Hebburn Helps set to move into bigger home in town centre - but it needs YOUR help to make it happen

The food bank and crisis response organisation has picked up the keys to three empty units on St John’s Precinct in Hebburn town centre with plans to make them its permanent home by the end of the year.

Hebburn Helps founders Angie Comerford and Jo Durkin are delighted to secure the new premises which will house its food bank, a fundraising charity shop and provide a place for families to select free school uniforms.

"It feels amazing to get the keys this week,” Angie said.

"There’s three units which are absolutely massive and we are going to be able to do so much with them.

"However, two of them don’t even have electricity so we are starting right from the bottom [to get them ready]."

Angie said Hebburn Helps urgently needs trades people and volunteers to lend a hand in getting the units ready for use while it keeps running the organisation from its base at South Tyneside Children’s Centre.

"We are always asking for something, but we are asking for a biggie this time,” she said.

"It’s going to be a case of lots of painting and new flooring.

"We are going to need all kinds of trades people to get stuck in.

"We are just going to have to put one foot in front of the other and crack on."

Hebburn Helps is also on the lookout for new volunteers to join the team and help it to provide vital support to those in need in the community.

"The expansion will help us to make dreams come true and do so much more in the town,” she said.

"We have a youth organisation that is dead keen to come on board and make use of some of the space as well.

“There is also a kitchen upstairs so we are hoping to get funding to get a new kitchen to run a programme to teach people how to cook.”

Anyone who has a trade and is able to donate their time and skills to help renovate the units, or anyone who wants to become a volunteer, is asked to contact Angie or Jo by calling 0191 489 9707 or emailing: [email protected]

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