Past Projects

The Platten Community Fund project (2023-2025) has provided migrant women with one to one and group support to enable them to take steps towards STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) jobs. The women we supported were from various walks of life and were at various stages in their life. For example, we have worked with women who have experience of STEM from their country of origin, as well as women who have had an entirely different career path until engaging with the project, including care givers. The cost of the project was £9024.

The women have benefitted from the project through workshops, attending one – to – one careers advice, training, and volunteering.

The project has achieved significant results, including:

-Providing one-to-one and group support to 43 women

-20 women have progressed into education or training related to STEM

-17 reported increased awareness of the STEM sector

-7 women have progressed into employment, including 4 women who have progressed into STEM jobs

-16 have reported increased awareness of applying for STEM roles

-10 have reported increased financial situation and 14 have reported improved wellbeing as a result of the project (e.g., becoming more confident, or progression into training or employment)

For those women who had a STEM background, they had the experience included:

Automotive sector

Education as a hygienist

Health and social care

NHS – Healthcare Assistant

Pharma, Dietician

Graphic designer and content creator

Public health

One person was a dentist in their country of origin

Most of the women were from Eastern Europe- especially Poland, but about a red of the participants were from other countries, including India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Morocco. We have also supported two White British women.

9 of the clients actually had degrees (including 4 master degrees) gained abroad. For some of the clients, their qualifications were not recognized in the UK.

The main barriers we have experienced have included: 

-Childcare, and other care–related issues (e.g., having to care for elderly relatives). Some of the women were affected by both.

-Restrictive immigration status- e.g., some clients could only work part time due to being international students, who are only able to work a maximum of 20 hours per week, or could only work for an employer who are able to provide a sponsorship job.

-Domestic abuse and its long term impact. One of the clients was actually staying at a women’s refugee at the time of registering with the project.

-Having qualifications from abroad which have not been validated in the UK, and the costs and timescales associated with it. We have also come across the associated problem of looking for work within a regulated industry, such as healthcare.

-Language barriers and the time associated with rectifying these.

Most of the women were interested in health and social care jobs, including nursing and pharmacy, but some were interested in other areas, such as banking and finance, technology.

Some of the clients were currently in work, but it was often a job which was low paid and/or insecure.

ICOS was well placed to deal with the challenges outlined above, as well as build on the assets- such as skills, experience and passion and help the women to progress.

We have done this through:

-Connecting the women to opportunities in the local area, such as the Digital Bootcamp, the Health Champions scheme (https://www.linksforlifesunderland.co.uk/services/get-involved/sunderland-health-champions/)

-Raising awareness about different types of opportunities available and engaging the women- this in included talks from migrant women who have progressed into STEM in the UK, including a practicing vet. This has enabled the women to imagine a future in which they could thrive in a new area. The talks and events we have run included a Menopause Awareness session, Level 2 Autism awareness x 4 sessions, a STEPS into STEM event – a larger event, which included presentations and talks on STEM opportunities locally, laptop repair workshop and volunteer motivational speakers telling their experience about working within STEM including NHS, Vets, Graphic design, Health champions training, Volunteering for the NHS.

-Removing personal barriers to progression into STEM through one-to-one support. E.g., providing advice on career pathways, eligibility criteria, courses and jobs. This support also included help with identifying opportunities and applying for them.

Aside from the direct outcomes we achieved, the project has captivated many women who have not progressed into STEM jobs or training yet, but are now more likely to do it in the future. 

The women have reported gaining many new skills:

A lot of skills – learned about how to better understand autism

Attended various meeting and events, took part in some health champions courses

Better understanding of Autism, self-referred to services – helped me a lot.

Digital skills

English language skills related to health

How to best support others, have conversations with in regards to health.

I feel more confident in applying for courses e.g. childcare which is what I would like to go study or start my career in.

I feel more confident in talking to new people, especially about health, I have a lot of knowledge about health, including alcohol addiction and how to help others who are struggling with their mental health, how to eat well and how to look after your health. I also gained a lot of knowledge on how to understand people with autism.

I have gained a lot of understanding about community wellbeing and how to support others

I have gained knowledge on how to look for employment in the UK

A range of vital secondary outcomes have also been achieved: 

Accessed emergency support

Bank account opened

Digital access improved

Positive Benefit Award

(being) Safe from abuse/domestic abuse

We are grateful to Platten Community Fund at the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland for their support 

The Nature Hubs project (2024-2025) saw ICOS providing intensive, community focused and effective delivery work in Backhouse Park, and the wider St Michael’s ward. 

The project has delivered a total of 18 events, including two large scale events. 

We have involved a total of 318 adults and 220 children through these events, however, some will have been repeated attendees. 

We have delivered educational activities, including a bird walk, a butterfly survey, a hedgehog awareness training, which enabled participants to learn about the habitat hedgehogs need to survive and sustain themselves. We have received positive feedback from these activities, testifying to the change in the communities. We have also delivered a curiosity cabinet style workshop, focusing on families with children, which featured birds and preserved bird bones and feather, as well as features such as stones, persevered plants and branches. This enabled children and families to get engaged with nature, ask questions, and learn to recognize different species.

We have now created the hedgehog homes as planned as part of the project, albeit less than originally planned. There are currently 5 hedgehog homes, and we are hoping that they will start being used by the hedgehogs. We have been advised by an external expert organization not to put create more hedgehog homes in the park.

Out of the 5 homes, 3, have been build using reclaimed materials.

We have planted a total of 41 trees, including red oak, silver birch, English oak, wild cherry, hazel, cooper beech, guilder rose tree.

We have also planted (and maintained) a wild meadow, which will improve the local area for the enjoyment of the people, but crucially – improving the habitat and supporting pollinating insects. The size of the wild meadow is about 50 square meters.

We have delivered epicormic growth, strimming and controlling the brambles activities over the winter period. We have also started to upgrade the fairy trail in the park, but this work has not been completed at the time of writing.

We have also been able to work with new partners in the park, engaging them in our work, including British Gas. We have also utilized existing partners, such as the Newcastle Building Society, or the scouts.

We are grateful to the volunteers who have supported the delivery of this work. Several have received ICOS’s volunteer certificates at our recent 15 Years Anniversary Celebration Event. In total, we involved 51 new volunteers during this period, but 10 of our long standing volunteers have also supported the delivery. Many more people have attended one / off and irregular activities, such as bird walks.

We are especially proud of the progress we have made with tree planting, not just because of the value of this work for nature, but also because of the educational importance of tree planting, especially given that it was done with the local people.

The Bernicia Fund employability project (2024-2025) has improved employment prospects for 43 migrant clients. Support included CV writing, job applications, career pathways, and access to training (including ESOL and English). Clients included refugees, EU migrants, international students, and asylum seekers, whom we helped apply for jobs on the shortage occupation permit list or access training.

As a result of the project:

-18 clients have found paid employment, although only 2 have found a STEM employment. Examples of the jobs included:

1. Teaching Assistant
2. Healthcare Worker
3. Cleaning
4. Driving(FLT)
5. Warehouse Worker

26 clients have progressed into education or training. Examples of the training they have undertaken:

Child Safeguarding 1 & 2 Training, Food Hygiene Training

Diploma in Professional Cookery and training for food hygiene organised by ICOS

ESOL

ESOL Traininig

English Language Training (ESOL) and IT Training

Gained a qualification, it was accredited,

Gained a qualification, my skills improved. communication training

Gained a qualification, training as well

I have moved on to university education pursuing an undergraduate degree in Business Management.

Level 3 Healthcare and Social Care trainings

Level 3 NVQ in healthcare, Pharmaceutical assistant training, Quality Management(Ongoing)

Level 5 Diploma in Health and Social Care and Level 2, 3, & 6 Diploma in Health and Social Car

No training or education was accessed

Online CSCS training

SIA training, Training in Healthcare, Manual handling of adult and child patients, Autism awareness, Fire Safety

The client has been registered for an online course in Computer Maintenance. He has also been referred to an IT Skills training

The client has currently put Barbering Course and IT trainings on hold due to housing challenge.

The client needed to improve his English language(ESOL)

The client progressed into training. (SIA Training)

The client received training in Understanding Autism and was awarded a certificate to enhance my employability

The client was referred to ESOL classes at FODI-ESOL

Training in Massage Therapy

Training in level 2 diploma in health and social care

Yes, currently enrolled in food hygiene training

flick learning training – safe guarding training

Healthcare training

Safeguarding level 1 for all. movement and handling. hygiene and infection control.

-18 clients have reported improved wellbeing, and 12 have reported an improved financial situation, exceeding the target

Additionally: 

-15 clients have reported increased confidence

-7 have reported feeling safer

-5 have reported an improved housing situation

-5 have reported increased confidence of using digital systems

Key barriers we dealt with included:  

Language Barriers – Many clients were learning English, limiting access to jobs and training. English language support was inconsistent, with providers stopping midterm or restricting eligibility. Some clients communicated well in person but struggled over the phone with employers.

Labour Market Changes – Rising unemployment made job searches more challenging, particularly for those with limited experience.

Foreign Qualifications – Many clients’ qualifications weren’t recognized in the UK. While we helped with verification, the project lacked a budget for associated costs, making it difficult for some to proceed.

Staffing Issues – A staff member’s resignation in June 2024 led to recruitment delays. The newly appointed candidate resigned due to safety concerns after the August 2024 riots, requiring another hire and onboarding process. Clients experienced disruptions, with some working with three different staff members.

Digital Exclusion – Limited access to data made job applications and interviews difficult. Clients frequently changed phone numbers to find free or cheap data, making it hard for employers and agencies to contact them.

Immigration Constraints – Clients faced restrictions based on visa conditions, limiting work hours or job eligibility to sponsorship employers or shortage occupation roles.

Health Issues – Some clients had health conditions that affected their ability to work.

Project Impact & Support Provided:

Despite challenges, we provided in-depth, tailored support:

Immigration Assistance – As a regulated provider of Level 1 immigration advice, we helped clients navigate immigration-related job restrictions.

Digital & Material Support – We referred clients for free SIM cards and helped them access local ESOL/English classes.

Training Access – Clients unable to work due to health issues were supported in accessing online and in-person training for future employment.

Approach:

We prioritized a:

Flexible approach – Adapting service delivery to client needs rather than pushing short-term solutions.

Personalized service – Understanding clients’ backgrounds and aspirations to provide relevant support.

High-quality support – Drawing on over a decade of experience in employability services, offering staff training and peer learning.

Trauma-informed care – Staff trained in supporting clients with migration-related trauma, many with lived migration experience.

Clients have also benefited from:

Social integration activities, e.g., wellbeing activities.

The project also provided holistic support, such as benefits assistance and material aid through the Household Support Fund.

