Hexham is a small market town with a population of around 13,000 people, named twice as the happiest town in the UK in Rightmove surveys in 2019 and 2021.
Easy links with Newcastle, the quality of the landscape in which it sits, the range of amenities and the wide range of cultural and leisure opportunities make Hexham a great place to live and work. Like any town, there are challenges and there are people within Hexham who face economic hardship and social isolation.
Hexham Community Partnership works with a wide range of individuals and organisations in the town promoting and supporting community development, engagement and regeneration. Our work involves the organisation of a year-round events calendar, signposting, supporting community groups and partners to achieve their aims, and finding ways to improve social inclusion and tackle issues of rural isolation as well as promoting Hexham as a vibrant place to live, work and play.
We are proud of the part we have played in the success of the Hexham East community house – No.28, which was established in 2008 and now plays a central role in the life of the town offering information, support and a range of groups and activities FREE to all local residents.
We sit on a wide variety of forums and committees including Hexham Hub, Hexham Book Festival, Hexham Cultural Network, Heritage Action Zone steering group and chair the West Northumberland VCS Alliance network.
In 2013 it became clear that there was an increasing need for a local food bank to serve the west of the county and, working with Northumberland County Council, West Northumberland Children’s Centres, churches and supermarkets as well as many individual volunteers we established the West Northumberland Food Bank.
At the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, we helped set up Hexham Communities Together, a joint venture between HCP, Hexham Town Council and Northumberland County Council and supported by Adapt. We helped vulnerable and/or shielding residents who required help to access groceries, managing a group of volunteers who shopped for and delivered food and essentials to those in need.
The projects and activities taking place in the town depend on the work of volunteers, the support of our funders and we are grateful for both.