Fifteen community organisations across Hartlepool have been awarded a combined total of £200,000 in grants to improve, refurbish and modernise much valued community buildings.
The funding, part of the Hartlepool Community Asset Capital Improvement Grant programme, follows the launch earlier this year of the scheme, which aims to strengthen neighbourhoods, enhance access to local services and ensure that community spaces remain safe, accessible and welcoming for residents. The programme sits within Hartlepool’s wider Pride in Place initiative, funded through the UK Government’s £1.5m Pride in Place Impact Fund, designed to support community organisations to improve the buildings people rely on every day.
Councillor Pamela Hargreaves, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council said: “Hartlepool’s community organisations have been holding this town together through sheer determination, even as some of the buildings they rely on have required improvement. They’ve stretched every pound, patched every leak, and kept their doors open when it hasn’t always been easy.
“I am delighted that through the Pride in Place Programme that we have been able to deliver this grants programme which will transform buildings into safe, dignified spaces where people can finally get the support and connection they deserve. We’re not just fixing roofs and floors, we’re rebuilding the foundations of opportunity, belonging and hope in our neighbourhoods.”
Investment in community assets is essential to sustaining strong neighbourhoods, reducing isolation, supporting wellbeing, and nurturing local identity - especially as many facilities face pressures linked to ageing infrastructure, rising costs and accessibility challenges. The grant programme aims to address these issues and ensure local spaces can continue serving residents for generations to come.
From new boilers, kitchen upgrades and replacement flooring to lift refurbishments, modernised facilities and expanded community rooms, each project responds to the specific needs of local residents and the organisations that support them.
Malcolm Walker, Independent Chair of the Hartlepool Board, said: “These organisations are at the heart of our neighbourhoods, and this investment gives them the support they need to keep doing what they do best - bringing people together, providing vital services and strengthening the fabric of our communities. Each project funded reflects the priorities and ambitions of local people, and it’s inspiring to see so many groups committed to improving the spaces that matter most to Hartlepool.”
This investment builds on the commitment set out when the programme was launched: ensuring regeneration in Hartlepool is not only about large‑scale development, but also about protecting and improving the everyday community spaces where people gather, learn, connect and support one another.
This grant programme is in partnership with the Hartlepool Board, which is progressing its long‑term plan to invest £20 million over the next ten years into the borough. The Board’s Investment Plan has been shaped directly by local people, with more than 1,400 residents taking part in last summer’s consultation to identify the priorities most important to communities.
The Salaam Centre (Hartlepool Jamia Masjid) have received funding to install a new boiler and upgrade the centre’s alarm and CCTV.
Nancy Pout, Salaam Centre Manager, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding to continue providing our services to the community including our warm space during the winter months.”
Abrar Hussain, Committee Member of the Hartlepool Jamia Masjid, said: “We appreciate this recognition of the great community work that happens in the building and this investment in a key asset in the town.”
Six8Nine in Stockton Road – a community centre where people come “to be, connect and reflect” – has received a grant to refurbish two rooms as spaces for the community.
Sue Hutchinson, Six8Nine Community Missions Worker, said: “We are really pleased to get this funding, recognising Six8Nine for the work it is doing in the community.
“The money will be spent on transforming two key rooms for existing and future groups for a host of community uses.”