School holidays can be tough, long, and expensive for many families and we are pleased to say we have a fantastic free programme of activities being delivered right across the County for families and young people in Northumberland.

The holiday provision takes place during Easter, Summer and Winter school holidays.

If you have a child aged between 5 and 18, there are many holiday day camps you can access where there is great quality provision of activities including sport, art, music and more. All day camps offer a hot lunch too so what’s not to love? These are delivered by our fantastic delivery partners and are free to attend!

As well as the holiday camps, we have a range of activities and trips out for families, including, trekking with Alpaca’s, Deer Safari, Northumberland Zoo, Woodhorn Colliery and also passes for local leisure centres.

On all the offers, you will be able to pick up some lunch whether it be via a place where you visit or a café nearby.

To find out more and to book activities please click here.

If you are a provider looking to take part in the holiday programme or for further information please email, admin@leadinglink.co.uk. Leading Link are managing the Holiday Activity Provision on behalf of Northumberland County Council.

With support from our funders, Department for Education (HAF) and The National Lottery Fund, through North East Child Poverty Trust.
Northumberland Communities Together was launched in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. It continues to make sure residents are kept safe and well throughout this crisis, and provides coordination to support individual volunteers, voluntary groups and communities across our county.

What is Northumberland Communities Together?

We're here to keep you safe and well. If you or anyone in your family identifies with any of the issues listed below and needs a bit of extra support please get in touch and phone the Northumberland Communities Together Response Hub on 01670 620015 9am-6pm, 7 days a week or email NCT@northumberland.gov.uk.
  • Perhaps your financial circumstances have changed with reduced hours, redundancy or benefit.
  • Worried about winter bills or financial pressures, we are working with Citizens Advice Northumberland to connect and support families.
  • Feeling lonely, overwhelmed or struggling with mental health.


On this page:

Community Packs

  • Our Community Packs were produced during the height of the pandemic and provided advice, guidance and support for community groups and volunteers. The last pack was published in March 2021.
  • If you are looking for up to date support please contact our Northumberland Communities Together team on 01670 620015 9am-6pm, 7 days a week.


Please click on the links below to access the archived resource packs:

January-front-cover.jpg

 

Safeguarding advice for volunteers

Learn how you or someone you know can get help with the information below.

Northumberland Communities Together

If you're having a difficult time or struggling at the moment please get in touch, we'll find you support and connect you with people in your area.

Please contact the Northumberland Communities Together Response Hub. If you have speech or hearing difficulties you can use Relay UK to contact us by dialing 018001 01670 620015 you can find more information about Relay UK here

 

School uniform support

Between 1- 8 August 2022 there will be various drop-off points around the county for those wishing to donate their good-quality uniform, coats, shoes, PE kits and bags. These donations will then be sorted and organised by volunteers and partner organisations and distributed to pre-loved school uniform services around the county. Preloved uniform is a low-cost and environmentally friendly option available to everyone in Northumberland with no eligibility criteria. 

Some schools may also have their own uniform support process in place, please contact your school to find out.

Click here for drop-off locations.
Click here to find your nearest pre-loved school uniform service.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Bright Charity is also collecting preloved uniform throughout the summer holidays, with drop-off points located at their hospital sites.

Parents or carers of children and young people who receive free school meals during term time are also eligible to receive £80 in vouchers which can be used towards school uniform should they choose. 



Recovering from COVID-19

Your COVID Recovery will help you to come to terms with how your body and mind may have suffered because of this virus. It provides help and information for those recovering, as well as advice for your family and friends.

Please click here to find out more about Your COVID Recovery.

 

SignVideo

British Sign Language users can now contact the Northumberland Communities Together Response Hub using SignVideo Web Access, an online sign language interpreting service. 

To contact us using this service click this link: northumberlandcc-covid.signvideo.net

If you like to learn more about this service click here
 

Onecall

If you are worried about the immediate welfare (health or well-being) of a child or adult contact Onecall - 01670 536400 - 24 hour service, 365 days a year.

 

Safe Families Information

Safe Families are offering remote support for all Northumberland families with children  who may be struggling for a variety of reasons.

This  service is open to anyone who may benefit from some outside, remote support to help them, and you can refer yourself at any time via the Safe Families contact form, located here.

 

Employment and skills support

If you are newly unemployed or are concerned about your job, you can get help through a range of Northumberland Council employment and skills programmes, or be referred to other support. One of our Employment Coaches can give you advice and guidance about what is right for you. You can call us on our freephone helpline 0808 196 3936 or email us at employmentandtraining@northumberland.gov.uk.

Please click here for more information on our Employability Support page for advice about our programmes.

More than 1000 Northumberland residents signed up to volunteer with us. They have assisted community and voluntary groups picking up shopping, dropping off prescriptions, organising emergency food, and making contact with some of our most vulnerable residents to make sure they are safe, well and not feeling isolated during the pandemic.

