

Northumberland County Council has published its 2025-2026 Director of Public Health Annual Report, and its findings make for both sobering and hopeful reading. Titled ‘Rural Realities: Health Inequalities in Rural Northumberland’, the report shines an important spotlight on the hidden health challenges faced by communities across one of England’s most rural counties – challenges that Adapt (NE) has been working to address – since we were founded more than 30 years ago.

We’re proud that Healthwatch Northumberland contributed to this report, helping to shape its understanding of how rural residents experience, and too often struggle, to access health and social care. However, the report’s findings resonate far more broadly across everything we do here at Adapt (NE), from community transport and independent travel training, to social prescribing, mental health outreach, and advocacy.

What the report tells us

Nearly half of Northumberland’s 320,000 residents live in areas classified as rural. The median age of rural residents is 50–54, a full decade older than their urban counterparts. While rural areas often enjoy a reputation for healthier living, the report is clear that this headline is far too simple. For example, key findings of the report include:

  • Only 19% of rural residents live within a 20-minute walk of a GP, compared to 94% in urban areas. People are not just inconvenienced, they are presenting later for serious conditions, with evidence of lower cancer screening uptake and delayed diagnoses.
  • Around 15% of rural households have no access to a private vehicle, yet public transport connectivity is poor across much of the county, particularly when travelling cross-county rather than into Newcastle.
  • Mental health in farming communities is a public health priority. In the UK, three people in agriculture die by suicide every week. The suicide rate for male farm workers is three times the male national average  and men in rural areas are the least likely of any group to reach out for support.
  • The ‘rural premium’ is real. Higher transport, food, fuel, and housing costs place disproportionate pressure on lower-income rural households. Around 11% of rural households experience fuel poverty.
  • Digital exclusion compounds all of the above. Between 3–6% of Northumberland lacks reliable broadband, cutting people off from online services, remote work, and virtual health appointments.
  • Deprivation is harder to see in rural areas. Because pockets of poverty are scattered across more affluent landscapes, standard measures like the Index of Multiple Deprivation can mask real need, meaning some of the most vulnerable people go without support.

How this connects to our work

Reading this report, we are struck by how consistently its findings point toward the kinds of practical, people-centred solutions that Adapt NE has been delivering across Northumberland for more than three decades. This includes:

Community transport

The report identifies transport as one of the most fundamental barriers to health equity in rural Northumberland. Without the ability to get to a GP, a hospital appointment, or even a community group, other forms of support simply cannot reach people. Although 78% of residents live within 1km of an hourly bus service, for many of our community transport users, due to their health or disability, navigating this 1km is virtually impossible. Our community transport work addresses this directly by providing reliable, flexible options for people who cannot drive or afford taxis, and ensuring that the most vulnerable are not left behind when public routes are inaccessible. However, with the emerging fuel crisis we have significant concerns about impact this will have on communities, widening inequalities and deepening hardship. We are also mindful of the financial position of our community transport and the knock-on effect this will have on our sustainability.

Independent travel training

The report highlights that rural residents are 40% less likely to walk or cycle than urban residents, and that navigating sparse, indirect public transport is a real barrier to health and social connection. For autistic people and people with learning disabilities, those barriers are considerably higher. Adapt (NE) delivers independent travel training for autistic people and people with learning disabilities as part of the Good Life Collaborative, a regional partnership of community-rooted organisations supporting over 125,000 people with a learning disability and autistic people across the North East and Cumbria. By building the practical skills and confidence to travel independently, this work opens up access to employment, healthcare, and community life, the building blocks of a good life that sit at the heart of this report.

Healthwatch – an independent voice for health and social care

Healthwatch Northumberland’s direct contribution to this report is a testament to the power of structured advocacy and public participation. When people’s experiences of healthcare access are gathered, amplified, and placed in front of decision makers, policy changes. The report explicitly calls for community voices to be heard, particularly in smaller rural locations, and for policies to be assessed for their rural impact from the outset. In June 2025, the government announced its intention to close Healthwatch England and the local Healthwatch network. The recent review of Healthwatch by The King’s Fund outlined that “whatever replaces Healthwatch must build on the core conditions that enabled it to have a positive impact: a voice independent of government…capacity to gather unsolicited, varied and rich community insight, including from seldom heard groups: and a geographical scale that supports both local insight and system or national-level influence”.  At Adapt (NE), we are continuing to deliver Healthwatch across Northumberland until legislative change is enacted, and we will continue to advocate for the value of independent voice within our health and care system as the changes outlined in the Ten Year Plan are implemented.

