A North Tyneside charity is changing lives by guiding adult learners into training and education, thanks to the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA).
Cedarwood Trust’s Nurture Nourish Thrive programme provides support for people whose lives have been disrupted by COVID-19 or other issues. Funded by the NTCA Adult Education Budget, it offers free training, qualifications, and skills for employment to people on the Meadow Well Estate in North Tyneside.
(LtR) Cherri Bray-Bowden Cedarwood Trust Head of Services and Cedarwood Trust student mum-of-two Lindsey Newton, aged 39, from Meadow Well (pictured on her birthday).
“People’s lives have been so badly affected by COVID-19. For some that’s meant even leaving the home is an issue,” said Cedarwood Trust Head of Services Cherri Bray-Bowden. “We’re all about offering opportunities for people to get back into work or training without having to be in a formal, classroom environment. We’re there for those people to help guide them, rebuild their confidence, reintroduce them to work, training, and to socialising and to in turn rebuild their lives.”
The coronavirus crisis has seen a rise in the number of Meadow Well Estate residents who have quit work, training, socialising, and planning for the future, and a corresponding rise in mental health issues in those affected. Cedarwood Trust’s team of community connectors is working with residents to help rebuild their confidence and self-esteem, while offering valuable training to prepare for work.
They offer a choice of routes into work, training and education, with the chance to gain level 2 qualifications in:
- Care Planning
- Challenging Behaviour
- Information Governance
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- Wellbeing
- General Principles of Health and Safety
- Diet and Nutrition
- Dignity and Respect
- Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
The programme includes four level 2 awards, one to one mentoring, real time work placement, confidence building, and advice and guidance. This can be done at the Cedarwood Centre on Avon Avenue or at home online. The NTCA is committed to building a fairer, more inclusive economy in which no one is left behind.
Cllr Joyce McCarty
North of Tyne Cabinet Member for Employability and Inclusion and Deputy Leader of Newcastle City Council Cllr Joyce McCarty said: “We talk about ‘inclusive growth’: that means we’re changing the way the economy works so that no one is left behind. The Cedarwood Trust’s Nurture Nourish Thrive programme is a shining example of that. They are helping create a more productive, skilled economy which offers everybody the chance to contribute. It does not matter where in the North of Tyne you are from; we want you to have equal opportunities. This is about putting people back at the centre of everything that happens here.”
Cedarwood Trust’s Nurture Nourish Thrive programme is funded by the North of Tyne Devolved Adult Education Budget, which went live in August.
To get involved, contact louise@cedarwoodtrust.com or call 0191259 0245 or drop into the Cedarwood Centre for a chat. For more information, visit the Cedarwood Trust online: https://www.cedarwoodtrust.com/news/nurture-nourish-thrive-step-up-into-care