Kitted in their Children North East Kit, the Wallsend Boys Club Under 9’s Girls team warm up to take on an evening of training before their matches on Saturdays. The team has chosen to play wearing Children North East’s logo wanting to help raise awareness about the positive effects of our work! We went along to a session to see what being part of this football club means to the girls.

Manager, Crya Carne, explains that she works with girls from the age of three all the way up to women’s team. The Under 9 team all worked their way up from the development squad and wear the Children North East logo with pride.

‘Football helped them transition back to normal life after lockdown.’

It was well documented that the pandemic took a toll on young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The Under 9s Squad Manager shared that after lockdown many children had lost interest in hobbies ‘but after being back playing football for a few weeks I could see their interest was back, they wanted to see people, make friends and go out and play football’. This is why it’s key to recognise the importance of keeping active and socialising!

‘You can see their confidence has improved!’

The team come together to train, improve and win matches! ‘In terms of football they’re all massively developing and really enjoying it. The younger ones can be quite shy but after a couple of weeks of just playing with the team they become really chatty!’. The team spirit was in the air all evening, highlighting the positive effect sports has both mentally and physically.

‘Everyone’s running round with their friends with has a smile on their face.’

Sarah has been coaching the team for nearly a year, ‘My daughter plays and she classes these (the Under 9’s teammates) as her best friends’. The sense of community and friendship both on and off the pitch displays how much of an impact team sport has on young people. They train every Tuesday and Thursday for their Saturday matches, with more and more girls joining the team after lockdown! It provides the opportunity for friendship, staying active and perusing a passion.

Whilst the aim is good fun, ‘We’re (the coaches) quite competitive and so are the girls! ’ we can vouch that the girls always do their best and take home the trophy, just like the England squad, which we think is something to shout about.

There is compelling evidence that the first 1001 days of a child’s life are critical in the development of the brain, so we have to keep the Little Minds in Mind.

“A baby’s first relationship with caregivers forms the blueprint for all future relationships.”

Our Little Minds in Mind programme is something Children North East are immensely proud of as it provides support that is significantly different from any other service in the North East. With insight from our Parent-Infant Therapist, Marie Clark, we want to take the time to share more on the importance of this work.

Becoming a parent is a time in which complicated emotions can arise. It can be hard to cope, but you are not alone. In light of research, our Little Minds in Mind team work with caregivers and their babies from pregnancy to 2 years old, to provide support throughout this transformative period. During this time, parents are particularly receptive to help and support, making it clear that this is an important window of opportunity for all.

“This service is for anyone interested in understanding their baby.”

Little Minds in Mind offers a supportive space to think together about feelings a parent may or may not have towards their baby, to develop an understanding of what the baby is communicating, reflect on how they see and experience the world around them and explore ways of responding.

The idea of asking for help and speaking with a therapist can be daunting, so Marie provides a description of what therapy can be. ‘We provide a safe, open environment in which we like to pull up a chair to be beside you on the journey in exploring, and learning to cope with, the full range of human emotion’. This individual therapy, as well as group sessions, provides an opportunity for honest conversations – to strengthen bonds and to gain support from both trained professionals and those with similar experiences.

“By trying to get things right now, a path is paved towards a better future for the next generation.”

We believe it important to share the research showing that this 1001 days lays the foundation for every child’s future health, wellbeing, learning and earnings potential, which is why Little Minds in Mind is so important. Caregivers learning and adapting creates a positive chain reaction. Children North East’s motivations for this work gravitates around giving caregivers the chance to create healthy relationships and build bright futures for their babies.

“Babies are always at the heart of the work.”

We want to continue acting on this insightful research and providing services that keep the Little Minds in Mind, to give all babies the chance to grow up happy and healthy.

• Find out more about our available support on the Little Minds in Mind website page.
• Find more information for professionals on this flyer, and for parents and caregivers on this flyer.
• Learn more about why the 1001 days matter on the Parent-Infant Foundation website.

Little Minds in Mind is made possible thanks to thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, as well as Newcastle City Council and NHS Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group.

Over the past year we have been expanding this important work into cultural organisations, and we’re delighted to share that Children North East are currently working in partnership with Northern Stage in Newcastle to Poverty Proof their organisation.

Children North East are national founders and leaders of the Poverty Proofing initiative, and over the past ten years we have worked with schools and organisations to identify and overcome the barriers that children and young people from families with less financial resources face.

We are working with Northern Stage to ensure that household income does not impact on people’s ability to visit and get involved with the activities that Northern Stage runs. Overall, our aim is to help Northern Stage ensure that they are accessible to citizens from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

As part of this process we are keen to hear what people think of the theatre, and we would appreciate it if you could complete the brief survey below to share your thoughts.

Please Complete The Survey Here

If you know anyone who might also be interested in completing the survey, please feel free to share it with them, as we’d love this to get as many responses as possible.

Thank you so much!

Stowe Family Law wanted to support local charities after opening their Newcastle office. We are honoured that they have chosen to support Children North East with a generous donation of £300!

This donation will make a huge difference to many lives in the region as well as helping to fund our 28 unique projects in the North East. Here at Children North East we offer a wide range of support for babies, young people, families, schools and communities. These services include mental health support, therapeutic services, poverty proofing, community based services and domestic abuse services. We aim to help all children grow up happy and healthy and this donation will allow us to continue this important work.

“Stowe Family Law are proud to support Children North East with a donation towards their wonderful work with babies, children young people & families in the region. We would wholeheartedly encourage other local businesses to get involved and contribute in any way possible.” – Stowe Family Law Newcastle

Stowe Family Law are a team of compassionate family solicitors in the Tyne and Wear region: https://www.stowefamilylaw.co.uk/offices/newcastle/

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Stowe Family Law for their support of Children North East, our work can continue thanks to the donations from amazing supporters like you.

This year marks our 130th Anniversary! Donate to support our 130th Anniversary Appeal here – Our 130th Anniversary Appeal – Children North East (children-ne.org.uk)

Thank you!

Children North East celebrated our 130-year anniversary in 2022.