WHO ARE WE?
The Gateshead Community Bridgebuilders is a network of individuals with diverse lived experience.
It’s a collaboration involving the d/Deaf communities of Gateshead, the African Platform (comprising communities from 13 African nations), South East Asian women, recently arrived refugees and asylum-seekers, the Gateshead Turkish community, two working-class communities, the neurodivergent community, and others. Each of these groups brings their respective lived experience to Bridgebuilder decision-making – the community members themselves are the decision-makers. The people most affected by injustice decide how the work is designed and delivered. They shape strategy and delivery
OUR PROJECTS
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THE LANGUAGE PROJECT with Refugees and asylum seekers
Lead: Zahra
When Homework Club happens once a week at Gateshead Library.
STARTING -Monday, October 27, 2025 - 4:00pm -6:00pm
Where Gateshead Central Library
Prince Consort Road
Gateshead NE8 4LN
United KingdomWho Are you a GCSE student from a migrant or refugee family? Need a safe, supportive space to work on your English? Our club offers:
Academic support: Guidance from experienced tutors
Safe environment: A place to focus and use library facilities
Fun activities: Group work, games, and more!
Let's make learning English a positive experience.Join us on Monday!
Date(s)
Mon, 27/10/2025 - 16:00 - 6:00pm
Mon, 03/11/2025 - 16:00 - 6:00pm
Mon, 10/11/2025 - 16:00 - 6:00pm
Contact Person
Zahra Bazarganianpour
Telephone
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Teams and Dunston Alive tada!
Lead: Christine
"Teams and Dunston Alive"
Teams and Dunston Alive (TADA) is a community group in Gateshead that works with Gateshead Community Bridgebuilders to identify and implement community needs. It is involved in organising local events, activities, and support networks, and recently partnered with the Dunston Activity Centre , Teams Medical Practice, Dunston Woodcraft and Teams Life Centre.
Key activities and initiatives
Community building:
TADA brings residents together through events, like community living rooms, to build connections and a sense of community.
Organising events:
The group is involved in planning local events such as the Santa Truck, Bonfire Night, The Blues Busting Festival, Community Living Rooms and much more.
Community-led projects:
TADA participated in an initiative to give local communities a voice in how funding is invested in the area through a facilitated decision-making process.
This is called 2k22.
Partnerships:
Gateshead Community Bridgebuilders: TADA is a steering group supported by this organisation, which helps surface the needs of the community and turn them into concrete activities.
Teams Life Centre: This is a community hub that offers a range of activities, a cafe, and support services.
Dunston Activity Centre: TADA works with this centre to connect local residents with its services, such as library access.
The Staiths Cafe: The group has hosted activities here and runs a connectivity Tuesday morning TADA session to support those feeling lonely and isolated
Support for specific groups:
TADA works to address the needs of specific groups, such as those who are in recovery from drugs and alcohol, who are victims of domestic violence or hate crime, d/Deaf or hard of hearing, and helps connect them with services,
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Gateshead's Turkish Community - In Hakan's Words
Lead: Hakan
What The Saturday School is one part of the work led by Hakan. It started as a tutoring group in a front living roon. They now run activities throughout the week.
When
Monday - Robotic Club
Thursday - Homework Study Club
Saturday - Saturday School art, language, maths sports and science.
The school also offers trips and events for the community to welcome other Gateshead residents.
Where - In the heart of Gateshead
Who - This is for EVERYONE who wants to learn new things, the school has pupils from Turkey, Kurdish community, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uygural.
The teachers are all volunteers and some are young mentors, They are 27 past pupils who retrain to support the next generation returning from university and college to work throughout their holidays!
Why
Integration and positive community cohesion is at the heart of this project. Encouraging volunteers to step up and believe that they can be a part of the change for the future.
The importance of dialogue and connection has encouraged part of the community to create NEDES North East Diversity Education and Solidarity CIO.
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Peer support groups, mental health, refugee and asylum seekers, and young people
Lead: Rich
In early 2024, some of our community groups came together in Gateshead under the umbrella of the Community Bridgebuilders, working alongside Jo Howard from the Institute of Development Studies.
Refugees and asylum seekers, young people, and those navigating mental health challenges had formed distinct yet interconnected Community Action Groups. What initially began as a series of weekly gatherings had, over time, blossomed into a vibrant ecosystem of care, sharing, courage, and co-creation.
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d/Deaf and Hard of hearing community
Lead: Paul
When I began my role as a Gateshead Community Bridgebuilder, I quickly realised this was unlike any job I’d had before.
My work wasn’t just about delivering services, it was about listening deeply, building trust, and connecting communities.
It was about identifying barriers and then working with people to help unlock what’s possible. Being Deaf since birth, I started thinking about how I could use this role to support other Deaf people, particularly young Deaf people in our region. I wanted to raise aspirations, build confidence, and bring visibility to Deaf talent.
I also wanted to challenge and educate the hearing community about the real-life barriers Deaf people face and more importantly, how we can work together to break them down.
Check out The Bridgebuilder Diaries #5 for how we changed the landscape of festival going in the north east!
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Sport and Wellbeing for Migrants
Lead: Eric
This work connects newly arriving migrants to other migrants through sport, in partnership with the African Platform. Isolation is a key issue in migrant communities, especially when people first arrive to the area and don’t have any existing networks of support and friendship. The project’s main focus is therefore to foster stronger connections in local communities, through football and other sporting activities. Bridgebuilder Eric often attends on a Saturday, and has conversations with participants, learning about their challenges and needs and providing support.
OUR HOME
Gateshead: 'headland or hill frequented by (wild) goats'. It was Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of England who first mentions this place in 1190. There are not many wild goats dotted around these days, but what Gateshead does have is a strong link to the past and the people and stories that have gone before us.
Gateshead is a proud community, a safe haven for newcomers, a diverse and colourful town with a rich heritage and history. It is our home, whether we were born and raised here or have come to live in Gateshead as a step on our journey, for us, Gateshead is personal. It is where we raise our children, eat our lunch, laugh, sing, dance and cry together. Gateshead is the heartbeat of our work.