A Warm Welcome in Billingham got off to a fantastic start as attendees were treated to free cups of tea and coffee and a behind the scenes tour of The Forum Theatre given by Forum Theatre legend Rich McElvenny.
The Billingham Warm Welcome is free to everyone and will be held at Billingham Forum every Tuesday 10.30-12.30 and it is an opportunity to have a free cup of tea or coffee and catch up with new and old friends.
A programme of activities is being developed, so if you want a game of bingo, cards or dominos to potentially participating in a chair-based exercise class or learning about internet scams, a Warm Welcome is hoping to appeal to everyone.
Allan McDermott Community Engagement Manager for Tees Active said “I am really pleased to see such a good turnout for the very first Warm Welcome. Everybody seems to be enjoying themselves, and many of the attendees have definitely enjoyed treading the boards as they were invited on to the stage. I would like to thank Billingham Town Council and Billingham Legacy Fund for their invaluable support that has enabled Warm Welcome to be delivered at the Forum.
Allan added “The great think about Warm Welcome is that nobody is forced to do anything they do not want to do. Kelly Smith from Stockton Councils Engagement Team is busy developing what I am sure will be an entertaining and friendly programme with the help of all our partners in the sector”.
Kevin Pitt of the Billingham Legacy Foundation said “The Warm Welcome is very important for social wellbeing and isolation. Sometimes you just want to be with people, and if you know there is somewhere for you to go, especially somewhere like the Forum, and meet up with local people. It’s just a wonderful opportunity”.
Find out more about how Tees Active are working with partners to drive positive change in the community.