Social prescribing

The report makes clear that health cannot be separated from the conditions of daily life, which are where we are born, live, grow and work.  It points to the success of Warm Hubs, village hall programmes, Family Hubs, and leisure wellbeing activities in reaching people who would not otherwise access formal services. Social prescribing sits at the intersection of all of this: connecting people to community assets, reducing isolation, and addressing the upstream causes of poor health that clinical services alone cannot reach. The recent launch of our Community Hub, funded through the Household Resilience Fund has already demonstrated the value of safe spaces to provide social connection, practical support, resources and signposting.

Mental health outreach

The report’s section on mental health is particularly striking, noting that population-level statistics can mask real need and that rural residents face compounded barriers to accessing specialist care. Working alongside EveryTurn, our mental health outreach focuses on one of the most underserved groups in any setting, people living with severe mental illness (SMI). Our work helps ensure that people with SMI in rural Northumberland are supported to attend their mental health reviews and physical health checks; appointments that are easy to miss when transport is unreliable, confidence is low, or the system feels hard to navigate. Given that the report explicitly links distance and transport barriers to later presentation and poorer health outcomes, this work is more critical in rural areas than anywhere else.

Advocacy

The report’s findings also resonate deeply with our statutory advocacy work across Northumberland. When people face decisions about their care, their liberty, or their rights, the additional barriers of rural life can make navigating those processes feel insurmountable. Here at Adapt (NE) we deliver seven types of statutory and non-statutory advocacy across Northumberland, including IMCA, IMHA, Care Act Advocacy, NHS Complaints Advocacy, and Relevant Persons Representation. Independent Advocacy is about ensuring that the people whose voices are least heard, for example, those living with severe mental illness, those subject to Deprivation of Liberty, those navigating complex care systems and who need an advocate, are supported to be heard clearly and on their own terms.

A report that both validates and challenges us!

There is much in this report that validates work already underway across Northumberland’s voluntary and community sector. The strength of local leadership, the depth of community networks, and the innovation of grassroots organisations are rightly celebrated. I have been incredibly impressed at the richness, diversity and collaboration across the local VCSE and public sector.

But the report is also a challenge. It calls for rural needs to be embedded in all policies from the outset. It calls for better data to make hidden deprivation visible. It calls for sustained investment in the kinds of community-based, preventative solutions that are too often the first to face funding pressures. And it calls for a genuine Communities First approach, one where organisations like Adapt (NE) are not just service providers, but co-designers and co-deliverers of the support that rural communities need. This is an ambition we welcome, and we look forward to continuing to deepen and strengthen relationships and partnerships across sectors.

Read the 2025/2026 Director of Public Health Annual Report

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Social prescribing celebration a success!

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Our day of activities and taster sessions to celebrate Social Prescribing Day 2026 was a great success, with over 50 people taking part throughout the day.

Visitors enjoyed chair-based exercise, a mindful meditation, line dancing and more, at this free community event organised by the West Northumberland Living Well team.

As well as the chance to join talks and sessions which reflect the many ways social prescribing can support people’s health, guests were asked to share ‘what keeps you well?’ This feedback will help shape the Living Well Service going forward, and also what we offer at our Community Hub.

Food and refreshments were available throughout the day, along with some fantastic giveaways donated by local businesses and organisations. Huge thanks go to everyone who donated their time, goods or services on the day, including:

Charlie’s Coaching – The Grateful Bread – Reiki with Rachel – El Bakes – Lord Crewe Arms – Dr. Kevin Gibson – Small World Cafe – Line dancing with Val. We couldn’t have done it without you!

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Hannah writes… movement matters!

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Here, our CEO, Hannah, writes about the importance of physical activity on health and wellbeing, and community-led solutions to overcoming barriers

In more than 20 years working across health, care and the charity sector as a physiotherapist and leader, I have consistently seen the impact that physical activity can have on both physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Yet too often in health and care we find ourselves chasing the next shiny ‘silver bullet’ to solve complex population health challenges. I’m absolutely a champion of technology and innovation, and I think that is clear from my career and previous work in health tech. However, when we just pin our hopes on high-tech solutions, we risk overlooking the power of simple ideas and innovations that already exist within our communities.

Some of the most effective interventions are often the most straightforward. These are thriving community spaces, strengthened social connections, creative activities and opportunities for people to move their bodies in ways that feel accessible, enjoyable and safe.

