How Hartlepool's community hubs have been improving lives and helping in tough times

An update has been provided on the overall ongoing development of community hubs in the town and the outcomes being achieved.

Hartlepool Borough Council unveiled three community hubs located in the North, Central and South of the Borough in July 2017, with services expanding until they became fully operational in April 2018.

In the summer of 2019 they were joined by the Centre for Independent Living in Burbank Street, which began operating as a fourth site, Community Hub Coastal.

A report from council assistant director for Preventative and Community Based Services Gemma Ptak explained the successes of the buildings so far, adding they are key to helping those in need in the town.

It said: “Community Hubs are strategically significant in reducing the increasing inequalities that exist within Hartlepool’s communities.

“They play a key role in addressing child and family poverty issues through improving the mental, physical and social wellbeing of the population.

“Community Hubs continue to evolve and respond to the needs of local residents.

“Opportunities are increasing and the outcomes and impact are becoming significant in having an impact on people’s lives and also how professionals work differently with communities.”

Although the hubs are currently closed to residents due to the coronavirus outbreak, a variety of projects have been carried out by the centres in recent months.

As well as being home to libraries, in 2019 community hubs helped 1,329 families and young people take part in the Summer Reading Challenge, with 9,898 children’s books issued over the summer holidays.

Monthly local history talks are normally held at Community Hub Central in York Road and average 40 people attending every session.

A sensory room was created in Community Hub South in Owton Manor providing opportunities for families and individuals to have a safe and stimulating environment to enjoy therapeutic or recreational sessions.

Other services include baby clinics, which are integrated as part of Community Hub Central, with new mums bringing their babies in for weighing and general advice.

The multi-agency Community Support Team has also used Community Hub Central to focus on a project supporting families in the Victoria Ward.

Additionally families have been given support with healthy eating from a community kitchen operated at Community Hub South, offering affordable nutritionally balanced two course meals, which had been serving an average of 40 a week.

Hartlepool Carers also held weekly drop-in sessions at Community Hub Central which allowed them to become aware of 34 newly identified carers to support.

Debt and benefit advice, offered from West View Advice and Resource Centre at Community Hub North, was given to 2,015 people from April to September 2019 thanks to the hubs.

Young people have also benefited from the services, and an average of 266 children attended stories and rhymes, parent and toddler, and baby babble sessions each month.

Examples of events this year include activities for Blue Monday in January, known as ‘the most depressing day of the year’, with hubs offering crafts, clay activities, Indian head massages, puzzles and more for residents, with more than 450 attending.

Although community hubs have been closed to the general public since the end of March due to the Covid-19 outbreak, activities have still taken place to support residents.

Videos have been shared online by the Hartlepool Community Hub Facebook page of staff reading through children’s books, along with carrying out singalongs, for youngsters to join in with at home.

Community Hub Central also helped with the set up of the Hartlepool Support Hub, which offers support and supplies to those self-isolating or unable to leave the house due to Covid-19.

Council chiefs also noted although libraries are closed, books can still be accessed online

Residents can sign up to Borrowbox and download an eBook for free or try RBDigital for audio books.

Residents are advised to visit www.hartlepool.gov.uk/libraries for more information.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you