Turn2us collaboration wins charity award for its work in Middlesbrough

Turn2us, the Smallwood Trust and Buttle UK won the charity collaboration of the year award at the Association of Charitable Organisations Annual Conference 2023.

Launched in 2022, the Middlesbrough Collaboration is a joint £1 million initiative tackling the root causes of poverty for women and their children in the area, which has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the UK. 

Through workshops with local women and local partners Ubuntu Multi-Cultural Centre and Creative Minds Middlesbrough, a new grant fund has been co-designed, testing the impact of making grants alongside ongoing support delivered by our local partners.

The team has also been busy building relationships with the local council, other grant makers and charities to understand what is already happening to challenge the systemic causes of gendered and child poverty in the region, so that they can contribute through this ambitious long-term project.

Ellie Young, programme manager of the Middlesbrough Collaboration, says:

“We’re delighted to be recognised for this project which would not be possible without our local partners Ubuntu Multi-Cultural Centre and Creative Minds Middlesbrough.

“Making sure women and their children are financially secure is just one part of helping them to thrive and live a full life. However, it’s not enough to just give temporary support. We believe that working together and alongside local communities will help create a movement of change against the systemic poverty suffered by women and children.”

What is gendered poverty?

Studies show that women are more likely to live in poverty than men. Additionally, single parents and single female pensioners are particularly at risk of poverty, while children are increasingly more likely to live in poverty than the rest of the population.

This gendered poverty is caused by the intersections of women’s position in the labour market, the gendered roles within the family and in society, and the design of the social security and tax system. The intersections of other inequalities exacerbate gendered poverty and that women from racially minoritised groups, disabled women, women with caring responsibilities and trans and non-binary people are more likely to face financial insecurity and discrimination which impacts their social and economic outcomes.