That’s why we’re so excited that Adapt (NE) has been awarded a Movement Fund grant from Sport England, thanks to The National Lottery, to deliver chair-based and inclusive exercise classes at our newly opened Community Hub in Northumberland.

Physical activity really is one of the most powerful tools we have to support health and wellbeing. It is low-cost, low-tech and backed by a strong evidence base showing it can prevent disease, improve mental wellbeing, support recovery and help people stay independent for longer.

Yet despite this, many people still face significant barriers to being active. These barriers can be physical, social, financial or psychological. Sometimes it’s simply about confidence, about wondering whether a session is “for you”, not knowing where to start, or even finding the courage to walk into an unfamiliar building or setting.

Creating inclusive and welcoming environments is so important. By offering opportunities that meet people where they are, including chair-based and adaptable exercise sessions, we can open the door for more people to experience the benefits of movement.

We want to make the most of our Community Hub

Our newly opened Community Hub offers exactly the kind of environment where this can happen. Rather than focusing on specialist equipment or complex programmes, the emphasis is on creating a space where movement is accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Chair-based and inclusive sessions are designed so people of different abilities, confidence levels and health conditions can take part.

The evidence tells us that community-based activities like these can have a profound impact, improving physical health while also reducing isolation, building confidence and strengthening local networks.

We are about working together – doing with, not doing to

I’m a passionate advocate for community-led change because lasting change happens when initiatives are rooted in partnership and collaboration. When organisations, local groups, volunteers and residents work together to shape opportunities that genuinely meet local needs.

At Adapt (NE), we see our community hub as a place where those connections can grow, somewhere people come not only to take part in activities, but also to build relationships, share ideas and shape what happens next.

Why small grants matter to organisations like ours

Grants like the Movement Fund are incredibly important because they recognise the value of community-led change.

Sometimes the most powerful investments are not the most complex (or expensive!) ones. They are the ones that enable communities to come together, try something new and create supportive environments that help people live healthier lives.

We’re excited to see these sessions begin and to watch how they evolve as more people get involved.

Most of all, we hope this is just the start, a place to inspire new ideas, partnerships and opportunities to grow from our community space, and helping more people across our community to experience the benefits of movement. If you want to get involved – do get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

 

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Join our Social Prescribing Day celebration

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We’re celebrating Social Prescribing Day with a line-up of interactive workshops and sessions in our newly-opened Community Hub in Hexham. Join us as we celebrate everyone who makes social prescribing a success. Our sessions begin at 10.00am on Thursday 26 March.

You are welcome to attend as many sessions as you would like. Drop-ins throughout the day are welcome and if we can fit you into an activity we will!

Sessions: Thursday 26 March

10.00am – 11.00am | Chair-based Yoga

11.00pm – 12.00pm | Introduction to Reiki and Mindful Meditation for Wellbeing – this is a talk only session to hear the experiences of local Reiki practitioner Rachel Blockley.

12.00pm – 1.00pm | Flip The Script: Transforming Anxiety into Empowerment – Anxiety impacts us all in various ways throughout our life. Hear from Dr. Kevin Gibson on ways which you can manage and live with anxiety. Dr. Gibson is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with over 40 years of NHS clinical experience in adult mental health. He specialises in borderline personality disorder and cognitive approaches to psychosis, and is trained in cognitive therapy at the Newcastle Cognitive Therapy Centre. Dr. Gibson holds BA and MSc degrees in Clinical Psychology, is an Advanced Practitioner, and a Chartered Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPS).

1.30pm – 3.30pm | Beyond the Diagnosis – Have you or a loved one recently had a diagnosis of dementia or memory loss? Drop in to the Adapt (NE) Community Hub to speak to specialist teams and support services from Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear NHS Trust, along with partner services. They will be happy to listen and offer you advice on what services or support could be available to you. Everyone is welcome.

2.00pm – 3.00pm | Step into Line Dancing – Join this energetic and fun line dancing session led by Verity. Line dancing is a fantastic way to get moving, lift your spirits, and connect with others.

Visitor information

The community hub will be open all day, with hot drinks and snacks available as well as space to chat to Adapt staff and our partner organisations. We have accessible parking and toilet facilities. We’ll have games and craft activities available during the day alongside the other activities. We’d love to hear from you about how we can shape the hub to support community health and wellbeing – or any ideas you have that you’d like to try out with us. Come and chat to us on National Social Prescribing day and let’s keep the conversation going!

