Voting has now closed for our Golden Giveaway!
Published on: 20th May 2024
Published on: 20th May 2024
We had a massive £25,000 divided between 20 worthy Teesside charities, not-for-profit organisations, community groups and schools. And it was up to you, the public, who voted for the organisation they believed deserved the largest sum of money!
The finalists were guaranteed at least £500, but the more votes they received, the more money they received to support their cause.
The organisation with the most votes received a fantastic £5,000. Those voted in second place were given £2,500, third received £2,000, and fourth place received £1,750 while the remainder walked away with either £1,500, £1,000, £750 or £500.
Here are the list of finalists of 2024!
37th Middlesbrough St. Johns Brownies is a uniformed organisation, for girls aged between 7 to 10 Years old, which meet in St John Church in the Centre of Middlesbrough on Monday evenings.
The group is hoping to win funding to purchase new uniforms and take the girls on a day trip in the summer.
Nite Light’s aim is to increase health and wellbeing by providing basic essentials free of charge, in turn reducing poverty and social isolation.
Nite Light runs free market stalls throughout the Tees Valley. Currently the stalls at Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Southbank are not funded and rely on donations to keep them going. Nite Light are hoping to win funding to purchase basic food and hygiene essentials for these stalls.
Rubies is a grassroots charity based in South Bank on the edge of Middlesbrough. They support girls in primary and secondary schools, run weekly girls’ groups in local communities and offer 1-2-1 counselling and therapeutic programmes.
They are hoping to win funding to support, train and show appreciation for their amazing team of community volunteers.
Stockton Baby Bank is a baby bank based at Portrack Baptist Church in Stockton, running weekly drop ins on Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday mornings. They are a small volunteer run project that provides help and support to local families.
They are hoping to win funding to purchase essential baby items to continue providing support to families who unfortunately just cannot afford to provide for their little ones.
Skeleton Primary School is the only primary school in Skelton with over 500 children on roll. They serve a very diverse catchment of wonderful primary age children (age 2- 11).
The school is hoping to win funding to replenish their book shelves by purchasing engaging books for their children to enjoy both in school and at home.
TEES ‘Together. Engage. Encourage. Support’ support people in Teesside with any financial, emotional, isolation, vulnerability, or crisis issues. They run the TEES Community Hub, which is a safe warm space with access to free wi-fi, phone charging and a community cafe offering affordable food. They also have a ‘pay it forward scheme’ that supplies free meals and takeaways to people in need.
The CIO is hoping to win funding to expand their community café pay it forward scheme.
The Look A Head Cancer Campaign is a local charity whose main aim is to raise public awareness of the early symptoms of head and neck cancers and encourage anyone with such symptoms to see a doctor (or dentist, if more appropriate) as soon as possible.
They are hoping to win funding to continue their initiative during Mouth Cancer Action Month in November 2024, providing mouth care packs across food banks in the 4 Local Authority areas in Teesside.
Founded by Asylum Seeking women in late 2013, Creative Minds Middlesbrough is a women-only organisation that supports women from all over the world, mainly from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds.
The group is hoping to win funding to help provide activities for families, who struggle to cope with the extra costs during school holidays.
Frame football is an adapted way for players with a physical impairment to use a Kaye Walker or similar to play football. They are the only frame football team in the Teesside area that provide children and young people (CYP) the opportunity to participate in football training sessions and games.
The club is hoping to win funding to purchase new equipment to help improve members’ experiences.
Middlesbrough Sea Cadets offer skills and qualifications that could take you around the world. They create a safe, engaging, and fun learning environment that will give cadets memories that last a lifetime. Their aim is to give young people the best possible start in life through nautical adventure and fun.
They are hoping to win funding to purchase STEM equipment for the junior cadets.
The Lighthouse Mental Health Drop In Centre exists as a safe and warm meeting space open to all 16+ regardless of age, circumstances, creed, gender, sexuality or political view to congregate outside of their homes for 3 days a week.
The centre is hoping to win funding to offer new activities to their service users.
We are a voluntarily run group of parents who have children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who run a parent and carer forum for parents and carers of children with SEND.
SEND is hoping to win funding to facilitate more sessions for parents to provide them with as much information as possible regarding legal training concerning their rights and responsibilities.
Red Balloons is a local Charity supporting people with their mental health. All of the volunteers and staff within the Charity have lived experience of ill mental health and use their lived experience to offer peer support in a safe and non-judgemental space where people can talk about how they feel when they are ready to do so.
The charity is hoping to win funding to create a Community Member Room.
Tees Valley Sound Tennis delivers tennis sessions and related activities to blind and visually impaired adult players. They hold two weekly sessions at Tennis World in Middlesbrough for players of all abilities from beginners to international competitors. One session is for players with no sight, while the other is for players with varying levels of low vision.
The group is hoping to win funding to purchase specialised equipment and host two paddle/pickleball taster sessions. These sessions will give players the opportunity to experience different racket sports and potentially attract new members.
The Bungalow Partnership is a Middlesbrough based charity supporting the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, adults, and families across Teesside. They do this by offering direct support and therapies to children and young people and also supporting parents, carers, school staff and care professionals.
They are hoping to win funding to offer emotional wellbeing sessions and therapy for children and young people and support sessions for parents and carers over the summer holidays.
Young At Heart ULO is a user-led group for people living with dementia and their carers to offer regular opportunities for peer support, activities and socialisation in various locations.
The group is hoping to win funding to purchase a portable loop system so that their group activities remain inclusive for all.
ReGenerate helps autistic individuals of all ages, across Teesside, in navigating a wide range of challenges with tailored support and understanding – from toilet anxiety and sensory hypersensitivities, through to going out in public and engaging with other people.
They are hoping to win funding to purchase equipment to launch new sessions titled Mindful Mondays.
Billingham Tidy Up is a community group run entirely by volunteers for the benefit of the local Billingham community and the wider Stockton area. They are a constituted group who coordinate activities as a collaborative enterprise. Their aim is to improve the local environment by litter picking, clearing fly tipping, taking part in tree planting and flower planting, and where possible re-cycle as much as possible.
The group is hoping to win funding to purchase additional litter picking equipment to help continue their work.
SNAPS was established in July 1999 for children and young people with special and additional needs and their families by those with their own lived experiences.
The group is hoping to win funding to facilitate accommodating activities for members.
Operating as a voluntary-run establishment, Teesside Academy of Gymnastics swiftly emerges as the primary hub for tumbling and sports acrobatic gymnastics training in the North East. Nestled in Middlesbrough, an area grappling with social deprivation, we acknowledge the critical importance of nurturing the health and well-being of our community’s children.
Teesside Academy of Gymnastics is hoping to win funding to invest in safety matting and flick training aid which offers a controlled and secure platform to practise intricate manoeuvres, allowing gymnasts to refine their skill techniques with precision and confidence.
