The popular Warm Welcome sessions held at Thornaby Pavilion are set to continue thanks to extra funding and support from Thornaby Town Council. The free social sessions have been a huge success for the local community and provide attendees with an opportunity to meet up for a cuppa and a catch up, along with an array of activities, every Tuesday 10am – 12pm and every Thursday 1pm – 3pm.
Leon Jones Managing Director of Tees Active said “ Thanks to the funding from Thornaby Town Council the highly successful Warm Welcome sessions at Thornaby Indoor Bowls Club will be delivered for another 12 months. The sessions have become a real focal point for the community, with over 50 people attending each session this is a fantastic example of partnership work and the programme for the sessions are developing all the time.”
Originally launched in April 2023, The Warm Welcome has invited in Tees Valley locals of all ages and backgrounds and provided entertainment such as bowls, bingo, arts and crafts and Dave’s infamous end of the month quiz – to name just a few! The £4000 funding received from Thornaby Town council will mean that these valuable sessions are able to continue providing a Warm Welcome in Thornaby until the end of March 2025.
The Mayor of Thornaby, Cllr Glenn Eastick said of the sessions “The Warm Welcome group goes from strength to strength which is fabulous to see. Thornaby Town Council are delighted that their funding ensures the sessions can take place.”
That’s the best thing about Thornaby Communities Warm Welcome… Everybody is welcome and it’s completely free so bring a friend along or meet some new ones when you arrive. Over the past year, the sessions have been attended by over 100 Thornaby residents each week and have provided cooking lessons, sign language classes, chair based exercise classes, scam awareness sessions and much more!
One of the Warm Welcome regulars, Linda from Thornaby, told us “It’s lovely to see this group going from strength to strength. It’s such a fantastic group making a huge difference. We attend the sessions each week and always have a good laugh and quite often even learn something new, my favourites are the board games and jigsaws and of course the tea, biscuits and bacon sandwiches!”
Thornaby Communities are always highlighting the #powerofcommunity and it’s easy to see the benefits the Warm Welcome has had, take a look below at some of the recent events:
12 March Sprouts Cookery Session: 10am – 12pm
14 March 3D Flower Course Learning & Skills: 1pm – 3pm
19 March Sausage and Bacon Bun Club: 10am – 12pm
28 March Easter Party: 1pm – 3pm
4 April Fire Safety Information Session: 1pm – 3pm
16 April Scam Awareness Course: 10am – 12pm
As well as these upcoming events, the funding provided by Thornaby Town Council has meant that in April the group will host regular chair based exercise classes every Tuesday morning with Shape the Play, crafting sessions with Creative Village and more of Dave’s famous quizzes.
Councillor Norma Stephenson, Cabinet Member for Access, Communities and Community Safety at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, said: “Thornaby Communities, which organise the social, have lots planned in coming months from a wide range of activities to day trips. The organisers are always looking for volunteers to support these growing sessions. If you would be interested in helping out by making the tea, chatting to people, or have a skill you can share with the group please get in touch.”
You can find out more about the upcoming Warm Welcome sessions on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ThornabyCo
Find out more about how Tees Active are working with partners to drive positive change in the community.