This event has now passed.

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Hannah writes… food insecurity and the wider environment

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Here, our CEO, Hannah, writes about food insecurity and the wider environment.

In February 2026, I was honoured to contribute to the Right to Food UK Commission at Hirst Welfare Centre, in Ashington, led by Ian Byrne MP. We discussed the broader impact of food insecurity across Northumberland – looking beyond access to food itself to the effect it has on social inclusion, mental wellbeing, family life and life chances.

As a newcomer to the North East I’m incredibly grateful for the generosity with which I’ve been welcomed into these conversations. It was a privilege to listen to the depth of knowledge, lived experience and rooted commitment of fellow panellists, including West Northumberland Food Bank. Some reflections have stayed with me.

Firstly, we can’t silo poverty. Faced with complex problems, the temptation is to reduce them to a single policy headline or intervention. Fuel, food, housing and transport poverty are not separate problems. They are different expressions of structural poverty & exclusion. When income is insecure and essential costs are high, families are constantly trading off one basic need against another.

The North East carries deep economic scars. Many communities have been stripped of essential assets through the reduction of industry and long-term underinvestment. The consequences of fragile local economies, reduced opportunity, weakened infrastructure and increased precarity are intergenerational.

Adapt (NE) was founded to tackle barriers, particularly in access to buildings, services and transport faced by people with disability. 30 years on, these still matter. Food insecurity is not just about provision. It’s about access, mobility, digital exclusion, health, income security and dignity.

Recently I reflected on the language of ‘disadvantage’. Although then it related to education, language shapes all sectors. Deficit-based language risks reducing people and communities to what they lack rather than recognising agency, capability and inherent worth. It can quietly signal lowered expectations and surprise at success rather than belief in potential.

If we are not careful, the way we talk about ‘food poverty’ or ‘deprived communities’ can frame people as the problem rather than naming the structural barriers that constrain them. We must be alert to this in the third sector as in any other. Communities are not deficient, systems are.

Perhaps the most important takeaway was that we cannot solve this through food provision alone. Community food initiatives are vital and often heroic. But redistribution without structural reform risks normalising crisis. Solutions must operate at multiple levels:

* A genuine real Living Wage
* Stable, secure employment
* Investment in local economies
* Transport and infrastructure that enable access
* Education that includes financial and food literacy
* Policy that recognises the interdependence of poverty drivers

The answers will be both macro and hyper-local, and can’t be top-down. They must be shaped with communities, not imposed.

High expectations, whether in ed or economic policy, start with belief not surprise. People and places should not have to prove they are exceptions to be valued. I say it frequently but words don’t just describe policy, they reveal what and who we truly value.

 

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Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week 2026!

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National Apprenticeship Week takes place 9 – 15 February 2026, and shines a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals and businesses across the country.

Our most recent apprenticeship here at Adapt (NE) has seen Business Administration Apprentice, Evan Walker, spend 18 months with us, learning about all aspects of the charity and its many projects.

Evan told us: “I chose this apprenticeship because – more than anything – I wanted the invaluable experience of being in a real workplace setting. I have been given the chance to meet so many different people and work on different projects and pick up new skills as a result – which is exactly what I had hoped for. Adapt (NE) is a small but mighty organisation, and there are so many different things going on here. I was originally drawn in by the charity’s mission, supporting people locally through services like the wheelchair loan service, social prescribing and community transport.

“My role is varied, and I am able to get involved with many different tasks. Although it is a cliched statement, I can confidently say that no two days are ever the same here! Typically, I am more heavily involved in managing transport and the wheelchair loan service, admin tasks (like answering the phone, handling emails and enquiries, managing paperwork), social media management and assisting with various projects, plus team requests on an ad hoc basis.

“The highlight of my apprenticeship would definitely be the creation and implementation of our new transport system in February 2025. I was given free rein to research and develop new software for the transport function, and I thoroughly enjoyed the responsibility and creativity given to me. As a result of this project, my coursework and exam I have been awarded a distinction!

“Overall, it has been a very interesting journey as an apprentice and I will certainly take away lots of new knowledge and experiences with me.”

We’re delighted that Evan has had such a varied and positive learning experience with us here at Adapt (NE), and wish him every success in whatever comes next.

We hope to offer apprenticeship opportunities again in the future. In the meantime, if you would like to find out more about local apprenticeships, take a look at the websites below.