As we learn to live with COVID-19 there are things we can all do to continue to protect our communities. If you are keen to help, the below list provides some simple behaviours you can adopt to make a difference:  

  • If you have COVID-19 symptoms, you should stay at home and self-isolate immediately. Remember that by staying at home and isolating if you test positive, you are already helping your community stay safe. Follow the latest guidance by clicking here.
  • Get vaccinated. Find out more information here.
  • Let fresh air in if meeting indoors or meeting outside. 
  • Wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially when encountering people you do not usually meet. 
  • Wash your hands regularly.
  • Be a street champion: wave to your neighbours, keep an eye out for someone who may need help, and pass on reliable information.
  • Stay connected: ensure you connect on social media with your friends and family, and with your community. Access our Northumberland Communities Together Facebook page here.
 
Thank you all for your support.
The COVID-19 business directory located here contains information on businesses based in Northumberland who have adapted to support residents during this challenging time.

Local Business Support Directory (A spreadsheet version can be found here)

Coordination of the data for the directory was produced by Janie French a volunteer from Hexham.

Map of Northumberland and filters (Link to map directory)

This allows people to self-source provisions and services during the time of restrictions and support our local economies. If you are a local business and would like information included within the directory please get in touch by using the email provided

NCT@northumberland.gov.uk

The inclusion of any services does not constitute endorsement or a guarantee of quality. All services may be subject to checks by Northumberland County Council and may result in some details not being included in the directory. Any links to third party websites on this site are for information, we have no responsibility for the content of third-party websites, nor have these been reviewed by us. These links do not constitute approval by us of those linked websites or information you may obtain from them.
Whatever your age, experience, or background, offering whatever time you can to volunteering with us can make a difference to people in your community.

Northumberland County Council value the contribution of volunteers to its many services and its communities, we are committed to involving volunteers to enhance services, develop opportunities and allow people to gain knowledge and skills. 

To find out more about current volunteering opportunities or to be added to our mailing list, email us at volunteer@northumberland.gov.uk

Safer Recruitment

Safeguarding is of prime importance to Northumberland County Council and we ensure that this runs through all our work which includes engaging volunteers and supporting communities. 

Over the past year many people have offered their time and support to us and our partner organisations throughout the county and the profile of volunteering has been raised to a new level.  As before the pandemic, we understand the need to protect vulnerable people who receive our services as well as those who wish to volunteer for us, we therefore have a recruitment process that considers the correct checking and vetting of volunteers as we register them within our services.  

For the safety of everyone we will request references when you apply to volunteer with us, for the majority of roles you will also be asked to provide a suitable form of identification.  In some circumstances a DBS check will also be required, this will be made clear on the role description. 

What to expect

The volunteering role is based on trust and a mutual understanding.  There is no enforceable obligation, contractual or otherwise for the volunteer to attend or undertake particular tasks or for NCC to provide continuing opportunities for volunteer involvement, provision or training. However, there is a presumption of mutual support and reliability.  These reciprocal expectations are acknowledged by way of identifying what we expect of our volunteers and what volunteers can expect from us. 

NCC expects volunteers to: 

  • Provide details for references upon request during application and submit to any other checks necessary to the role 
  • Be reliable and honest 
  • Uphold the County Council’s values and be a positive role model 
  • Make the most of opportunities as they arise eg training 
  • Contribute positively to the work of NCC 
  • Behave responsibly and ensure that the reputation of NCC and its services is maintained  
  • Carry out tasks within agreed guidelines 
  • Comply with NCC policies particularly those regarding confidentiality, health and safety, equality and diversity and conduct. 

A Volunteer can expect NCC to: 

  • Provide clear information about what is expected of them 
  • Have a named contact within the service you volunteer for 
  • Deliver adequate training and support including supervision where appropriate and relevant 
  • Ensure a safe environment where their activities are covered by insurance 
  • Treat all parties with respect and without discrimination 
  • Reimburse agreed out of pocket expenses where stated in the role description  
  • Give opportunities for personal development in relation to the role and access to other volunteering opportunities 
  • Recognise and appreciate the contribution of volunteers  
  • Have appropriate policies regarding incident reporting, confidentiality, health and safety and processes to manage any breach.  
To find out more about current volunteering opportunities or to be added to our mailing list, email us at volunteer@northumberland.gov.uk.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice on staying safe

COVID-19 remains a risk

As England moves to the next phase of living with COVID-19, it is important that people adapt their behaviour to reduce the risk of catching and passing on the virus in their communities. This means: 

  • Getting vaccinated. 
  • Letting fresh air in if meeting indoors or meeting outside. 
  • Wearing a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially when encountering people you do not usually meet. 
  • Trying to stay at home if unwell. 
  • Taking a test if displaying COVID-19 symptoms and staying at home and avoiding contact with other people if testing positive. 
  • Washing hands.

For more information and advice on coronavirus (COVID-19) click here.
For the latest local updates and information, visit 

www.northumberland.gov.uk/coronavirus

Twitter: @nlandtogether

Visit our Facebook page here.

We are highlighting the incredible part volunteers and businesses are playing to keep communities safe and well, so if you have a good news story please get in touch communications@northumberland.gov.uk 

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