Charity’s great start to tackling poverty

Published Friday, 4th April 2025

A charity supported by Hartlepool Borough Council to assist people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis helped almost 5,000 Hartlepool residents in its first three months.

The Junction Multibank opened in Middlesbrough last November with the help of £25,000 each from the Council and other Tees Valley authorities.

It collects essential items like warm clothes, hygiene products, school uniforms, crockery and household furnishings donated to the charity as surplus goods by Amazon and other companies and then distributes them to Tees Valley residents.

It does not distribute items to people directly, but through charities and not-for-profit services that have trusted relationships with people in need and can identify those who need help the most.

Figures to the beginning of February show that the charity donated 35,789 items to 4,849 individuals in Hartlepool.

(From left) Marnie Ramsey, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Head of Service (Community Hubs and Wellbeing), Councillor Brenda Harrison and Beth Major, The Junction Multibank Chief Executive, in the charity’s warehouse

(From left) Marnie Ramsey, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Head of Service (Community Hubs and Wellbeing), Councillor Brenda Harrison and Beth Major in the charity’s warehouse

Councillor Brenda Harrison, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “These impressive figures speak for themselves, with so many of our most in-need residents helped by The Junction Multibank in just a couple of months.

“This is a fantastic initiative and one that the Council was honoured to help get off the ground.”

Beth Major, Chief Executive Officer of The Junction Multibank, said: “I'm so pleased that thanks to the support of the Council we have been able to bring The Junction Multibank to Tees Valley and support people experiencing poverty in Hartlepool to this extent already.

“Poverty affects all aspects of people’s lives and it’s vital we ensure people know we are with them - no one should struggle alone. We value the efforts of charities, social workers and teachers, our referral partners, in connecting these items to people who need them. If you would like to be involved, please get in touch."

If you need support from The Junction Multibank, please speak to a member of the team at Community Hubs Central or South. Businesses interested in helping it or organisations interested in working with it should email the_multibank@thejunctionfoundation.com