SHINE is a key part of our charitable activity. The fund helps support people who use our services by providing the extra things that can make a real difference.

SHINE stands for Support, Hope, Inspire, Nurture and Empower.

Since being established in 2014, SHINE has supported service users with everything from horse-riding outings to gardening tools, summer activities for young people, and even Christmas decorations for our wards.

The funding from SHINE does not replace the money used to fund care. Instead it helps to provide ‘little extras’ – therapeutic activities or items of comfort to assist with people’s care, treatment or rehabilitation, generally helping towards them living a happier, fuller life.

Charitable donations to SHINE have been used to help our patients via hundreds of different grants including:

  • Support to develop Recovery Colleges across the North East, including the Recovery College Collective (ReCoCo), an award-winning peer-led education and support service in Newcastle which runs hundreds of free courses every year
  • HUG therapeutic sensory tools to provide comfort to people living with dementia on our Ruskin Unit in Carlisle
  • Pizza ovens and barbeques to enhance outdoor facilities for wards across the Trust
  • New greenhouse for the GARPRO project at Northgate Hospital in Morpeth, offering patients the opportunity to learn gardening skills
  • Support for family-based activities from our STARR Team who provide social, therapeutic and recreational rehabilitation for service users at Walkergate Park Hospital
  • A relaxation room for Hauxley Ward, our older peoples inpatient service in Morpeth

"You can give someone a glimmer of hope… you can say to people ‘life does continue, and things can be good’ and that’s what SHINE enables us to do."

Debbie Potter
Activities Facilitator

“The SHINE fund not only enabled the provision of necessary resources and support to allow the G Fest festival to take place, but it also brought about a profound sense of inclusion and empowerment to our patients.”

Lee, Specialist Occupational Therapist who organised a summer fair for patients at St George’s Park