We are grateful to the Bernicia Fund for funding this project. 

#HC/HM+ Project 

2024-2025 

Building on the initial work we have delivered with the women involved in the ICOS Women Group (https://icos.org.uk/icos-women/), we have been able to encourage women to become both- health messengers and full Sunderland Health Champions.

The courses they have signed up have included Understanding Health Improvement, Core MECC (making every contact count), emotional resilience (with Washington Mind), Alcohol Brief Intervention

Due to popular demand, we have also delivered the Level 2 Autism awareness 4 sessions (once a week on Friday) during November and December 2024 – delivered by Sunderland College, and a session on menopause. Having encountered barriers such as lack of awareness of local systems, including the health system, and English language issues, we have run a series of intensive ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) for Health sessions, aimed enabling to tackle those challenges. They were delivered by an ESOL teacher with the right (TESOL) qualification and experience of delivering ESOL, as well as the health system and specialist health language (the teacher was also a qualified DPSI level interpreter working in health settings, such as GP practices and hospitals).

Through events and sessions, a total of 40 women have become Health Messengers, spreading the message to their peers. This includes the women who attended the courses, but have not become full health champions – 13.

We are delivering these sessions because the Project Steering Group of 12, which leads the ICOS Women Group have asked the women what courses they would like. Many of the women were now going through menopause (many of the Eastern European women arrived in the UK in the early 2000s, and they are now approaching menopause).

Our activities have also included designing our own materials to reach out to the women directly, including through word of mouth, our newsletter, and our social media.

We have experienced delays with the project due to significant health issues within the team as described below, alongside other issues.

The project has successfully empowered women by enhancing health awareness, promoting well-being, and creating opportunities for personal and professional growth within the health arena. The program’s reach extends beyond training, fostering community engagement, volunteering and career progression.

We have been able to train 6 full health champions, partially train 13 other women, and train a total of 40 health messengers. We have provided more information in our response to the question below. Despite issues, we have been able to raise interest in health and wellbeing, including in formal training, such us the Sunderland Health Champions Scheme.

The project has contributed to increased health knowledge and capacity within the local community, as evidenced by the quotes from the participants outlines below. They who that we have been able to build on the experience gained inside and outside of the UK, and inspire people to take action on personal and community development:

• How do you plan to utilise those skills or knowledge you have learned through the project in the future?
• Apply it to my everyday life
• Be able to have health conversations with others in the community
• For my own personal development, to be healthier
• For my own personal knowledge
• Given me a way to talk to other people about alcohol consumption and smoking, more confidence
• Hopefully for future jobs
• How to be healthier
• I was a nurse back in Sri -Lank and would like to start working for the NHS in the UK, these courses have refreshed my knowledge of health.
• I will apply it to my volunteer role at ICOS when delivering wellbeing activities.
• I will apply it to when working with the community, I’d like to organise a health event for women in Sunderland (health checks, invite NHS, cancer awareness)

-A total of 19 women have attended Health Champions courses

-A total of 6 have become full Sunderland Health Champions

-A total of 40 have become Sunderland Health Messengers as a result of taking part in both- core and ancillary Health Champions training sessions.

-A total of 9 health – related events have been delivered, including sessions such as a healthy eating workshop / health checks, autism awareness, domestic abuse awareness, menopause awareness, and 4 ESOL for health sessions.

-A total of 13 women have registered with the Health Champions newsletter

-A total of 14 women have reported improved wellbeing

-A total of 11 women have reported improved general confidence

-A total of 9 women have volunteered as a result of the project

-Two women have become self-employed, one is now doing community work (including wider wellbeing)

-One woman has been inspired to start a pharmacy course at Sunderland College

-Additionally, the women have benefitted from the following additional types of support:

Accessed emergency support (2 women)

Bank account opened

Digital access improved (5 women)

Positive Benefit Award

Became safe from abuse

The project has increased our internal capacity to work within the framework of Sunderland Health Champions, and has led to a closer working relationship with Sunderland’s Public Health team. It has also led to an increased interest in the health champions among our clients and the wider client group. We have had more interest in the health champions training from our clients and staff, and some are scheduled to attend courses in the coming weeks and months. This includes the women participating in the ICOS Women project (https://icos.org.uk/icos-women/), and clients supported through the Back in Control 2 project, which supports people affected by modern day slavery and workplace exploitation (https://icos.org.uk/back-in-control/)

We are also working with the council to schedule a dedicated Making Every Contact Count: Warm and Dry Module (which helps raise the awareness around the issues of damp and mould) for our clients. This is a new initiative.

As time to deliver this work was limited and we have faced time delays, the ICOS Women Steering Group will include Sunderland Health Champions in its work programme funded by other funders, such as the Urgent Women’s Support Fund at Smallwood Trust.

We are grateful to our funder- Voluntary Organisations Network North East (VONNE) for funding this project, as well as to Sunderland City Council for their support.

The ICOS Women project – funded by Willan Fund (2023- 2025) focused on making Eastern
European and other migrant women in the area safe, empowering them and getting them together.
The project has achieved significant results:
During the 24 months of the project we have provided needs tailored one-to-one support, advice
and guidance to 43 women (including 12 women with domestic abuse and violence, 5 anti-social
behaviour and 3 hate crime). As a result of our support 53% of women reported an improved
financial situation (this was scored on a scale from 1-10 at the beginning of the project and when
end of project delivery).
During the project women who have been supported have faced multiple barriers that they needed
support with, including:
-Support with reporting crimes to the police, local authority or housing, as well as support with
safety planning, finding safe accommodation or needing further referrals e.g. for legal advice to
FLOWS (https://www.flows.org.uk/) or Wearside Women in Need for refuge.
-Women moving from other parts of the UK to Sunderland (including single mothers) who had fled
domestic abuse or due to relationship breakdown and needing further advice and guidance with
applying for benefits such as council tax support or Universal Credit, as well meeting new people in
the area.
-Women who experienced significant barriers with accessing healthcare services (including mental
health services), including lack of interpreters being provided to them, or needing support with
submitting a formal complaint as their healthcare issues were not being resolved or guidelines were
not followed correctly.
-Women who experienced significant financial pressures due to change of circumstances, for
example caused by loss of income, house move or health issues. As well as cost of living crisis.
All women who have received one-to-one needs tailored support have accessed more than one area
of support:
-79% of women received support with accessing services (this attending the appointments in person
and on the phone with the client for support and interpreting), services included social services and
early help, local authority, HMRC, legal advice and legal aid, support with energy providers, local MP
or councillor.
-62% of women received support with accessing benefits including child benefit, pension credit,
council tax support, Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment. Other support with
benefits included attending Universal Credit appointments with clients to separate the claim to their
abusive partners, support with benefit overpayments and mandatory reconsiderations.
-42% of women needed support with housing including applying for housing with a housing
association or local council, reporting repairs or support with accessing priority housing register due
to emergency situations such as domestic abuse or hate crime.
-42% of women received support with accessing material support such as furniture or white goods
(when they have moved into a new property) through individual grants, food vouchers and energy
vouchers for women who have been under extreme financial pressure, referral to Household
Support Fund or crisis support, and travel tickets to attend wellbeing activities and self-development

activities such as college courses for women who were staying in a local refuge with no recourse to
public funding.
-41% of women received support with accessing healthcare services including booking
appointments, GP registrations, requesting prescriptions, accessing interpreters, healthcare records
and support with submitting official complaints.
-40% of women on the project have also been referred to other services including Foodbanks, baby
banks (such as Love Amelia), financial advice (including Step Change and CAB), North East Law
Centre (for legal advice), Wearside Women in Need, and Migrant Help (for support with EUSS).
-Outcomes from one-to-one support included 8 women having a positive benefit outcome, 7
reported an improved access to services, 6 feeling safe from abuse and 3 feeling safe from antisocial
behaviour and hate crime, 5 women accessed new housing (including with Gentoo and local council),
4 women have had their complaints resolved with a positive outcome, 2 positive trust applications, 3
women have gained employment, and 2 gained EUSS Settled Status. 61% of women reported that
their issues are fully resolved, another 33% stated that their issues are ongoing and the women
continue getting support from ICOS.
In total we have delivered 50 sessions, workshops and activates, which have been attended by 102
women (and over 100 children also benefitted from activities) during the project. The activities
varied from creative and cultural workshops (e.g. print making workshop, ceramics, theatre outings)
wellbeing and development sessions (healthy diet workshop, smoothies and healthy sandwich
making) mum’s and children’s sessions (crafts, Christmas events, Easter Events, Wellbeing trips and
outings (such as to Killhope Mining Museum, Beamish, Sunderland Museum and Winter Grden’s),
sports activities (walks, bowling and Zumba sessions) to larger celebration events (such as the
International Women’s Day or 5th year celebration event of the ICOS Women project).
Additionally, the women’s group took part in three creative projects which took place in Sunderland:
1) Sun Cultures delivered by Sunderland Culture (2023) – women took part in 5 creative workshops
making pendants and cyanotypes inspired by the Sun, final exhibition of women’s art work took
place in the Winter Gardens Museum.
2) SunderLight delivered by Cultural Spring and artist Sarah Blackburn (2023), a community led light
event, women created giant flower sculptures to contribute to the art work installation, final
exhibition took place in Barnes Park in Sunderland.
3) Exploring Women’s Migration Stories Through Art (2024-2025) delivered through Cultural Spring –
ICOS Women Project Steering Group have designed their own creative project and have chosen an
Eastern European artist Sabina Sallis (https://sabinasallis.com/) to deliver regular creative sessions
from August 2024 until January 2025 exploring their culture, heritage and migration stories through
creative activities such as cooking and sharing food, drawing, embroidery, creative storytelling,
journaling and acting.
The project was open and inclusive for all women to attend, create new friendships and integrate.
Majority of women who benefited came from Poland (61%), Ukraine (11%) and born in the UK (8%),
the other 20% of women came from Romania, Colombia, El Salvador, Slovakia, Turkey, Latvia, Russia,
India, Italy, Czech Republic, Ghana, Nigeria, Estonia, Morocco, Syria, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran.

