Disability North, which has supported people in Newcastle and across the North East for more than half a century, is preparing to refurbish the interior of its home at the Dene Centre in Gosforth. The move follows a campaign last year that raised funds to fix the building's roof.
Funding and planned improvements
Chief executive Vici Richardson told ChronicleLive that funding grants have enabled plans for a number of refurbished areas. These include transforming the accessible kitchen, improving ageing office space and revolutionising the demonstration area where service users can get to grips with accessibility equipment.
"We have been awarded some money from the Wolfson Foundation which we are using to redevelop the building," said Vici. "It will mean we have a lot more space and better space. As for the demo room, the idea is that it will develop as people use it. This refurbishment is massive for us."
Services and community impact
Disability North helps hundreds of people each year through casework, helping people navigate direct payments and benefit support, and through activity groups. An innovative young person's group has turned part of the Dene Centre's grounds into a thriving kitchen garden, currently full of growing pumpkins ahead of the autumn.
The charity has highlighted further details of the revamp online, stating: "The upstairs area is currently underused, and the refurbishment will create new opportunities for Disability North to expand its volunteer offering, provide more activity sessions, and host larger external bookings with catering facilities available."
Demonstration area and contractor
"Alongside the upstairs refurbishment, plans are also being developed to improve our downstairs demonstration area. Our aim is to showcase a wide variety of equipment, technology, and practical solutions designed to support disabled people to live more independently, safely, and comfortably in everyday life."
Discussions have already taken place with a number of companies about how they can become involved in supplying equipment for the space. Bear & Co, based in North Tyneside, have been commissioned to undertake the refurbishment project. From the very beginning, they have shown genuine enthusiasm not only for the refurbishment itself, but also for Disability North's longer-term strategy and vision for the future.
Wider context and future outlook
For Vici, developing the space goes hand in hand with supporting the people who rely on the charity, which also prides itself on the fact the majority of staff and trustees have experience of either living with disabilities or caring for those who do. She added that the wider political environment remained tricky for the disability community, especially in view of dehumanising rhetoric with regard to helping people into work.
"For a lot of people who we support, PIP is what helps them to keep working. The idea that people don't want to work is not true and not helpful and it's pitting people against one another," she said. "One thing I would say is that there's this unfounded fear on the part of employers. A disabled person might, before they even get through the door of their employer, they might have had to manage their PA, to navigate health and social care... People need to see the value brought by people with that experience!"
Vici added: "In terms of our casework, the things that we are dealing with for people are more complicated than they used to be - services out there are not necessarily easy to navigate for people - and we are really keen to bring the building back to life and back to what it can be. I am really excited for the future of this place. We have a lot to do, but we have the team to do it."
