Lunch With Lord Bates

A WAY OUT, a women and young persons charity based in Stockton-On-Tees were delighted to have a special guest, Lord Michael Bates of Langbarugh, join them at their new centre, The Gate, this week.

"We were delighted with the Lord" Service Director and Founder Jessie Joe Jacobs comments, "He was very real and down to earth and seemed to really grasp and get behind what we are trying to do with women and young people in Teesside".

Lord Bates spoke extremely highly of his visit "What A WAY OUT are doing for Stockton and particularly its most vulnerable women and young people is inspiring, the new centre is very exciting and I was delighted to have had the opportunity to see the projects work in action.  Meeting the young people clearly showed the impact that this project is having in their lives and the difference that A WAY OUT are making.  There is a very real need in the Tees Valley with issues such as poverty, addiction and abuse affecting the lives of many, and it is projects just like A WAY OUT that are often well equipped to deal with these needs. They provide professional and innovative support that can often reach communities and people, that statutory services can't.  This project demonstrates that change really can happen."

Lord Bates stayed at the centre for most of the afternoon, having lunch with Jessie and a member of the board of Trustees, Carol Russel.  He took part in a recovery workshop for young women facing challenging situations, where the Lord and the participants shared their hopes and dreams for the future and he even had a play of some of the arcade games in the centres youth space "The Cave".

A WAY OUT's vision is to see an end to poverty, abuse and addiction amongst women and young people.  Alongside schools and community based workshops and programmes, A WAY OUT have recently opened an outreach centre called "The Gate" which is based on Stockton's Castlegate Quay.  Founded in 2002, the project helps over 1000 women and young people every year and has seen many lives turned around, from young women facing self harm to young men escaping addictions such as alcohol and cannabis.  For more information please check out the website www.awayout.co.uk