June 2025 update
June drop-in
Sunderland People First had our monthly drop in at the start of June! This time around it was Lego themed, and we had lots of fun building different creations. Lucy even made a Lego themed game of Guess Who for everyone to play.
Our next drop in will be Thursday 3rd of July from 11am until 1pm. We hope to see you there!
One of our self-advocates playing with a big pile of Lego!
Our new website!
As you will be able to see, Sunderland People First have a new website! Our Engagement and Campaigns facilitator, Catheryne, spent a lot of time designing this shiny new website from scratch, and we are proud to finally have a new space to showcase all of the great work we are doing. The new website officially launched on June 4th, and we are welcoming any feedback you might have, which you can send to hello@sunderlandpeoplefirst.com
Lewis Atkinson visit
On the 6th June, Sunderland People First welcomed the Member of Parliament for Sunderland Central, Lewis Atkinson, to our Derwent Street office. This was a valuable opportunity for staff and advocates to get to know our new MP and tell him about our mission and work. We had the chance to have an in depth discussion about proposed future changes to the country’s benefits system, including possible changes to how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is awarded. We were able to share our own experiences with the benefit system, and welcomed the opportunity to be listened to and have our questions answered.
The Houses of Parliament (Britannica image).
Carers’ coffee morning
On the 11th June, we celebrated all our wonderful carers by hosting a coffee morning just for them. Ian baked some delicious chocolate cakes, and we had a lovely time chatting and getting to know our advocates’ families, friends and all other carers in their lives. This coffee morning coincided with National Carers Week, a week which aims to raise awareness of carers; their successes, challenges, and all of the invaluable work they do.
A table of carers, family members and self-advocates enjoying a coffee.
Media Savvy training
In June, three advocates and three staff members attended training at Media Savvy in Digital Arts and Media. We learned how to use photo editing software to make posters, flyers and other fun pieces of artwork. We loved our time at Media Savvy and all got a lot out of the experience.
Learning Disability Week
The advocates at Sunderland People First put their heads together to plan our yearly Learning Disability Week event, and decided they would like nothing more than a good game of Nintendo Wii bowling. Thanks to Andrew, who brought in his console, we spent the morning doing trick shots, playing against each other in teams, and even knocking over 100 pins at once.
We ended the morning with a fun quiz, which we all left learning something new.
Lucy and Ashley playing a competitive game of Wii bowling.
Sunderland Royal Hospital stall
Catheryne, Lucy, Ian, Karen and Phil were invited down to Sunderland Royal Hospital, to hold an information stand about the work we do at Sunderland People First. It was great to be out in the community speaking to people who are interested in knowing more about us.
Phil smiling next to our Sunderland People First banner!