As a result of the women’s group activities and sessions, 35% of women stated that they feel more
connected to their community, and 67.5% stated that they made friendships from different
backgrounds and that they feel less isolated. Using the Warwick Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale, 61% of
women reported that their project has improved their wellbeing and 62% reported that it has
improved their confidence.
Feedback from women who attended group activities:
“I have an incredibly positive experience. They are welcoming and supportive, making it a great
place to connect with other mums who understand the joys and challenges of motherhood. They
offer a variety of events and meetups, which are perfect for both socialising and finding a bit of
much-needed relaxation.” – Misbah
“Thanks to the meetings organised by ICOS Women, I feel supported and needed. I met a lot of new
wonderful people here, who make my everyday more beautiful.” – Malgorzata
Feedback from women who received one-to-one support:
“Thank you for your support, happy to be back in Sunderland, closer to ICOS and the community.”
“Outstanding organization. The staff is caring, helpful and professional in their work.”
“Thank you for your support, you are a life saver!”
During the project delivery 22 women took part in volunteering activities, women volunteers took
on roles which involved event planning, organising, administration, relationship building with other
organisations, venue booking, delivering crafts for children during events, organising refreshments
for meetings and events, photography, social media engagement, promoting the project, fundraising
activities such as raffles or cake sales.
Project Steering Group has been established for the ICOS Women project. In total 10 volunteers
have taken part in a project steering group researching how the cost of living crisis impacted Eastern
European women and children (https://arc-nenc.nihr.ac.uk/news/understanding-the-impact-of-the-
cost-of-living-crisis-on-eastern-european-families-in-the-north-east/). The same group of volunteers,
met regularly to discuss how ICOS Women project can be developed further to benefit Eastern
European women and their children, as well as plan activities and meetings for the project. The
Project Steering Group is now a significant aspect of the ICOS Women project as it allows the women
to take leadership roles and opportunities within their community and be a part of co-produced
projects.
Two project steering group members have taken part in further development and training including
a Leadership Development Programme delivered by Social Enterprise Academy, Domestic abuse
Training course delivered by Wearside Women in Need, Health Champions Programme delivered by
Sunderland City Council Public Health and Level 2 Autism Awareness Training delivered by
Sunderland College.
We have asked all women taking part in the project to score their general skills on a scale from 1-10,
49% of women reported that their skills have improved from taking part in the women’s group and
volunteering activities. On project evaluation forms women have specified which skills they have
gained during the project, volunteers specified that they have accomplished: creative, research,
event management, organisational, communication, team building and interpersonal skills. Women
who attended activities have accomplished: language, speaking and communication skills, family and
social skills, creative, art skills and independence.

The grant has had a significant positive impact on our clients, the organisation and the whole
commmunity (especially our work with Eastern European women). It has allowed the ICOS Women’s
group to develop even further, especially through establishing a Project Steering Group, whose
members are committed to continue delivering this project to the local community, creating
opportunities for leadership for women and giving them a voice. In January 2025 the Project
Steering Group has recruited new members, it now has 12 women within the group, which fosters
empowerment in individuals, as well as within the wider Eastern European community.
Our ICOS Women social media pages have also grown in members, including our Facebook page
which now has 694 female members, we have also created a WhatsApp group which currently has
88 members and its very active with women sharing opportunities, information and supportive
messages on daily basis.
The project has allowed us to build relationships with other organisations across the city and build
new partnerships, during the first year of the project we have engaged with BlueScapes
(https://exploreseascapes.co.uk/bluescapes/) who have organised local beach walks and bird
watching workshops, Minerva Arts Wellbeing (https://www.minervaartsandwellbeing.com/) who
have delivered creative wellbeing activities to the women’s group, Sunderland AFC
(https://safc.com/matchday/stadium-of-light) who donated match tickets for raffles and organised
free stadium tours for children. During the second phase of the project, we have development
relationships with National Trust, who have donated free tickets to their sites such as Gragside,
Cultural Spring who have been providing us with free go and see opportunities including: Dear Evan
Hansen, and 13 Storey Treehouse at Sunderland Empire Theatre and Seckou Keita: Homeland (at
Sunderland Fire Station). These are great opportunities for women from minority ethnic
backgrounds and their children to attend theatre shows and participate in cultural activities in
Sunderland. Other partners on the project included Back on The Map, Sunderland Maritime
Heritage, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, North East Dance, Sunderland Culture, Dance
Jam and North East Ambulance Service.
ICOS is also became even more recognised in the city as an organisation which focuses on women’s
needs and support services, during the project we have accepted many referrals from organisations
such as Together for Children and Early Help, Wearside Women in Need, Sunderland GP Alliance and
Sunderland Counselling Service (for one-to-one advice as well as participation in the women’s group
activities).
This funding has also allowed Community Development Officer, delivering the project to develop her
skills by taking part in Own My Life Facilitator Training (https://www.ownmylifecourse.org/), a
course specifically designed to help women understand abuse within relationships, and enabling
women who have been subjected to abuse to regain ownership of their lives. The Community
Development Officer has already delivered sessions to women on one-to-one basis, and we will be
delivering group sessions in 2025.
The delivery of this project has really strengthened opportunities for Eastern European women in
terms of volunteering and being involved with their local community, providing a safe space for
mothers and children (including very isolated mothers or those who have experienced domestic
abuse). It allows women to be able to create new connections, improve their wellbeing, skills and
reduce social isolation through regular volunteering and meetings, allowing participants to build
connections, foster friendships and a sense of belonging.

We are grateful to Willan Fund at the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland for
their funding.

The Northern Gas Networks Community Partnering Fund project (2024-2025) provided support to migrant people in Sunderland with energy issues. 

ICOS has provided dedicated energy support to 41 clients. We estimate that about half of them had partners/dependents, and we therefore estimate that an additional 30 people have indirectly benefitted from the project, as households found themselves in a better financial position, had problems with energy providers resolved, and experienced an improved wellbeing.

The project focused on providing one to one support and advice to clients from a variety of backgrounds, including refugees, international students and their families, people with a work visa and other types of status, such as the EU Settlement Scheme.

The project has made a real difference to our clients:

-We have been able to improve the financial situation of 13 clients

-We have been able to improve the wellbeing of 13 clients

-We have registered 25 clients with the Priority Services Register, many of them experience health issues, and most have language barriers.

-12 people have received grants made towards energy costs. Awards have ranged from £98 to £900, and the awards have been made by a range of funders, including the National Energy Action, Unity in Community, the Household Support Fund, and energy companies themselves.  The total value of the grants we have been able to calculate is £2,176 (we have not been able to confirm the size of the award in some cases, so we estimate that the total is at least £1000 higher).

-We have also made another 6 application for support with energy costs where we have not yet heard back with regards to those clients.

The advice has focused on the following areas:

-Applying for funding from energy suppliers and government schemes (such as the Household Support Fund)

-Supporting clients to register with the Priority Services Register

-Resolving issues with energy providers- e.g., problems with smart meters, wrong bills, delayed payments or estimated bills.

-Supporting clients to pay their bills or register with a provider (e.g., after they have moved home)

We have also been able to achieve extra benefits, including:

-Accessed emergency support e.g. foodbank, energy top ups

-Increased energy awareness

-Positive outcome from a complaint / ombudsman (3 clients)

We have enabled clients to overcome barriers such as language barriers, lack of understanding of the UK energy system (e.g., the privatized market)- this was especially important to refugees who had recently been granted status, as they often have to resolve several crises at the same time (e.g., having to leave their Home – Office provided accommodation at the same time as finding a new home, applying for work or benefits- and registering with an energy provider. Many clients were born in warmer countries, and were funding the costs of heating a home over winter in the UK shocking. Other have had the experience of better insulated homes.

Out of the 41 clients, 39 have rated our support on a raising scale of 1 to 10, and we have mostly received high ratings, including 28 who rated it as “10”, and 5 who rated it as “9”. No one has rated our support below “5”.

The main problems clients have approached us with: 

-A five-bedroom home with high ceilings is hard to keep warm because heat escapes quickly.

-At the moment because of my debts

-Because of colder months I spent lots of money for gas to keep my house warm for my child.

-Bills are going up.

-Bills are very high but do not correspond to thermal comfort.

-Cannot afford current energy prices.

-Client is worried she is being overcharged for her energy consumption

-Especially in the winter, try not to use heating because of prices.

-Had issues with (and energy provider) for a long time and have fell in arrears, currently repaying small amounts for last year.

-Energy prices are very high and I (name of the client) has been struggling to pay bills due to this.

-He has been getting very high electricity bills even when he is not at home consuming the electricity

-I don’t have money so I feel anxious about paying bills.

-I have switched on the heating only 5-6 times over the last month and the energy consumption is high.

-I top up my meters and I am afraid that one day. I won’t have money for the top up and my children will be cold.

-I’m a single older lady who has health issues, only receive UC and PIP so I struggle financially .

-It is nearly winter time and the heating boiler is electricity-powered and consumes a lot of energy.

-It (the energy) is too expensive.

-Price of energy and he is in a bit of debt

-The energy cost and the debt

We are grateful to the Northern Gas Networks Community Partnering Fund at the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland for their funding. 

The Linden Fund Employability project (2024-2025) has made a significant contribution to employment prospects of migrant clients in Sunderland, despite limited resources. It has provided 31 clients with support in several areas, including CV writing, filling on job applications, identifying job opportunities, accessing external training (including ESOL and English), and identifying and establishing careers pathways.

The client group has been very mixed, and included refugees, EU migrants, international students and their family members, as well as asylum seekers (who we have supported to apply for jobs from the shortage of occupation permit list if they had a right to work, or to improve their skills through training). Despite a modest level of investment (£5000), the project has made a real difference.

As a result of the project:

-14 clients found paid employment

-14 clients progressed into education and training

-16 people have reported and improved financial situation

-13 people have reported improved wellbeing

-10 people have reported being in a better housing situation

-5 people have become better at using digital / online systems (e.g., job websites)

We have received very positive feedback:

Ephraim (Project worker on the project from September 2024 until now) is doing a good job and has really helped me

Grateful to ICOS for the support received

I appreciate the support given me by ICOS

I have received a lot of support from ICOS and I am grateful.

ICOS has been so helpful to me. ICOS assisted me and I within the shortest possible time I got a job.

ICOS has supported me to access job opportunities and also helped me integrate well in Sunderland.

ICOS have been very helpful. Grateful for their support

ICOS should keep on doing the good work. The support given is much appreciated.

Keep up the good work and keep helping others in the community

Thanks to ICOS I been able to integrate properly and improved myself in many ways. I wish to support ICOS in the future.

Thanks to ICOS for the support received

Through providing an in-depth support service, we have been able to remove barriers to migrant employment E.g., ICOS is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority to deliver level one immigration advice, which has enabled us to support clients who face immigration – related issues/constraints when looking for work. We have signposted and referred clients, enabling them to access material support, including free sim cards. We have used our knowledge of what is available in the local area, e.g., organisations providing ESOL  / English language support, to support clients to improve their essential language skills. We have helped clients to access online and in person training courses if their health did not allow them to progress into work when they accessed the project, so that they could use these skills in the future.

We have focused on providing a a) flexible, b) personalized and responsive, c) high quality and d) trauma – informed service. 

