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Grant funding helps deliver community lifeline in Newton Aycliffe

A group of people facing the camera in a community kitchen setting.

We're supporting the Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP), Newton Aycliffe, to create safe, welcoming places where people can enjoy a hot meal, keep warm and spend time together, through a new Supportive Spaces project.

Delivered from PCP’s base in Newton Aycliffe, this project builds on our long-standing partnership of over 10 years, with a shared focus on supporting community-led initiatives that deliver lasting, positive change.
Our £10,000 grant funding will support weekly sessions over twelve months for up to 25 people, offering a hot meal in a warm, welcoming space. Alongside food, people can enjoy activities like music and bingo, and access advice and wider support. Each session also includes a free takeaway, often providing an extra meal the next day—helping ease the pressure of rising costs while building confidence, connections and, for some, a vital lifeline.

Andrea Williams, who attends the sessions, said: “I’ve been coming here for a year and a half. Times can be tough with the cost of living, and coming here means we can get a warm meal and enjoy good company. It really makes a difference.”

Ann Bell, Community Projects Officer at PCP, said: “We engage with more than 134,000 people each year through a wide range of projects and services that respond to local need and make a positive difference. Supportive Spaces is vital to our community, it provides a safe, welcoming place where people can enjoy a hot meal, keep warm and spend time together. With support from Livin, we’ve been able to deliver a range of initiatives for local people. For example, this year we provided 98 Easter eggs for children in the community. The confidence we’ve seen grow in people attending over time has been incredible. For many, this support is a lifeline.”

Pictured, left to right: Lisa Newham (Community Regeneration Adviser), Lucie Fieldson (Community Development Officer), Bobby Hewitson (Community Development Manager), Ann Bell, (Community Projects Officer)  and Blake, Andrea and Charlene Williams (Supportive Spaces attendees).

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