THRIVE TEESSIDE

ABOUT US

Thrive Teesside is an award-winning organisation working in Teesside, advocating for the voice of lived experience to be included in decision-making processes.

We do this through research, tailored one-to-one support and taking local action: bringing together local people and institutions. We have three paid members of staff, a group of dedicated volunteers and a Board of Trustees. Thrive has been able to get the voice of people in poverty to those in power in a way no other grassroots organisation in Teesside has.

Many organisations have spokespeople, support workers, advisors and CEOs speaking for their service users, but Thrive, sticking to our principle of “never do for others what they can do for themselves”, has people with direct experience of poverty and financial and social exclusion regularly changing their community and speaking out.

Our work in Hartlepool

Building solutions together in Hartlepool.

HArtlepool poverty truth commission

The Hartlepool Poverty Truth Commission brings together people with lived experience of poverty and local decision-makers to explore solutions, build understanding, and create lasting change.

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WEST VIEW ECO CLUB

The West View Eco Club is a group of children from West View Primary School who volunteer in our community garden, learning about nature while helping to care for their local environment.

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VOICES OF HARTLEPOOL

Voices of Hartlepool is a local response to positively address the issues that people who are struggling to get by face and improve their lives. 

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OTHER ANTI-POVERTY WORK

Thrive are also helping to develop Hartlepool Borough Council's Anti-Poverty strategy and working with a range of stakeholders to improve services across Hartlepool including Council Tax.

Our partners and allies

We couldn't do it without you!

Rock Pools

🌊 Big news for Hartlepool! 🌊
We’re thrilled to share that the Rock Pools Project has been awarded £1,000,000 as part of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places (2026–29) portfolio!
Rock Pools will put culture and creativity in the hands of the local community and will be co-designed with people across Hartlepool, with each ward seen as a unique “rock pool”- shaped by its own stories, people, and strengths, yet connected as part of one larger community.
Through this creative programme, residents will work together to:
🎨 Co-create cultural activities rooted in local life
💬 Amplify community voices
🤝 Strengthen connections between wards
🌍 Build lasting cultural and social change across the town
This is a huge milestone and a testament to the creativity, collaboration, and spirit of our community. We’re so proud that Thrive Teesside is part of this consortium, helping ensure that local voices stay at the heart of every step.

Experiences of Receiving Welfare Benefits: Insights from Estonia, Hungary, Norway, Spain and the UK.

We are proud to have contributed to the recent report produced by the Welfare Experiences project, a comparative, five-year project exploring experiences of social security of working-age people who are out-of-work across Estonia, Hungary, Norway, Spain, and the UK.

Led by co-production partners including APLE Collective in England, the research placed lived experience and co-created knowledge at its heart, ensuring that the realities, emotions and ideas of people directly affected by welfare systems shaped the findings.

HARTLEPOOL POVERTY TRUTH COMMISSION 

Accessing Services- School's out so take them out... for free!

Hot off the press! As part of our Hartlepool Poverty Truth Commission, we created a special feature in Hartlepool Life packed with free, family-friendly activities to help local families make the most of the holidays- without breaking the bank! 

Thriving Women

A collective of poets who live and work in Teesside.

We have three paid members of staff

Tracey Herrington

Manager

Leading and co-ordinating on Thrive's local and national work including Poverty2Solutions, the APLE Collective and developing Hartlepool's Poverty Truth Commission.

Corrina Eastwood

Community Organiser

Engaging and working with the community to create opportunities whereby people with lived experience of poverty can influence decisions that can lead to positive change. I am also APLE Collective's lived experience coordinator!

Dylan Eastwood

Media and Communications Officer

Responsible for creating, distributing, and managing Thrive's online presence in order to meaningfully voice those with lived experiences of poverty.

Blog Posts

Ghosts by Thriving Women

Ghosts By Thriving Women Ghosts is a compelling new anthology of poetry by Thriving Women, a collective of women with lived experience of poverty and exclusion. Facilitated by Thrive Teesside and Tees Women Poets, the book Read more