1. a) We have worked in a flexible way in terms of times when the service was provided, and worked to meet people where they were on their journey, rather than pushing them into short term or unsustainable pathways.
2. b) We have worked diligently to find out as much as possible about client’s background and their aspirations, and provide support which met their needs.
3. c) We have an organisational track record of providing employability support services dating back to 2010, and we have an establish process to identify opportunities, support clients to find out about their strengths and areas for developments, and capture impact and learning (e.g., through our data capture system, and utilizing our internal evaluation strategy). The project workers benefitted from regular support from the team, including through wellbeing activities, courses / training, regular staff meeting, and peer to peer learning.
4. d) We are aware that many of our clients have experienced trauma (e.g., as a result of having to flee their country of origin). Our staff are trained in working with people affected by such issues, most have lived experience of migration, some have been our clients in the past.

Many clients received support beyond employability, including: 

-Social integration: “Thanks to ICOS I been able to integrate properly and improved myself in many ways. I wish to support ICOS in the future..”- e.g., through taking part in ICOS’s wellbeing and social activities

-Food vouchers

-Help with welfare benefit and / or managing Universal Credit requirements. 

We are grateful to the Linden Fund at the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear and Northumberland for funding this project. 

ICOS has provided vital support to BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) clients in a number of
areas, including employability, advice and advocacy, community development and
empowerment, as well as volunteering. In this project, the main support areas are:

● Benefits – We have been providing support with accessing benefits, including PIP
(Personal Independence Payments) and Universal Credit.

● Housing – We are facing a housing crisis nationally (ongoing) and locally (a relatively
new situation in Sunderland). Support with immigration issue – We currently have two
staff who are qualified and more are in the process of acquiring the
regulation/qualification, for the foreseeable future, ICOS will only be regulated at level 1,
but we have been able to provide relevant support and advice, e.g., on the right to
remain, or visas.

● Material support – We continue to provide material support to our clients who are in dire
need of help. We have been able to secure external material support for our clients, e.g.,
through free sim cards from Vodafone, or energy vouchers from the Unity in Community
scheme. We have also now established a partnership with the Good Things Foundation
to enable our clients to access free data.

● General support/life in the UK – As many of our clients speak limited English, and are
often very new to the country (or have not been able to understand local systems due to
being socially excluded, and/or exploited), they need appropriate support to deal with
issues such as official correspondence, and regulatory duties.

ICOS would like to thank the Northumberland Village Homes Fund at the Community
Foundation of Tyne and Wear & Northumberland for their funding and support.

Through the project, we supported a total of 50 clients, and as a result of the work, 35 clients reported that the issues they had come with was resolved (some were registered with other ICOS’s projects when there was no t enough time to left on this project to support them), 15 reported improved wellbeing, 20 reported an improved housing situation, and 16 reported an improved financial situation.

The 70/100 project, inspired by 70 years of Her Majesty The Queen’s reign and 100 years
anniversary of the founding of Backhouse Park, run from May 2022 till June 2024

ICOS has worked with the local community to design and deliver a series of events and
activities in Backhouse Park, Sunderland, including training sessions. This has included events
such as the Family Day Picnic, smaller sessions like the birdwatching sessions and planting
trees.

ICOS has consulted with the local community about their work in the park and out of 184
people:

● 60% of those asked were aware of volunteering opportunities within the park, and the
work carried out by the volunteers

● 51% rated the quality of this work as excellent, 31% as good, 15% as satisfactory

● 49.5% rated the condition of the park as good, 22.8% as satisfactory, and 13% as
excellent

● 68.5% expected that the condition of the park would improve in the future.

● 40.8% said that they considered spending time in Backhouse Park was very important to
their wellbeing, 31.5% rated it as essential.

● 45% have said that they would find a Coffee Shop in the park extremely useful, 22.8%
would find it very useful, 16.3% somewhat useful

● 46.7% said they would find a toilet in the park
ICOS is now working with the local authority, and an external consultant to create a coffee shop
in the park, which will also include accessible toilets.

ICOS would like to thank the National Lottery Community Fund for their generous funding and
support.

Operation Payback Fund 23-24:

During the last 12 months have delivered the Operation Payback Fund project funded by the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner. During the project ICOS supported a total of 15 adults and their dependents, including 2 young people (under the age of 25) and 12 children (under the age of 18).

The project focused on those who have experienced domestic abuse, hate crime or anti-social behaviour, and families have received needs tailored one-to-one support, advice and guidance with reporting, safety planning, finding safe accommodation and accessing appropriate support services.

During the project:

-We have supported 11 women with domestic abuse, 3 families with antisocial behaviour, 2 hate crime, 1 fraud, 1 assault and 1 harassment

-60% of clients received support wit housing

-73% reported an increased access to services

-27% reported feeling safe from abuse

-20% reported feeling safe to report crimes

-2 people found employment

Our outcomes:

-77% of clients reported that their wellbeing has improved

-81% have reported their feel safer in their current situation

-66% reported improved confidence

-63% reported improved financial situation

-50% reported an improved housing situation.

Between November 2022, and November 2023, ICOS was funded by Northumbrian Water, through
Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland to support minority ethnic people to
access paid work, training and improve their skills. We have worked with 29 people, exceeding the
original target of 25 through one-to-one support with CV wiring, jobsearching, identifying and
accessing training and applying for work, as well as helping clients to make decisions about their
career priorities.
The project supported minoritized clients from a variety of backgrounds, including refugees, Eastern
Europeans and family members of students and workers.
-14 clients have found paid work
-20 have accessed training and gained qualifications
-12 have reported improved wellbeing
-13 have reported improved financial situation
-9 have reported improved housing situation
-8 have gained a qualification
-3 have become volunteers
We would like to thank the funders- Northumbrian Water, and the Community Foundation Tyne and
Wear & Northumberland

Newcastle Building Society (2)

Between November 2022, and November 2023, ICOS was funded by the Newcastle Building Society, through Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland to support minority ethnic people to access paid work, training and improve their skills. We have worked with 29 people, exceeding the original target of 25 through one-to-one support with CV wiring, jobsearching, identifying and accessing training and applying for work, as well as helping clients to make decisions about their career priorities.

-11 clients have found paid work

-9 have accessed training and gained qualifications

-13 clients have reported improved financial situation

Quotes:

-“Happy with the support. It was brilliant”

-“Thank you for caring”.

We are grateful to Newcastle Building Society and the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland for their generosity.

Through the Greener Activities Program (2022- 2023), we have worked with a total of 91 adults and 164 children- 255 people to make them more aware of environmental issues affecting us, and what could be done about them through workshops and sessions, and practical activities including:

-Installing bird feeders
-Bat/owl/bird watching and walks
-Educational activities on upcycling, protecting hedgehogs or creating environmental journals
The project was funded by the Esh Construction fund at County Durham and Darlington Community Foundation and we are grateful to our funders for providing us with an opportunity to help the environment and engage local people in environmental activities.

Out of the 74 participants we have been able to capture full data for, 62 have reported taking environmental action as a result of our work.

We would like to wholeheartedly thank the funders for their support, which has enabled us to provide vital work with the community.  

Thanks to funding from the Together Fund and RISE, ICOS delivered 57 sessions, engaging a total of 139 BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) people from Sunderland and the surrounding area. Out of the 139 clients, 80 attended more than once, and a number have become regular attendees, increasing the likelihood that they will continue to be involved in sports, now the funded phase of the project has come to an end. We have also delivered about 150 hours of activity. The project has also involved a total of 9 volunteers, who have been involved in setting up the activities, advertising them, and in some cases- delivering them. Some have also helped with client registration and office tasks, as such monitoring and evaluation and data analysis. Fundamentally, the volunteers and the clients have been able to co-produce this work through deciding what activities they wanted to take part in. A total of 9 volunteers have been included in the delivery of the project. This number included 5 volunteers who had been involved with ICOS before, and 4 completely new volunteers.

Through the evaluation of the work we have delivered under the project, we know that:

-almost 80% of the clients have said that the project had improved their mental health

-almost 90% of the clients have said that the project had improved their physical health

-almost 90% of the clients have said they had befriended new people during the project

-over 90% of the clients have said that the project had made them more active

Social value:

Based on the 2022 HACT (https://hact.org.uk/)  figures, the project has resulted in significant social value, including:

-At least £137,360 in benefits derived from being a member of a social group. This is based on the total adjusted value of someone being a member of a social group of £1717, times the 80 people who have attended the activities more than once.

-At least £291,040 in benefits derived from taking part in infrequent mild exercise. This is based on the total adjusted value of infrequent moderate exercise being valued at £3638, times the 80 people who have attended the activities more than once.

These give a combined estimated value of £428,400

The project has overwhelmingly targeted clients from disadvantaged groups, including Eastern Europeans, asylum seekers and refugees, who often feel isolated, have limited financial means and limited knowledge of what is available in the local area. Many of the clients have suffered trauma in the past (e.g., some of the activities have been targeted at women only, and some of the women within the ICOS women group have experienced domestic abuse in the past).

The project has been successful in delivering t its objectives and exceeded its targets due to dedication and passion within the team, the reach into the local community ICOS has, and being able to offer a variety of activities, so that it offered “something for everyone”.

Activities delivered under the project included:

-Weight lifting

-Kayaking

-Wall Climbing

-Skiing

-Fustsal

-Basketball

-Tubbing

-Watersports

-Beach ball

-Snowboard

-Ice skating

-Wall climbing

Feedback from the clients who have taken part in the activities:

Positive Feedback:

Brilliant Session, thank you!

Brilliant session, kids loved it, good to try.

Thank you very much.

I’m happy

So far so good I would say. Was great, thanks for everything.

Lots of fun, nice food and nice people

It was good

Very good experience

Great – Excellent Activity

Good – Excellent Activity

Excellent.

Very Good.

Very Good.

Very good.

Very good.

Happy.

Excellent Program.

Happy.

Happy.

Have fun socialising – would like more of these actually

Constructive Feedback:

Space for football (needed)

More space, better knowledge of what’s happening

More sitting spaces but great overall

Daycare for kids needed

Engagement Support

On average, clients scored the sessions at 8.9 out of 10 (on a rising Likert scale, where 10 meant “great” and 1- “poor”.

Issues encountered during the delivery of the project have included:

-Access to activities for asylum seekers, who cannot afford public transport and often live in locations far away from where the activities have been held. We have been able to partly resolve this issue by working with Mears, the asylum accommodation provider, to organise travel from the accommodation (e.g., using hired vans and taxis).

-Short length of the project- only about 6 months has meant that we have had to work at pace.

-Unreliable contractors and coaches have at times resulted in session cancellations and having to move sessions to another date and time.

-Similarly, weather conditions have sometimes affected the delivery of outdoor sports, even during the summer.

