Donate your wheelchair or mobility aid

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Do you have a wheelchair or mobility aid (e.g. walker) that you no longer need?

Our wheelchair loan service is busier than ever. Increasing demand means that we are unable to help everyone who contacts us. By donating a wheelchair or mobility aid that you no longer need, we can help even more people who need our service. If you would like to donate a wheelchair or mobility aid please call 01434 600599 (option 4) or email at evanw@adapt-tynedale.org.uk. Drop-off is available between 9am and 3pm at our main reception at Adapt (NE), Burn Lane, Hexham, NE46 3HN.

We are currently at full capacity and cannot accept any more mobility aids.

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New project to tackle travel barriers

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New project to tackle travel barriers for people with learning disabilities

Travelling with Confidence is a brand new project funded by the Motability Foundation to increase opportunities for people with learning disabilities in the North East and Cumbria to enjoy and benefit from the ability to travel.

The project is a partnership of six local charities, led by Your Voice Counts working in conjunction with Adapt (NE), Bridge Creative, Darlington Association on Disability, People First and Skills for People.

Training and peer support are at the heart of Travelling with Confidence, which will see people with learning disabilities receive accredited travel training so they can deliver bespoke awareness raising sessions and become buddies to help others overcome their own barriers to travel.

A network of Travel Champions with learning disabilities will also be established to engage with the transport sector and provide opportunities to influence policy and practice among local providers.

Lindsay Henderson, Head of Communities at Your Voice Counts, said “We know from experience that people with learning disabilities often have transport issues and find moving around and travelling to be an overwhelming experience that they often avoid. This means they can miss out on opportunities that would have a positive impact on their lives.

“Through this project, we’ll be providing bespoke training and support to give people the tools and confidence they need to access different methods of transport. Not only that, we’ll be doing it in a way that empowers people with learning disabilities to share their experiences, support their peers and influence how decisions are made.

“At Your Voice Counts, we’re passionate about breaking down barriers and finding ways for people with lived experience to bring about change so I’m excited to get the project off the ground with our like-minded partner organisations and see what we can achieve across our region. Thank you to Motability Foundation for our funding!”

Lisa Jones, Director of Charitable Operations at the Motability Foundation, said “We’re delighted to award Your Voice Counts with this grant to work in partnership with local organisations to improve access to opportunities for people with learning disabilities in the North East and Cumbria.

“Your Voice Counts, together with its partners, will offer travel awareness training and peer support, supporting people with learning disabilities to travel independently and confidently. Awarding grants to established and local organisations like these helps us to make an immediate difference to the transport needs of disabled people.”

For more information visit the Motability Foundation website

 

 

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Thank you for attending our 33rd AGM

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Pictured, left to right: Annie Bishop, Adapt (NE) Vice Chair, Liz Prudhoe, Director, Lorraine Hershon, Chair and Lucia Bridgeman, High Sheriff of Northumberland.

Thank you to everyone who attended our 33rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, 14 November. It was lovely to welcome many new and familiar faces to the meeting at our hub on Burn Lane, Hexham. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the past year and our plans for the future, from transport to our Cafe @ Burn Lane. We hope to welcome you to our next AGM!

Photo of people sat in the room, with a presentation on the wall.

You can now read our 2023-24 Annual Report here. You can view the AGM presentation here.

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Annual Report 2023-24

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In review of the last year, Liz Prudhoe, Director says:

“As we look back on April 2023 to March 2024, it is reassuring to recognise we are continuing to deliver on our aims, sustainably building on our work and adding new services. This year we welcomed North Shields Primary Care Network Social Prescribing Service to our social prescribing offer.

We continued to develop Northumberland Learning Disability Network working with partner organisations and groups who provide services for people with learning disabilities. We continued to work with our partners across the North East on the ‘Good Life Collaborative’, a partnership for organisations working for people who are learning disabled to develop new services.

It feels a good while since the COVID-19 pandemic, although we recognise that COVID is still very much active. It is pleasing to witness our offices being a hub of activity again with lots of people returning to face to face meetings, although it is fair to say that work patterns have changed and there is greater flexibility for staff.

Café @ Burn Lane has welcomed customers old and new; it has however, felt the impact of the cost of living crisis due to the rising cost of food. Nevertheless, we have worked hard to keep prices in the cafe as low as possible.

We feel we have lots to look forward to in 2024/2025 and plan to continue what we are doing and keep developing services as we go. I wish to record my thanks to all of our board members for their continued support and guidance, and to our staff who are committed to their roles and work hard throughout the year.”

Read more in our Annual Report 2023-24 or download a pdf version.

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Adapt is a member of the national Safe Places scheme

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Safe Places is a scheme that gives people a place of safety if needed when out and about in their local community. If you:

  • Feel anxious
  • You are lost
  • You have lost something (e.g. bus pass, wallet, phone)
  • You have been bullied
  • You are upset or worried

Come to reception and we will try our best to help you. We are designated as a Safe Place. This service is free-to-use and confidential. We can contact somebody on your behalf, or if we can’t help directly, we will try to find someone who can.

If you would like more information, you can visit the Safe Places website or call us at Adapt on 01434600599.

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The value of listening: Healthwatch Northumberland Annual Report 2023-24

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Healthwatch Northumberland is our local, independent health and social care champion. Adapt (NE) have delivered the Healthwatch function for Northumberland since it began in 2013.

This year over 12,000 people shared their experiences of health and social care services, helping to raise awareness of issues and improve care, or came to Healthwatch Northumberland for clear advice and information about topics such as mental health and the cost of living crisis. The team published 20 reports about the improvements people would like to see in health and social care services. Read about the work and impact of Healthwatch Northumberland over the last 12 months in the Healthwatch Northumberland Annual Report 2023-24.

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Hexham audio book group

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The audio book group is a free, friendly group for anyone who has difficulty reading, due to visual impairments or other challenges.

The group meets at Hexham Library in the Queen’s Hall on the last Thursday of the month (except August), at 2.00pm.

For more information or to join the group please email info@hexhambookfestival.co.uk.

 

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Cost of living support

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Local health and social care champion Healthwatch Northumberland has produced a printed booklet with details of organisations that can offer support with energy costs, prescription and healthcare appointment costs, food, and mental health. The booklet is free and you can ask for a copy by getting in touch with Healthwatch Northumberland.

You can also download a pdf version of the booklet, or view all the information on the website.

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