Northumberland County Council

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Northumberland College

 

 

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Volunteer in our Community Hub!

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 Volunteer Opportunity – Volunteer Hub Support Worker

We’re looking for friendly, community-minded volunteers to support the smooth running of our Community Hub — a warm, inclusive space offering connection, wellbeing activities and support for people facing loneliness, disabled people, those with poor mental health or facing financial hardship.

As an Adapt (NE) Community Hub Support Worker, you will:

  • Welcome visitors and help create a friendly, inclusive atmosphere
  • Spend time listening and building relationships with those who attend the hub
  • Provide directions and help people access activities
  • Support simple practical tasks such as tidying and preparing rooms
  • Promote engagement with the Hub’s wellbeing activities
  • Work alongside staff, volunteers and local service providers to deliver workshops and activities within the hub

We know our volunteers bring a wealth and breadth of experience and we welcome your ideas about how we can shape the hub.

We are looking for people who are:

  • Friendly and approachable
  • Wanting to support our community and build relationships with others
  • Curious and interested in the lives and experiences of others
  • Able to communicate confidently
  • Organised and adaptable
  • A supportive team player

We provide:

  • A welcoming and friendly team and an inclusive work environment
  • Refreshments, soup and hot drinks are available for volunteers
  • Full induction into the work of Adapt(NE) and the Community Hub
  • Safeguarding and food safety training
  • Access to further online learning
  • Ongoing support and supervision

Time commitment is flexible — even a couple of hours makes a difference. Join us in building a space where everyone feels welcome, connected and valued.

Read the Adapt (NE) Community Hub Volunteer Support Worker role description

To apply

If you are interested in applying for this opportunity, please contact Hannah Harniess by email: hannahh@adapt-tynedale.org.uk

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NEW: Book your place digitally with Adapt’s online booking system

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We are excited to introduce our new digital booking system, which allows for Dial-A-Ride passengers to book online for the first time ever.

 

Passengers are able to use the website to book up to seven days in advance and receive email confirmation that their place is reserved. The ease of booking means that a spot can be booked in under 30 seconds, revolutionising the process. The process links in with our existing systems, meaning that the entire process is automated and more efficient.

 

Our existing phone infrastructure remains in place for our passengers who are unable to access the internet and would like to book their place. Lines are open 9am until 5pm, Monday to Friday, or passengers can leave a message which will be picked up by our transport team.

 

If you would like to book using the online system, please click here.

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Edinburgh hits the road with the Travelling with Confidence course

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Here our Travelling with Confidence Project Coordinator Frank, tells us about a recent trip to Edinburgh for the travel trainers and learners.

 

November 22, 2025

Two of the Learners Martha and Justine who have been doing the Travelling with Confidence course went on a supported journey. They were supported by two of our Travel Champions, Leanne and Andrew, who also came to Edinburgh.

Martha and I and Suzanne all boarded the train at Alnmouth train station and already on the Train was Justine the Learner and the two Travel Champions, Andrew and Leanne.

The Train was very busy on the way up to Edinburgh as it was the first week of the Christmas market.

Once we all arrived at Edinburgh Waverly train station as a group, we all walked to Princess Street Gardens this was where the Christmas market was, we all had a good look around the Market and some of the Learners and Champions brought some Christmas tree decorations we stayed at the market for around an hour and a half.

The Learners Martha and Justine then used Google Maps to take the group to the Roxy Lane Bowling Alley where myself, the Project Worker and one of the Champions, Andrew, and one of the Learners, Martha, had one game of bowling.

Once we had finished at the bowling alley, we then walked from the bowling alley to Hannover Street. The Learners Martha and Justine used Google Maps again to get us to the bus stop. It was a two-minute walk from the bowling alley to the bus stop.

We then took the bus from Hannover Street to Victoria Street and we walked as a group to the Royal Mile. We went for some lunch at Landy’s Fish and Chip Shop. One of the Travel Champions after lunch went to get some gifts, so we went to some of the gift shops on the Royal Mile and I (Frank) went to get some fudge at the fudge kitchen on the Royal Mile.

Below is a picture of one of the Learners, Martha, with her Travel Champion and Suzanne outside Mary Kings Close in Edinburgh.

Once we had had some time on the Royal Mile, we then went back to the market via the North Bridge. Leanne, the Travel Champion and Justine, the Learner used Google Maps to get us back to the Edinburgh market so Leanne could get a German hot dog.

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