St John’s Ambulance hosted Essential First Aid Training for Actes staff and members of the local community at the Resource Centre in March.

Vicky Rountree, school and community trainer at St John’s Ambulance, led two three-hour sessions for 24 people in the centre's Ford Hall. Those in attendance included some of the Resource Centre team who are employed by Actes.

The course comprised of theory and practical exercises covering emergency life support procedures for adults, children and infants. Specific techniques included treating severe bleeding and chest pain and treatment of choking in adults, children and infants.

Angie Kelly, assistant facilities manager said: “Our Ford Hall is ideal for a wide range of uses and this was demonstrated by the St John’s Ambulance training. The Ford Hall offered plenty of space to teach the theory and undertake practical exercises.

“Members of the Resource centre team who attended the training got a lot out of the session and said they’d be better prepared in an emergency situation in the future.”

The IT suite at the Resource Centre has benefited from a significant upgrade to further improve the training facilities available to businesses and community groups hiring the venue. 

One ‘super tower’ linked to 14 terminals on each of the desktop PCs has replaced the previous individual towers, and as a result the facility now has improved connectivity and increased speed for users browsing the internet.

Angie Kelly, assistant facilities manager, said: “The IT suite at the Resource Centre is ideal for training sessions that require simultaneous IT access and this recent investment will ensure that clients have the best experience possible.”

The improvements were made ahead of the launch of a new eight-day course called Work IT Out which will run fortnightly from the Resource Centre, as well as from the Newtown Community Resource Centre for Stockton residents.

Work IT Out, developed and delivered by Actes’ fully-qualified tutors, is an accredited City & Guilds Entry Level 3 IT and NOCN Level 1 Employability course. It is designed to help people from Middlesbrough and Stockton aged 19 and over to gain improved IT skills that will help them navigate Universal Credit and will support them to meet the requirements of the Jobcentre in searching for work, including setting up and using a Universal Job Match account.

For further information about Work IT Out or to make a referral contact 01642 255001 or email: reception.RC@actes.co.uk

Both the Acklam Green Centre and Resource Centre have benefited from improvements in recent weeks to ensure customers continue to receive a warm welcome.

Café Connect in the atrium of Acklam Green Centre has had a fresh lick of paint, had its new logo put in pride of place following a branding exercise and has benefited from new menus and other finishing touches. An exterior banner has also been fitted to promote the café facility to the general-public and encourage walk-ins.

Meanwhile, the centre has had new interior signage installed reflecting the new room names – Roseberry Hall, Taylor Suite, Brownlee Suite, Stainsby Room, Oakland Room and Cambridge Room – following a competition to name them at the end of last year.

The Resource Centre reception area has also had a facelift with new display areas put in place to ensure better promotion of the centre’s facilities and activities.

Donna Smith, facilities manager, said: “We want our customers to have a positive experience when visiting the centres so have made some changes that have really made a difference. We have enhanced the café area which now shows off our fantastic new logo, and our smart new internal signage better signposts visitors around the centre and creates an identity for our first-class rooms.”

Local residents came together at the Resource Centre to learn how to grow fruit, vegetables and plants as part of the Grow Together project organised by Groundwork North East & Cumbria and funded by Actes. 

Across two days people from the local community, including members of the Tees Valley Asian Welfare Forum (TVAWF) who regularly run group sessions at the Resource Centre, took part in a practical training session and a hands-on gardening session under the guidance of Groundwork project officer Laura Ince-Henry, who provided practical advice on various aspects of horticulture, with a particular focus on pruning techniques.

Local resident Mavis Arnold who is actively involved in horticulture projects in the local community, including leading the transformation of an alleyway in Longford Street and its ongoing maintenance, said: “I'm always keen to expand my knowledge, so when I heard about Grow Together at the Resource Centre I took the opportunity to come along. I often get asked for advice on gardening, so anything new I can learn on the subject is really useful. I know things today from attending the session that I didn't know yesterday!"

Laura Ince-Henry, said: “It was great to pass on my expertise to a really enthusiastic group of gardeners through Grow Together. I hope they can put what they learned into practice both in the Resource Centre garden and in their own gardens, alleyways and yards.”

Angie Kelly, assistant facilities manager at Actes who looks after the Resource Centre, said: “The Resource Centre’s training facilities coupled with our adjoining gardens were ideal for hosting the Grow Together project.  It was great to see those who use the centre regularly, plus some new faces, getting to grips with some basic horticulture under the expertise of Groundwork that they can apply in their own gardens, as well as in the community garden here at the Resource Centre.”