Grant helps pie club tackle isolation

A Teesside community charity is tackling social isolation with a unique initiative supported by new funding.

Stockton-based Starfish Services has received a £1800 grant from the Banks Group’s Banks Community Fund to support its wellbeing programmes.

The funding will help sustain the charity’s Men’s Pie Club, which brings people together to cook and share meals, encouraging connection and conversation among men experiencing loneliness.

It will also support the Place To Be project, an early evening drop-in service offering refreshments and a welcoming space for those seeking company and support.

Both initiatives are led by peer supporters with lived experience of mental health challenges, helping to create an inclusive environment for people facing isolation or emotional distress.

Starfish Services delivers a range of free activities across the area and is planning to develop a vegetable garden to supply ingredients for its sessions, further strengthening its community-focused approach.

Shelly Christon, youth coach with Starfish Services, said: “With the end of the afternoon being the time that many support services close for the day, the early evening can be a really challenging period for people who are struggling with loneliness and mental health issues if they have nowhere to go. 

“The Place To Be provides a warm, welcoming environment where anyone can come along and spend some time with people who can empathise with how they might be feeling.

“We get a real mix of people coming along, with some attending regularly and others just now and then, and by treating every person with kindness and respect, the whole group gets on really well.

“The Men’s Pie Club has been a huge success over the last year, with members feeling much more comfortable about talking and opening up while they’re making and eating each week’s recipe together.

“We’ve seen strong friendships being formed across both groups and we know how much of a positive impact they have on our members’ wellbeing, both in what they tell us and what we see with our own eyes. 

“When one service user began attending Place to Be, his self-esteem was very low, but through the power of peer support, he has gained confidence, completed courses in peer support and now volunteers and co-facilitates the Men’s Pie Group alongside long-standing volunteer Martyn Robinson.

“Knowing that the Banks grant has covered our food costs for the coming year is absolutely amazing and everyone in our groups is so excited to know that they can rely on us being there right through the year.” 

Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, added: “The concepts behind these two groups is very simple, but they’re clearly highly effective in how they deliver support when and where it’s needed.

“We’re very pleased to be able to support Starfish Services’ excellent work and we’d strongly encourage anyone who feels like a cup of tea and some company would benefit them to drop in one evening.”

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