In January 2026, after 3 months of relationship building and sharing stories and experiences with the community commissioners, we began working with Bob, Sheryl and Bev from The Forge in Stanley to prepare for the launch of the Stanley and Consett Poverty Truth Commission. Bob shared some poetry and ideas with the Commissioners and supported them to shape their stories, while Sheryl turned the Commissioners' ideas into fantastic and meaningful animations. It was an exciting 6 weeks watching ideas come to life, and the Commissioners gained confidence in sharing their truths. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom when the tech kept failing us week after week. We wouldn’t know for sure until an hour before the event if it would actually work….YIKES….. I had a fair few sleepless nights leading up to 4th March!
On the big day, we arrived bright and early at Craghead, and it was all hands on deck as we set up the rooms….huge thanks to our colleagues at Durham Community Action….we couldn’t have done it without them!
Cathryn was very focused and in ‘the zone’ as she told us where to put tables and chairs. I’ve learned from last year’s launch that it’s best to just keep quiet and follow her lead!
Soon, the Community Commissioners started to arrive. They’d opted to all come early so they could support each other and ensure nobody was left alone, stressing and worrying. This is a credit to the strength and depth of the relationships they have formed since meeting in September. They definitely proved the doubters wrong…..Stanley and Consett can work together successfully!
Mark from the village hall opened up a spare room for us. During the day, this became the Community Commissioners’ safe space where they could close the door and regroup. It was a valuable asset and on a couple of occasions, definitely saved the day.
As people started to arrive, Bob warmed us up with some vocal exercises. They really helped get us in the mood and brought us together as a team, although goodness knows what people were thinking as they saw us standing in a circle making weird noises!
A relative of one of our Community Commissioners had made us all little figures out of worry beads, which she handed out to us just before we started. Several of the commissioners said these had really helped them through the 3 hours they were on the stage.
Lights, camera, action…..we were ready to start…..
The audience listened intensely as the Commissioners shared their stories of addiction, abuse, homelessness, being let down and lost opportunities. They applauded as the Commissioners told of their hopes for the future and their work helping others in their communities.
We were lucky to have two young people from Stanley Young Peoples Partnership, who, with the support of Investing in Children, bravely stood on stage to share a PowerPoint about the cost of the school day. One of the young people also shared his personal experiences of poverty and how he managed to stop himself from going down a destructive path. This was a courageous and valuable insight into the lives of young people in Stanley. We will be continuing to work alongside Investors in Children and Stanley Young People's Partnership over the next few months to ensure the voices of young people are heard.
In a hugely significant moment, at the end of the launch, the new Civic Commissioners joined the Community Commissioners on stage, marking the transition into the PTC’s next stage. From May, the relationship building will begin again as we break down barriers between the decision makers and those who the decisions affect the greatest.
We met with the Community Commissioners the week after the launch and celebrated their achievements with Domino’s pizza and the much sought-after cream egg cookies. The commissioners were still on a high and spoke of their bond and feeling of togetherness, as well as the power of finally being heard.
As ever, we look forward to the coming months ahead as the full commission develops and begins to identify issues and goals. We also have some exciting opportunities to bring both County Durham Poverty Truth Commissions together to work on some developing projects within County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust. I’ll update you all soon.
Look out for an announcement about South Durham PTC’s sharing event, which we are currently planning for June…...
Oh, and by the way……..after all the worry, the tech worked perfectly on the day!!
