A community space has launched at Dormanstown Primary School, giving local families a warm, welcoming hub designed to bring people together and make everyday support easier to access.

Supported by the Woodsmith Foundation, Our Place offers a familiar central venue where residents can put on their own activities, clubs or gatherings, while also giving service providers a setting to run sessions and events for families.

The space has been made possible through a £74,615 investment from the Woodsmith Foundation. The funding also supported the extension of the on-site farm shop which is used by local families and as a point of connection into wider community activity.

Our Place has been shaped with the support of Woodsmith Foundation Community Connector Helen Kennedy, whose work in Dormanstown over the past three years has focused on building trust, listening to families and strengthening the links between people and the services around them.

Helen, who grew up in the area, has built relationships with around 250 families and is based at Dormanstown Primary School working alongside teachers and Tees Valley Education Multi Academy Trust.

Helen said: “By being anchored at the school, Our Place gives families a familiar, safe and easy‑to‑reach setting where they can meet others, share what matters to them and access support, without the barriers that formal offices often create. We’re already seeing families use the space for a range of support and activities, and early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with parents describing it as somewhere they can actually talk.”

Dormanstown Primary School Headteacher, Antje Kell, said: “We are incredibly proud to see Our Place come to life here at Dormanstown Primary Academy. As a school, we know that supporting children to thrive goes far beyond education alone, it’s about supporting the whole family and the wider community.

“My hope is that this space becomes a space for connection, where families feel confident to share experiences, seek support and build lasting relationships. By bringing services together in a familiar and trusted environment, we can help remove barriers and ensure that support is accessible when it’s needed most.”

For more information on Our Place, please email [email protected]

The Woodsmith Foundation is funded through a £1m total donation made each year between Anglo American and the Anglo American Foundation while the Woodsmith Project is under construction.