A popular support group has opened its first dedicated office as it seeks to expand its offering and reach out to more businesses and people across Wearside.
Not A Statistic CIC, which hosts support sessions for people in County Durham and Sunderland suffering from poor mental health, has opened a new head office at Houghton’s Old Rectory.
The move will provide it with the space required for its two directors – Shane Knox and Ruth Haynes – to work under one roof and have their own dedicated workspace.
It will also support the setting up of Not A Design Agency, a new creative agency providing design, web design and development and brand development to small business owners and charities which will help generate revenue to support their wider community efforts.
Shane said: “After facing my own mental health challenges and seeing so many others fall through the cracks of an overstretched system, I realised there was a need for something different – something human, accessible, and rooted in real understanding.
“That’s where Not A Statistic Northeast CIC was born. I wanted to create a space where people could feel heard, not judged; supported, not fixed. A space that says, “you matter.”
“To date, we have delivered over 1,000 hours of free, peer-led mental health support, creating safe spaces for people to talk, connect, and feel understood.
“We’ve grown from a single idea into a movement – with three weekly support groups now running across Sunderland, Houghton-le-Spring, and Washington.
“But we also knew that to keep that support going, we needed sustainability and that’s how Not A Design Agency came to life.
“It gave us a way to fund our mission while helping other CICs, start-ups, and socially minded businesses grow their impact too and the new office will be key to ensuring we can do just that.”
The new office will also enable the recruitment of two interns from the University of Sunderland. One will work with Not A Design Agency to provide web development and design and the other will provide research and support on behalf of Not A Statistic CIC.
Shane said: “We are partnering with the University of Sunderland to bring in two interns, which will really enhance our offering.
“We’ve seen a real growth in the number of people attending our support sessions over recent weeks and months and we have a few projects in the pipeline for Not A Design Agency, so they will be pivotal to ensure we have the revenue and resource to support even more businesses and people in the future.”
Shane has been supported on his journey by the North East BIC. Prior to opening the office, he also worked out of its coworking space alongside other entrepreneurs from across the region.
He said: “The BIC has supported us in so many meaningful ways – both personally and professionally.
“It started with the Veterans RV programme, which helped lay the foundations for Not A Statistic Northeast CIC. Since then, the support has never stopped. From ongoing business advice to access to incredible events like Connecting for Good and Growth Lab and working out of the coworking hub, the BIC has opened doors we didn’t even know existed.”
The BIC’s social enterprise support in Sunderland helps the development of the social economy within the city through the Wear Together Initiative, working with local residents and groups to start a social enterprise or co-operative and help the city’s social enterprises to develop and grow.
Anthony McDermott, social enterprise adviser at the North East BIC, said: “It’s been a pleasure working with Shane throughout his entrepreneurial journey to date.
“Watching him grow from the person who walked through the doors onto our Veterans RV programme to now seeing him well networked, knowledgeable and now playing a key role in offering support and guidance to others across the sector.
“Shane embodies everything we try to embed in our clients and seeing the development of the Not a Design agency in a quest for him to make his CIC more sustainable in the long term is great to see. We can’t wait see what’s next.”
The Wear Together Initiative has received £148,638 from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund Programme which is managed in Sunderland by Sunderland City Council on behalf of the Sunderland Partnership.