-Sustainability- it has been difficult to find alternative funding to continue the project. This is due to several issues, including eligibility for funding- many funders only want to fund new and not already existing activity, or only want to fund a particular type of sport, where this is not what the community wants. Some types of sports funding are also geared towards one particular client group, e.g., young people and children, rather than specifically targeting the wider community, or even the BME community.

Nevertheless, we are currently awaiting the outcome of several funding applications. We are also working with an external consultant to make our projects more commissionable and apply to other funders, such as the NHS or Public Health.

During phase 2 of the Wise Steps BBO project (https://www.thewisegroup.co.uk/what-we-do/getting-into-work/wise-steps/, 2019 – 2023), out of 64 clients, 26 achieved a job outcome and 19 a training outcome. 17 had a disability or a long term health condition, 2 were ex-offenders and 17 were refugees.  Most had been unemployed for more than one year before join the program. ICOS’s work focused on BME people, including victims of modern slavery, refugees and economic migrants. Almost all were therefore from a minority ethnic background.

Contract value: £36 000. This project provided employability support to 44 clients (almost all BME, 15 were refugees), as a result, 16 progressed into work and 18 into training (some achieved both). 7 were over 50. ICOS provided one to one support with CV writing, job applications, accessing training and qualifications, as well as flexible barrier removal- including help with accessing housing for refugees recently granted status.

Our project focused on improving awareness of the local marine life and environmental issues through creative activities and workshops. In total we delivered 6 sessions where 28 women and 19 children have benefitted from the project.

These included three creative workshops with a local artist Maggie Hsiao who organised workshops using sea glass including sea glass pendants, sea glass painting and sea glass and driftwood workshop, these workshops encouraged participants to go to the beach and find personal materials they wanted included in their art work.

We also organised a visit to the Wild Oysters Project where participants learned about the native oyster, their environment and habitat, the project volunteers have helped to pull the oyster nurseries out of the marina and record data. We have also organised a beach clean-up with the two minute foundation, where we have learned how plastic can be harmful to local sea life and the environment and as a celebration of the end of the project we organised a trip to North Tyneside Aquarium and beach.

During the project we have recorded data on participant entry and exit forms to measure how the project was beneficial to participants. We have included questions (on a scale from 1 to 10) which had asked specifically about women’s confidence, creative skills and environmental awareness. We had also used The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to measure a change in people’s wellbeing before and after the activities. At the end of the project 56% of participants reported that their wellbeing has improved (50% in mental health improvement and 37.5% in physical health improvement), 44% of participants reported that their confidence improved, 33% reported an improvement in creative skills and 14% improved their environmental awareness.

• 224 adult volunteers and 235 children took part in weekly clean-ups.
• We organised 49 litter picking sessions and 73 seasonal activities to maintain the park and St Michael’s Ward.
• It helped to make a difference by creating awareness and reducing the environmental impact of human activities.
• Clean up efforts helped remove debris and prevent damage to the natural habitats and wildlife in the Park.
• Maintaining invasive species helped to restore natural habitats.
• 5415 kg of litter, refuse and green waste was removed from the Backhouse Park and St. Michael’s Ward

This project was funded by Community Partnering Fund at Leeds Community Foundation and ran from December 2021 and December 2022. It provided 44 BME women with support, guidance and advice on employability and access to education. 6 clients accessed education, 11 received support with employability and 5 found employment. 8 women volunteered and 11 applied for STEM-related roles. The analysis of the data recorded on registration and exit forms showed that 45% of women reported improved wellbeing, 20% reported improved financial situation, 50% reported improved knowledge of the STEM sector, 45% reported improved overall confidence and 45% reported improved confidence when applying for STEM related roles. Through the project, it was found that there is a high need for this sort of work to be delivered to BME women in Sunderland and surrounding areas. 59% of women had a bachelor’s degree or above level of education, 16% faced barriers such as poor English language skills, communication problems and lack of access to information.

Case Studies:

Case study – Progress into STEM 1

Case study – Progress into STEM 2

Report:

STEM Report March 2021

Between December 2021 and December 2022, ICOS supported 75 clients through a project funded by The 1989 Willan Charitable Trust at Community Foundation Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. almost 40% reported increased wellbeing and financial situation and 75% reported that some or all of their issues had been resolved. Clients included EU citizens, refugees and asylum seekers.

Between December 2021 and December 2022, ICOS supported 31 clients through the Bellway project. After the Russian invasion of #Ukraine, the project focused on supporting Ukrainian women and their children to support them to access services and integrate. As a result of the project: 31 adult clients (and many more children) received support, 16 reported better wellbeing, 11 reported better finances, 15 received a benefit award, 13 progressed into work and 24 received support with translations. 8 clients were able to access new housing and 3 were able to have a housing issue (such as rent arrears) resolved.

Through the EUSS (EU Settlement Scheme) Support Project, we supported a total of 51 clients to improve their understanding of the scheme and uphold their rights, as well as to prove their immigration status. We supported 20 clients to prove their status for employment, benefits, housing or education purposes and 17 clients needed a supported referral (including translation/interpreting support) to access immigration advice. Due to the support received through the project you funded, 19 clients reported an improved wellbeing (we used the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale) and 16 clients reported improved financial situation (e.g., as a result of accessing benefits or paid employment). We also held 4 awareness raising workshops in Sunderland and Newcastle. We would like to thank the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland for their funding.

During the project, we supported a total of 43 clients of which 37% have been unemployed and 28% already employed but have been looking for better and more stable employment opportunities. We supported 35% of clients with accessing training, courses and education, this support included help with registering for courses with college such as ESOL classes or Functional skills. Clients have also accessed in person training such as First aid or Customer Service which they have received certificates for and a number of clients also accessed online training. 23% of clients received support with job searching including help with registering for job searching websites, recruitment agencies, support with filling out job applications and communicating with potential employers. As a result of this support 44% of clients reported an improved confidence, 5 clients have stated that they have found employment as a result of our support. Additionally, 8 clients have accessed training this included ESOL, English language classes, Functional Skills, First Aid, Customer Service Training, Fundraising training and out of these 4 have gained an accredited qualification, some clients continue to attend their courses including ESOL. 47% have stated that their financial situation has improved as result of our support.

Quotes:

‘Appreciate all the staff and help from ICOS’

‘ICOS staff help was more than excellent thank you’

‘I am very happy with the support I got from ICOS’

‘I am happy with ICOS’s service’

Due to the funding we have received from Postcode Neighbourhood Trust we have been able to work with 112 women through the ICOS women project. Our Project has focused on delivering an Eastern European women’s group to improve women’s confidence and wellbeing, skills and isolation, 66 women attended women’s group workshops and activities which included sports sessions (Yoga and Zumba) arts and crafts sessions (brusho workshops, collage making, printmaking and felting), celebration events (International Women’s day, Halloween), citizen science activities (beach clean ups with data recording, identification of marine species) we also have organised various trips including a science trip to The Dove Marine Laboratory and a wellbeing trip to High Force which has also been attended by Ukrainian refugees who had also benefited from women’s group activities as well as one-to-one support. Due to the high need for this project we had to secure additional funding to start delivering Eastern European women’s group activities in Newcastle and surrounding areas.

We worked with 112 women during the project delivery, 66 attended women’s group activities and 18 took part in volunteering, some volunteers also took part in training (e.g. Domestic Abuse, Life Saving Skills). One volunteer started delivering group activities for mum’s and children (50 children benefited) and we delivered 27 sessions in total. 28 received one-to-one support (including 9 survivors of domestic abuse) 54% of women received help with accessing welfare benefits and 32% with housing. We have managed to collect exit data from 64% of women who received one-to-one advice and using the Warwick Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale scoring 61% stated their wellbeing had improved (this includes isolation), 45% stated that their confidence has improved, 39% stated improved skills and 39% stated their financial situation has improved. Additionally, out of these women 9 received a benefit award, 6 felt safe from abuse, 5 reported an improved housing situation and 4 accessed new housing.

We supported 28 women with one-to-one advice and guidance of which 50% have been unemployed and 25% have been economically inactive (those with disabilities and single mothers). 32% of women needed support with domestic abuse, this help included safety planning, reporting incidents to the authorities, support with communication with social services, local authority, financial advice and finding safe accommodation and refuge referrals, 6 women stated they feel safe from abuse. 54% of women received support with access to welfare benefits including applications for Personal Independence Payment, Universal Credit, Child Benefit, council tax support and pension credit, 9 women reported they have received a benefit award. 32% of women had housing issues this included being threatened with homelessness or poor living conditions (support with contacting with housing providers, complaints, housing applications with housing associations and local authority, 5 reported an improved housing situation and 4 women have accessed new housing. 18% needed support with financial advice, this included setting up repayment plans (e.g. with energy companies, council tax or overpayment of benefits), 7 women indicated that their financial situation has improved. Other support included employability (e.g. help with job applications, CV’s), access to services (e.g. support with finding solicitors), translation and interpreting including in person, over the phone, correspondence and support with communication (e.g. DWP, HMRC, local authority, local MP), access to healthcare and energy advice. Additionally, 56% also have been referred to other appropriate service for further support including to refuges or specialised domestic abuse services (Harbour or Wearside women in Need, Fining Legal Options for Women Survivors (FLOWS), Citizen Advice Bureau or Age UK. 50% of women also accessed emergency support including food vouchers or have been referred to foodbanks or Love Amelia (who provides clothing, nappies and toiletries for mothers and children).

The project has encouraged community development, we had 18 volunteers who had supported the project in various ways including volunteering at events, workshops and group activities, support with office tasks and administration and one volunteer had started delivering mum’s and children’s activities and has also made a link with a local food store who had donated refreshments for these sessions. In total 50 children have attended mum’s and children’s activities (this included mum’s with children who had survived domestic abuse) this has allowed for the women to create a support network and a safe environment.
Through the project we have engaged with various local organisations including MBC Arts Wellbeing, Engaging Environments Project (Newcastle University), Sangini (arts organisation for BME women), North East Ambulance Service, Seascapes and Wearside Women in Need. This allowed us to build new partnerships and create new opportunities (including volunteering) for our beneficiaries on the project. Furthermore, we have delivered a research project with University of Sunderland exploring the experiences of discrimination of Eastern European women in Tyne and Wear, women who have benefitted from ICOS Women project have also been involved in our research project.
‘I’ve been asked to return to my home country’ An exploration of discrimination experienced by Eastern European women in Tyne and Wear Report: Part 1. Survey Findings July 2021 (https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/13971/)
An exploration of discrimination experienced by Eastern European women in Tyne and Wear: Project report, Part 2 (https://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/14580/)

Case Study:

ML, who is originally a woman from Poland, had accessed the project as she needed one-to-one support with low income, access to welfare benefits and support with interpreting and communication due to having problems with the language barrier and low confidence. The client received support with applying for Universal Credit and Council Tax Support which have been successful and also has been referred to the Citizen Advice Bureau for support with debts. ML also started regularly attending women’s group activities to improve her wellbeing, confidence and meet other women, she had enjoyed the group so much she wanted to volunteer for the project. ML started supporting ICOS with organising events and activities, took part in various workshops and training including a lifesaving skills training with North East Ambulance Service. ML started conversations with the women who attended the group who had expressed that there isn’t many activates for Eastern European mum’s with children and that women find it difficult to meet other mothers due to language barrier and isolation, ML came up with the idea to deliver a mum’s club once a month (with focus on single mothers and survivors of abuse), she has managed to speak to a ethnic food shop who had agreed to sponsor the mum’s club activities by providing refreshments for activities. ML had organised various events including coffee meetings (with arts and crafts activities for children) and picnics. There was a great response from the women regarding these activities and they expressed interest in more activities with children. ML has expressed that this project has created many opportunities for her and that her confidence and skills (including English language and organisation) improved massively. She has met a lot of new people who really value her within the community and she also gained a lot of inspiration from others. ML would like to continue delivering these activities as there is a great need for it in the local community.

