LAUNCHING BUILDING-SELF BELIEF'S COMMUNITY BUILDING
Renovation of the community centre is thanks to £13,000 of funding from Karbon Homes’ Unlocking Social Value Fund. Karbon has proudly partnered with Building Self-Belief for several years, supporting the charity with a number of its projects and services.
CEO of Building Self Belief, Christine Thomas, said: “The centre means we now have an identity and a consistent presence, putting us at the heart of the community. We’ve been based in Consett since 2018 but not had a facility to bring people together in. Having our own space will save us lots of time planning and means we can deliver more activity to develop intergenerational friendships in a safe, warm place.
“The support we’ve received from Karbon and its partners has turned the dream of a new venue into reality. The contractors have done a great job and it’s made a huge difference to us. It has given us a truly positive start to our work in our new building.”
The social value funding includes a contribution of £9,000 from two of Karbon’s contractors Mitie Property Services and City Electrical Factors, topped up with match-funding from Karbon. This covered the cost of paint and labour to decorate the full building, provided by Mitie Property Services, and all the lighting and electrical materials to upgrade the existing fittings, provided and installed by City Electrical Factors. The donation helped Building Self Belief unlock further funding from Durham County Council, to cover the cost of replacement windows.
Paul Moralee, Community Investment Manager at Karbon Homes, explains: “Steel Street was identified as one of our key social value projects in the area as Building Self Belief has a great track record in delivering community projects and involving residents. Having the centre in the heart of Consett is a great asset and will improve accessibility for residents of the area.
“It’s fantastic to bring together our local partners to provide more community support to those in need. Karbon owns and manages a high proportion of homes in the Consett and Stanley area, so many of our customers will hopefully benefit from the new facilities.
“Building Self Belief have transformed many lives throughout our partnership and we are delighted to contribute to the important work they deliver.”
Alongside the renovation project Karbon has also been funding Building Self-Belief’s ‘Celebrating Stanley’ project, which is exploring local heritage and identity.
The project is engaging with primary and secondary school students, residents and key stakeholders from Stanley to capture and celebrate the town’s rich history and highlight how this heritage could shape Stanley’s future. A collection of anthologies, podcasts and an interactive timeline with be created by local people and will be shared in December 2025.
RED KITE AWARDS NOMINATION
Building Self-Belief's CEO Christine is delighted to have been nominated for a Liz Twist MP, Red Kite award, and is looking forward to the ceremony in November .
CELEBRATING STANLEY PROJECT
Over the past month Building Self-Belief has been working with South Stanley Junior School as part of their Celebrating Stanley Project.
They have been learning about Stanley’s past, present & future, creating artwork inspired by Tom Lamb and even making their own Stanley quilt!
The children also enjoyed a historical trip to Beamish - thanks to Karbon Homes.
BENFIELDSIDE COMMUNITY GARDEN
It was lovely to see lots of children at the Benfieldside Community Garden after school club. Lots of garden jobs, decorating & hot dog eating done!
Building Self-Belief's final afternoon is Wednesday, 29th October, 1:30pm-3pm for a Halloween special event!
Thank you to Karbon Homes for their support!
Check out Building Self-Belief's online resources on Youth Social Action.
Having a voice and taking action is a great way to improve your mental wellbeing.
There are free and paid for resources available. Make sure to look after yourself properly, with the help of our wonderful resources.
FREE Resources here.
NE SOCIAL CAPITAL SUMMIT
It was great to be part of the Connecting Communities, North East Social Capital Summit. Sharing Building Self-Belief's work at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
BUILDING SELF-BELIEF'S UPCOMING EVENTS
Download Building Self-Belief's interactive PDF journal to plan and reflect on your day, keep track of your mood and meals, jot down thoughts, and much more.
All you have to do is create a FREE resource hub account on the website, by clicking here.
