What we do
The SHINE fund is a key part of our charitable activity. The fund helps support people who use our services by providing the extra things that can make a real difference.
SHINE stands for Support, Hope, Inspire, Nurture and Empower. Since being established in 2014 the SHINE fund has supported service users with everything from horse-riding outings to gardening tools, summer activities for young people, and even Christmas decorations for our wards.
The funding from SHINE does not replace the money used to fund care. Instead it helps to provide ‘little extras’ – therapeutic activities or items of comfort to assist with people’s care, treatment or rehabilitation, generally helping towards them living a happier, fuller life.
How SHINE makes a difference
Charitable donations to the SHINE fund have been used to help our patients via hundreds of different grants including:
- Support to develop Recovery Colleges across the North East, including the Recovery College Collective (ReCoCo), an award-winning peer-led education and support service in Newcastle which runs hundreds of free courses every year
- A new garden space transforming the environment for children and young people at our Alnwood unit, with new features including outdoor furniture, garden walls decorated in bright colours, improved sitting areas and new horticultural beds
- Digital touchscreen reminiscence therapy systems for patients with dementia in Northumberland, Newcastle and Sunderland, and Memory trees for the Dementia Centre at Monkwearmouth Hospital
- Purchase of equipment such as music centres, bean bags and equipment for chill out rooms in several of our wards
- Support for family-based activities from our STARRT team who provide social, therapeutic and recreational rehabilitation for service users at Walkergate Park Hospital
- Installation of stained glass panels which our service users helped design into a faith room
- Paintings on loan which are displayed in our corridors and meeting rooms, helping to provide a soothing and calming atmosphere for our service users
Michael says: Our patients contribute to ideas for developing the allotment and can take the lead in implementing these ideas. These experiences at the allotment are so important to improving patients’ confidence as well as their mental and physical wellbeing.
MichaelAssistant Practitioner in secure care services, runs an allotment in Newcastle which has benefitted from the SHINE Fund