Through the Operation Payback Fund Project, we support Eastern Europeans affected by hate crime, domestic violence and other crimes.   

ICOS supported 34 beneficiaries (we had originally stated on our funding application that our target will be 30). This figure included 20 adults and 14 children, out of these adults 16 have been female and 4 have been male of which 10 have been victims of domestic abuse, 6 have been victims of antisocial behaviour, 3 of hate crime and 1 assault and 1 fraud. Additionally, 25% of beneficiaries have indicated they have been economically inactive (of which 15% had a disability) and 20% have been unemployed (who have been referred to our employability projects after they have been exited from Operation Payback Fund Project).

The families that we have supported needed a lot of long-term support with safety planning, communication between authorities, housing, and social services to make sure they would be in a safe environment and away from the perpetrators.

Through this project we have provided significant support to women who have been single mothers with children who needed support with various issues including financial support, mental wellbeing (for them and their children), isolation and housing needs. We have supported a lot more households who have struggled with domestic abuse than we have anticipated, and this could be due to several reasons including more victims coming forward as ICOS is becoming more specialised in supporting victims and delivering by and for women’s projects and/ or the number of domestic abuse cases have risen due to COVID19 pandemic.

During the project we have referred 35% of beneficiaries to other, more specialised services such as Finding Legal Options for Women Survivors (FLOWS) and North East Law Centre, Family Triage, legal advice services, Domestic Abuse Services such as Wearside Women in Need, Women’s Aid, Shelter, Foodbanks and Love Amelia (providing clothing and toiletries for babies and children). We also supported 4 women with preparing documents for legal aid application and support with interpreting during solicitor appointments face to face as well as over the phone.

Additionally, 4 households have accessed new and safe housing and 4 also had a positive benefit outcome recorded on their exit forms.

The project provided regular environmental activities (such as litter picks, maintaining greenery, painting, basic repairs) and educational workshops held across the East of Sunderland.

ICOS was lead provider for St Michael’s ward and worked with volunteers, partner organisations (such as Friends of the Backhouse and Barley Mow Park), to organise activities in Backhouse Park and several other areas

We have been able to engage over 271 adults and 248 children in local activities in the Backhouse Park, as well as elsewhere in the ward. We have also delivered a total of 48 activities, including 42 litter picks and 6 other activities, such as educational workshops (many of the litter picks were also accompanied by other activities in the park, such as children’s activities for refugee and other families during the refugee week). The project has also delivered a considerable number of volunteer hours (3415), generating an estimated social value of £40980, and over 3545 kg of waste has been removed (not including non-standard items found).

The project got people together, engaging volunteers from a variety of countries and the majority community in improving the local area and helping the environment. Two of the volunteers progressed into paid employment. Many volunteers, including refugees and asylum seekers reported feeling less isolated and improved wellbeing as a result of taking part in the activities.

The time of the pandemic affected vulnerable groups, such as refugees, who are often traumatised by being uprooted from their previous lives even more, deepening the feeling of loneliness and isolation. Finding a sense of belonging can be difficult for them, especially in a completely new place and culture. Spending time in nature was essential to the wellbeing of many. Backhouse Park became a welcoming space for a daily exercise, which in the long term had a positive impact on mental health and this pattern continues so far.

The project has also led to a considerable increase in local partnership working- a total of 18 partner organisations got involved, including:

-ESPA College

-Friends of the Backhouse and Barley Mow Park

-St Anthony’s School

-Homeschooling Parents

-Birdwatch North East

-Sunderland Growing Together Network

-Newcastle University

-University of Sunderland

-Groundwork North East

-Sunderland Symphony Orchestra

-Hendon Regenerative Culture Garden

-Northumbria Police Cadets

Here are some other achievements accomplished through this project:

• we have created the wonderful Fairy Trail, enjoyed by the local families:https://www.sunderlandecho.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/new-trail-delights-visitors-to-sunderland-park-heres-how-to-find-the-hidden-magic-3241095?fbclid=IwAR071M4v8HyuxsYhtMTclUSx41wlOhyYc0q04hs-te0GPdU-KoNc1V2WeBs
• only this year, we have organised several big events to bring communities together: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/q_e1gtvJG8M https://www.facebook.com/ICOSsunderland/videos/739093440710902
• our work with Autism Society, reducing the isolation and improving wellbeing of young people with autism through park-based activities

Media and social media links:

• https://www.sunderlandecho.com/lifestyle/outdoors/submit-your-photos-of-sunderland-park-for-chance-to-win-professional-shoot-3286916?fbclid=IwAR25VyWkFcDCHMvt_htZCZT3zhTuhHZaV0LdrV7pToOWPzI6j49jBo_68RE
• https://www.sunderlandecho.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/new-trail-delights-visitors-to-sunderland-park-heres-how-to-find-the-hidden-magic-3241095?fbclid=IwAR071M4v8HyuxsYhtMTclUSx41wlOhyYc0q04hs-te0GPdU-KoNc1V2WeBs
• https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/people/winning-photographs-capture-beauty-of-historic-city-park-3389116?fbclid=IwAR2Xbf8VXoBuZV–mQnj_wi1bZtKSwFWMzzKpGbEV4X34hqQj6FnvReNqK4
• https://fb.watch/cGsi6edCN7/
• https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5021755524558150&set=pcb.5021757114557991
• https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5013567508710285&set=pcb.5013593415374361
• https://www.facebook.com/275488779184872/photos/a.318009258266157/5021117764621926

Between August 2020 and August 2021, ICOS was funded by the Lloyds Foundation to support migrants in Sunderland and the surrounding area during the pandemic.

The COVID19 grant has enabled us to support migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers (13 of the clients were refugees, who had been particularly affected by the pandemic) through one to one support, wellbeing sessions and English classes. We supported a total of 45 clients in total. 27 of them (63%) reported the improved financial situation and 24 reported better well-being, 19 reported improved skills, 2 entered paid employment (13 clients were asylum seekers with no right to work, hence they could not progress into the labour market).

The support we delivered through this project was holistic in its nature, e.g. many clients attended both- English classes/wellbeing sessions and received individual support with issues such as access to benefits or healthcare (e.g. registering with a GP practice). The main barriers we supported clients with were financial hardship, limited English language skills and lack of the EU Settlement Status (for EU migrants).

The board of trustees would like to express our gratitude for Lloyds Foundation’s funding and support.

Through this project, we provided intensive, end-to-end support to apply to access work, education and training, with the aim of improving the employability of migrants living in the local area. Support was provided in person and it will be flexible (e.g. in terms of times when the support is provided) to ensure barriers to participation are removed, the project focuses on recent migrants and those BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) people who had limited access to information, language skills or support networks, especially refugees who have recently been granted refugee status and Eastern Europeans. We will support clients into work, education and training through:

-Advice/job-search assistance: One-to-one support with job searching, CV-writing, job applications, and interview preparation, depending on the client’s needs.

-Work experience: access to volunteering opportunities in a range of areas (e.g. administration, event-organising), both external and internal.

-Holistic support- e.g. some of the clients might be interested in self-employment or starting their own business rather than employment.

We supported 36 clients from a range of countries, including asylum seekers (who were supported into training and volunteering, not work, due to the fact that they could not legally progress into work).

This funding enabled us to support clients who were ineligible for other types of support- e.g. clients who had recently been on an EU-funded project who could not get support from another EU-funded project, or clients who had no access to public funding. The inclusive nature of the funding ICOS to support those who are not normally able to access mainstream employability programmes due to being in work (e.g. people who were on furlough, or those on a “zero-hours” contract.

We have achieved the following outcomes:

We have supported 16 clients to access accredited training, including food hygiene certificates, safeguarding, risk assessment for events or forklift driving. Most clients achieved level 1 qualifications, but some were able to achieve level 2 training. Additionally, 14 clients have also been able to improve their English language skills and 3 became volunteers, one progressed to study at the University. 6 people progressed into paid employment (as stated above, some were not legally able to progress, and some were seeking progression into a different job, e.g. when they were on  a 0 – hours’ contract.

Additionally:

-51% of the clients reported better wellbeing than before the project

-40% of clients reported greater confidence

-46% of clients reported a better financial or material situation

We have received very positive feedback from our clients, who were especially thankful for support they have received to stay connected (e.g. mobile top ups) during the pandemic, as well as access to free courses and training.

Some off the project clients were also interviewed as part of our annual client survey (more information available here: https://icos.org.uk/our-impact/ )

We have also been able to run dedicated online English language support sessions (in response to the COVID19 pandemic) for the local migrants at times when colleges and other mainstream providers were unable to deliver in – person support. These classes not only supported our clients to improve their English language skills, but also help them to meet and reduce their social isolation.

Between September 2020 and July 2021, ICOS was funded by the Barrow Cadbury Fund to deliver dedicated, emergency support to BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) people in Sunderland and the surrounding area. This support was focused on dealing right the effects of the pandemic and was holistic and targeted, the main areas being:

• access to services and benefits, including housing
• access to emergency material support- including food parcels, food vouchers, energy top-ups
• help to communicate with services and institutions

Clients received, on average, between 10 and 20 hours of support.

Through the project, we supported 66 clients, achieving the following results/outcomes:

• 27 clients reported an improved financial situation and 11 received support access to material support- including food vouchers, referrals to the Red Rose Fund, mobile top-ups and energy top ups, as well as food parcels and access to the local authority hardship support fund
• 29 clients reported an improvement in their health and wellbeing (measured through the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale)
• 4 found work and 8 accessed training or education

Additionally:

• 4 of the clients volunteered
• 5 reported that their skills have improved
• 10 have been referred for support with the EU Settlement Scheme to partner organisations (children’s Society and Newcastle Law Centre). Most have now received their status.

Clients included Eastern Europeans, refugees and other migrants.

ICOS is grateful to the funders of this project- the Barrow Cadbury Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund for funding that has helped us to make a real difference to clients’ life at this difficult period of time.

Between 2013 and 2016 ICOS worked with Northumbria University, Sunderland University, Nottingham Trent University and the Regional Refugee Forum  to research the financial inclusion of migrants in the North East of England. Read the final report HERE.

In May 2020, ICOS was granted financial support to help victims of crime from Eastern Europe and other minority ethnic backgrounds during the time of the pandemic. This emergency response project focused on providing extra support to those affected by domestic violence, modern slavery, and hate crime. Additionally, we also provided support to victims of antisocial behaviour. Our target for this project was to support 35 individuals. Overall, we supported 38 individuals, of which:

• 15 received support with antisocial behaviour,
• 12 had been victims of hate crime,
• 11 domestic abuse and
• 9 of modern slavery.

The project achieved the following:

• 32% of our beneficiaries reported an improved financial situation at the end of the project
• 26% of our clients had received help with benefits, this included applications for Universal Credit, council tax support, benefits check and child benefit.
• 5 beneficiaries received emergency support including food vouchers, utility top-ups or/and mobile phone top-ups,
• We have referred 4 clients into Hardship Fund from Red Cross due to having no income (e.g. not eligible for benefits due to current immigration status or moving into temporary accommodation, not having benefits or employment).
• We have also referred our clients onto other appropriate services including Wearside Women in Need, Foodbanks, solicitors, local housing associations (such as Gentoo or Bernicia), FLOWS and Children’s society for EU Settlement scheme applications.
• 61% had reported improved well-being which is a success. (we had used The Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to measure this.
• 19 clients reported that they now feel more confident to report crimes to the police.

Often, victims struggled with communicating with services such as the police, housing providers and legal support services. ICOS helped them to connect with the relevant services, actively advocated on their behalf, as well as support them in a holistic way, e.g. through helping them to access counselling or benefits. The funding has also helped ICOS to provide remote support. ICOS would like to thank Northumbria PCC for funding our project and enabling us to make a real difference in people’s lives.

Between March and May 2021, ICOS, working in partnership with Sunderland Bangladesh International Centre supported 90 minority ethnic people for whom English was their second language to fill in the 2021 Census. Census Champion Certificate

In March 2021, ICOS organised an event encouraging minority ethnic women to progress into STEM jobs and training, with 13 women attending. Please see the report here: STEM Report March 2021

The project started in June 2019 and runs till April 2021 (due to an extension).

It included regular environmental activities (such as litter picks, maintaining greenery, painting, and basic repairs) and educational workshops held across the East of Sunderland.

ICOS was the lead provider for St Michael’s ward and works with volunteers, and partner organisations (such as Friends of the Backhouse and Barley Mow Park), to organise activities in Backhouse Park and several other areas

Throughout the project, ICOS engaged with 175 volunteers, removed over 5000 kilograms of rubbish and engaged with 126 children. This was achieved through delivering 40 activity days, including 5 educational workshops.

We have also installed bathhouses, and bird houses and created a grass meadow.

ICOS has helped the council to save £33960 in man-hours (valued at £12 per hour per volunteer multiplied by the number of hours)

The project got people together, engaging volunteers from a variety of countries and the majority community in improving the local area and helping the environment. Two of the volunteers progressed into paid employment.

Between September and December 2020, ICOS provided support to 23 clients through the Community Foundation COVID19 project, funded by Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland.

The project focused on providing emergency support to clients affected by the COVID19 pandemic. Within this relatively short period of time, we have been able to achieve the following:

30% of our beneficiaries had stated that their financial situation has improved as a result of our support and 39% had stated that it stayed the same or there was no change to their financial circumstances.

As a number of clients had turned to us for support due to redundancy, furlough or reduced hours at their place of employment, we have been able to support 52% of clients with employability due to losing their employment due to covid19, out of those 12 clients, 4 had successfully entered new employment, 1 had accessed training and another person had expressed that this project has helped her develop new skills including job-searching skills.

Additionally, we have supported 6 participants with access to benefits such as Universal Credit (UC), child benefit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and council tax support applications.

ICOS is thankful for the funder- the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear & Northumberland. For their funding, which enabled us to support minority ethnic people including Eastern Europeans and refugees during this difficult time.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria to organise workshops engaging the Eastern European community, including victims in areas such as crime prevention, hate crime and community/family safety. We had engaged with 25 clients.

From our registration forms for the project we have found out that out of 79 beneficiaries 34% were experiencing problems with health and wellbeing; 30% needed help with meeting new people, 29% were experiencing problems with communication, 28% lacked access to information and 18% had reported financial problems. Out of the 36 women who have received one-to-one support we have supported 20% with access to welfare benefits including Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Maternity Allowance and New style ESA. 18% have received help with translation and interpreting (over the phone and in person). 10% had received help with employment including support with writing a CV, job searching and writing applications and 8% got help with access to healthcare (including contacting GP services, hospitals, setting up appointments and accessing free prescriptions). 6% got help with housing and another 6% received support with financial advice including a referral to CAB and setting up payment plans. Other help included contacting services such as Sunderland city council, social services, setting up a bank account, online banking, support with discrimination at work and access to training or education.

We have created an evaluation at the end of the project, we have asked questions relating to confidence, new skills gained during the activities, meeting new people and if they would be interested in continuing attending women’s group activities and if yes, which ones?

From 15 returned evaluations, 80% of women have reported having their confidence improved. 80% have also reported having improved skills (empathy, meditation, CV writing, English language, communication, positive attitude, knowledge, well-being and volunteering) due to attending women’s group activities. 93% of those who completed an evaluation reported meeting new people during the project and 100% would like to continue attending women’s group activities. 93% of women expressed that they would like to take part in trips and cultural events. 80% expressed interest in wellbeing sessions e.g. mindfulness, 67% would like to take part in arts and crafts, 60% in training opportunities and 53% in sports activities. We have also created a Facebook group called ‘ICOS Women’ where women can share information and find out information about any upcoming women’s group events. The group now has 124 female members.

This project helped to develop the skills needed for finding jobs in the UK through the English Language in the workplace course, IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance) provision on where and how to look for work and access to external training and volunteering.

We worked with 100 individuals and about 25% progressed into paid work or self-employment.

We have made a real difference in the lives of our clients; within LA7 round 4 (2018-2019), there was a 46% increase in English and Maths skills and a 36% in identifying strengths and weaknesses, as well as an 85% increase in knowledge of where to find job opportunities.

We worked with a challenging client group, providing support to refugees, victims of modern slavery and survivors of domestic abuse.

Wise Steps supported people in Tyne and Wear to transform their lives, with funding from the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund. The project provided one to one specialist support to those on the pathway to work. Round 1 has now ended and we have recruited a total of 64 individuals.

Our work focused on those from BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds, including victims of modern slavery, refugees and economic migrants.

The project ended in April 2019 Out of 64 clients, 24 found paid work and 9 started their own business, this means that about 40% of all clients found paid work. This cohort included refugees and victims of modern slavery. Many have also started volunteering, gained qualifications or started training and courses. Our clients’ financial situation improved by 52% and job-related skills by 30% between the day they started and the day they exited the programme. Basic skills, including English, improved by 29% on average.

In July 2019, we started phase 2 of the project (as we had been re-selected as a partner, following a good level of performance within phase 1). While not many clients have so far left the project, out of the 14 who have left by 07/09/2020, 5 achieved a job outcome.

We engaged with 35 individuals through 3 community events, focusing on community safety, discrimination and hate crime, exploitation and online safety. We mostly engaged on the Eastern European community in Sunderland and the surrounding area, providing space for two-way conversations between families and individuals, the police and the local authority, highlighting problems and solutions

The project improved the trust and mutual understanding between agencies responsible for the safety and policing and the Eastern European community.

We are focused on the Eastern European community in Sunderland and the surrounding area (but within the Northumbria Police force area), providing space for two-way conversations between families and individuals, the police and the local authority, highlighting problems and solutions

We also provided some individual support to victims of hate crime and referrals to appropriate organisations/support. From our evaluations (which have been answered by 26 of our beneficiaries) we have gathered that:

• 96% of beneficiaries have reported knowing more about community safety, hate crime and internet safety.
• 96% of beneficiaries have reported that they are more aware of how police work in the UK and support victims of crime.
• 96% of beneficiaries feel more confident to report crimes
• 92% would attend future events
• From our evaluations, we have found out that beneficiaries have learned new things about policing in the UK such as Internet scams and how to avoid them, how to contact police (101 and 999), how police deal with a hate crime, how to report it and what process it involves. ate services.

Together with Sunderland Bangladesh International Centre and Shiney Row Advice and Resource Project (SHARP), we worked to reduce social isolation, improve social cohesion/intercultural understanding and provide support with Universal Credit and other benefits. Sessions included volunteering, Islamic awareness and what is available in your local area.

This project was delivered through regular drop-ins and engaged over 80 individuals in the target area of Millfield, Sunderland. Over 20 progressed into training, 31 were prepared for Universal Credit and over 51 were involved in social activities.

In partnership with Groundwork North East & Cumbria and Bluewatch Youth Centre, we have delivered regular clean-ups end educational workshops in Millfield and St Michael’s (Backhouse Park area), Sunderland. ICOS engaged in excess of 200 volunteers, organised over 30 clean-ups, 8 educational workshops and gathered approximately 7.5 tons of refuse.

Approximately 2,700 hours of volunteering were delivered. This project was supported through Sunderland City Council’s East Area Committee

We have been commissioned by Groundwork North East & Cumbria to deliver educational activities and environmental engagement in Millfield and St Michael’s wards, Sunderland. More details to follow.

Working in partnership with Young Asian Voices and Sunderland Bangladesh Community Centre, as well as the Sunderland Black and Minority Ethnic Network Limited which coordinated the project, we provided advice, support, guidance and advocacy to minority ethnic people in the East Area of Sunderland, the North Area of Sunderland and Washington. The project focused on improving the health and wellbeing of BME people in the above-mentioned areas through provision of advice and activities. Until April 2019 (when the project ended), ICOS provided individual advice to 83 clients and the recruited 11 volunteers within the project.

The project supported clients to access a wide range of services, such as schools, housing and benefits, as it aimed at providing holistic and coordinated support to individuals in need, including access to training and applying for jobs. While this was not primarily an employment project, 6 clients secured paid employment through this project and 5 progressed into training or education.

We provided advice and advocacy, with emphasis on preventing problems/issues from escalating in areas such as contacting public services, finding out about local opportunities, rights at work and community safety. We also helped to fight discrimination and racism.

The project focused on Eastern Europeans living in Sunderland and the surrounding areas but no one is excluded if they live in the North East

Since May, we have started EESP 2 and have already supported almost 100 clients with issues such as access to benefits, job searching (including for those who currently have a job) and rights and responsibilities.

The project offered support to victims of hate crime and domestic violence, focusing on those from Eastern Europe, end enabling victims to:

1. Victims feel more safe, secure and less socially isolated
2. Victims are more likely to report a hate crime or domestic abuse
3. Victims have better access to welfare benefits and services (one point of contact)
4. Victims benefit from and improved financial situation

– we supported 24 victims out of the project target of 20.

This included

-13 Victims of hate crime

-6 Victims of domestic violence (one of them had also been a victim of hate crime)

-5 Other victims with significant needs (victims of modern slavery)

Additionally, we are also worked on checking the extent of hate crime and domestic violence and the effects of it on the Eastern European community.

CH-ESOL- Children’s ESOL (for Health)
25 children have successfully taken part in regular creative language sessions through this project. We engaged with children from a variety of backgrounds.

Through this project ethnic and minority, families had an opportunity to improve their much needed and important knowledge about common health issues of their children. The project also helped parents to improve their language and vocabulary skills related to health and wellbeing. Please see more information attached: chesol leaflet 12 page (003)

This project concentrated on targeting residents in the above-mentioned wards, where there was a high incidence of fuel poverty and raising awareness of energy saving.

We run 20 instead information and engagement sessions, including one large community event (as we “converted” for workshops into one larger event in order to ensure economies of scale, this change also enabled us to purchase items such as LED bulbs in order to provide beneficiaries with energy-saving kits, so that we were able to inspire them to make long-lasting changes). This event proved extremely successful and attracted over 40 beneficiaries, including families.

Altogether, the 20 sessions and engaged 83 beneficiaries (total number of individuals, some benefitted from more than one part of the project).

3 Staff members and 2 sessional workers took part in delivering the project. The project engaged 6 volunteers, including 5 community champion.

Additionally, out of 83 beneficiaries, 26 were registered for PRS (Priority Services Register), allowing for easier communication between

Although most of the beneficiaries were clients supported through workshops, we have also provided some one-to-one support to clients.

The project was delivered in partnership with Enviro UK environmental consultancy and St Mark’s Community Association.

This project was instrumental in breaking down barriers between different communities through intercultural engagement and sessions on culture, language and religion of different countries and areas. The session included Ethiopia, Islam, Poland, Slovakia, Taiwan and Italy. There were two events, held in October 2017 (European Day of Languages) and March 2018, altogether bringing over 220 people from different/diverse cultures. The project also encouraged volunteering and social action, engaging a total of 30 volunteers.

The Meet Your Neighbour Festival was a cultural It was a project that enabled local communities to celebrate what contributions migrants from different countries of Eastern Europe have made to the local area while presenting the cultures of the countries they were born in.

While the festival took place over the week of the 22^nd to 27^th May 2017, we run preparatory workshops and regular Steering Group Meetings between October 2016 and May 2017.

Project benefits/ Outcomes

This project’s aim was to bring people from diverse cultures/backgrounds to celebrate their differences, to improve social cohesion and reduce tension, including social isolation.

At the planning stage, ICOS estimated that 12 volunteers and 500 recipients would benefit.

We have exceeded the above targets with over 1500 individuals visiting the museum exhibition alone and 26 volunteers taking part in the project.

The project timeline

• October -November 2016 – forming of the steering group; engagement with local groups, voluntary sector, public agencies, and partner organisations
• December 2016 – March 2017 –  recruiting volunteers; engagement with community artists and project beneficiaries; development of sessions, including creative writing, painting, photography
• March-May 2017 – Final developments; sessions completion; festival publicity ready and distributed
• May 2017 – Festival taking place
• June 2017 – Post Festival feedback, learning and evaluation activities]

The fine art exhibition took place at the Independent (27-28 Holmeside, Sunderland), with official opening night on the 22^nd May 2017, unveiled by Sunderland City of Culture Bid director Rebecca Ball. An approximate number of 60 guests attended on the night. The exhibition was available to public view until Friday, 26^th May 2017, with a steady number of about 20 visitors per each day.

The Mayor of Sunderland opened the Family Festival Day which took place in Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens on the 27th May 2017. A number of visitors attended this event on the day and confirmed by a cultural officer of the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens was 1,169.

Following the Family Day, the live music event was held at the Independent at the evening of the 27^th May 2017. Approximately 80 visitors and guests attended this event.

Engagement numbers in communities in preparation toward the festival were as follows:

• Jubilate Community Choir
• St. Anthony’s  Girls’ Catholic Academy (senior Choir)
• Hudson Road Primary School (Nursery and Year 5)
• Pottery workshops at National Glass Centre (15 participants)
• Other community engagements, including local artists and musicians; Flower Club; Polish Food Shop; University of Sunderland; Student Union; Polish Saturday School; Slovak Embassy London; general public (exact numbers unknown)

Festival Sponsors: Big Lottery Fund; Sunderland City Council; The Embassy of Slovak Republic; Sunderland City of Culture Bid 2021; Bishopwearmouth Co-Operative; Independent; Polish Saturday School; University of Sunderland; Blue Wings Records; local artists: Zagdan Art, A.G. Art, Klaudia Malolepsza, Aneta Halubiec

Meet Your Neighbour Festival resources you can watch/see:

• You can watch the films via the link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF95lmgBGIuBqdZvwh3-hDg

Based on 4 themes: generating, reducing, managing and purchasing energy, we delivered 2 workshops per theme, which ended at the end of November 2016. Reaching over 220 people, the workshops included various types of creative activities, environmental events, and formal and informal discussions.

This project included 5 language taster sessions, a celebration of heritage and connection to other cultures and countries, food tasting; music, arts and crafts, presentations, and stalls about different cultures. This was found to be a success through the feedback received from questionnaires completed by those who attended.

Working with those both employed and those unemployed, this project was successful as all those who participated progressed in their work situations, whether that meant finding employment or changing to a better job. We worked with a variety of clients, some of which included victims of modern slavery, providing the best advice we had at hand, and going the extra mile to support those in need.

Exceeding our target of engaging with 25 members of the BME community, we supported over 35 individuals from the East of Sunderland area on mental wellbeing. This was a successful project due to the positive feedback shown in our preliminary evaluation results. Due to this, there is now a Polish football club that takes place every Saturday for those who suffer from mental health.

Supporting over 70 people, all participants finished the course. This was successful as most of those part of the course came from BME backgrounds, where English was their second (or more) language, and everyone was recruited.

ICOS supported exceeded 57 clients, exceeding the target of 50, while the vast majority of clients either partly or fully achieved the target aim. 31.5% of them (18) found a job, while we also enabled 23 (40.4%) beneficiaries to progress into either level 2 learning or further education. 5 clients were over 50 and 9 were under 25. A number were refugees. The project provided one to one advice and employability support, including job searching and filling –in job applications, as well as access to training.

The Ready, Steady, Go project was funded through the grant “Sported”.. We exceeded our target of working with 45 people and enabled diverse communities, such as Polish and Bangladeshi to come and work together.

Targeting those both employed and unemployed, ICOS supported the BME community in the eligible postcodes to develop their skills through gaining accredited and informal qualifications. Our original target of 40 clients was exceeded by an extra 18 people. 16 clients progressed into volunteering, 15 clients acquired a level 1 qualification, 5 clients acquired a level 2 qualification.

This project served the purpose of engaging minority and ethnic people in sports activities and through it, improving their well-being. The sessions included Archery, Climbing, Golf and Tennis and were very well attended. More than 30 participants attended overall, which each event attended by an average of 20 people. 5 volunteers gained extra skills through this project. This project was supported by Sunderland City Council through its Sunderland 2012 grant scheme. 22 clients entered an informal English Class, and 12 clients progressed with their employment.

In partnership with SIDE CIC,we engaged with 15 minority ethnic people through the Memories Cafe project. This project aimed to improve well-being through learning new skills, overcoming cultural barriers, improving self-confidence and developing an interest in creative activities (e.g. creative writing and collage).

The aim of this project was to provide advice and support to those who smoked and those who wanted to quit. The sessions were available in English, Polish and Slovak so that we could reach a wider clientele. From start to finish, we successfully gave advice and support to 120 people, which included people from challenging backgrounds and the BME community. We were also the only organisation in Sunderland to provide smoking cessation advice and support for those who cannot leave their house. Moreover, we have exceeded the local average quit rate (48% of our users quit as opposed about 43% averages for Tyne and Wear). We currently provide this service for Sunderland’s and Gateshead’s Public Health associations.

This is an ongoing project which ICOS has tried hard to succeed in in all areas. Often, we are able to provide the best results and outcomes for our clients, most of which are part of the BME network or are from challenging backgrounds. This project includes:

• Helping recent arrivals in the UK with a range of issues in written, spoken, and online matters (school admission forms, housing forms) and correspondence
• Supporting clients access welfare benefits, such as Jobseeker’s Allowance, Working Tax Credit, and Social Security Tribunal cases
• Appointments in banks, and the opening of new bank accounts
• Basic online and computer literacy support, as well as creating emails and online forms
• Liaising with respective MP’s with regards to issues that cannot be communicated due to language barriers
• Communicating with HMRC in regards to client’s issues
• Finding and helping to apply for grants and government/local council schemes
• Providing One Planet Living advice, such as in workshops and one-to-one meetings with the general public and the BME community
• Helping clients change their energy suppliers and providing energy advice
• Helping provide advice and guidance to those in the BME network who have suffered from racial abuse of any sort
• Guiding the minority and ethnic community with their lives in the UK, be it with job applications or finding classes and/or accreditations for them to succeed with living in the North East

We have worked with over 2000 individuals and handled more than 5000 cases, many fairly simple matters, but some regarding serious, complex, and formal guidance. ICOS has many success stories, such as in a case where we helped a client win over £4500 in overdue Tax Credit. The client spoke limited English and was on a very low income.

Through our work, we have established links with partner agencies, such as advice providers, Jobcentre Plus, HMRC, and employment agencies. We are an active member of the Economic Inclusion Subgroup of the Regional Migration Forum, hosted by the Association of North Eastern Councils (ANEC). The inclusion part of our work has been the core of what we stand and work for. We have never had direct funding to support this service; however, we have had funding for ICOS’s core costs on the basis that we provided such services. The funders included Sir James Knott Trust and Sherburn Hospital, as well as Trusthouse and Woodward Charitable Trust.