23/04/2025
A Message from the Mindstars Team
After five incredible years supporting the children and families of North Tyneside, it is with heavy hearts that we announce the closure of Mindstars (NE) CIC.
The decision to close has not been an easy one. We are devastated. Like many in the voluntary and community sector, we have been deeply affected by the evolving landscape of mental health commissioning. Recent changes within the NHS, including the abolishment of NHS England and significant shifts in commissioning processes, have made it increasingly difficult for grassroots services like ours to sustain long-term funding.
Despite these challenges, our team has given everything. Over the past five years, we have supported hundreds of children, young people, and families through our early intervention programmes, family wellbeing sessions, community events, and holiday camps. In 2023 alone, we received over 700 referrals. Our impact was clear—100% of children reported feeling more supported, and 85% of families saw significant improvements in their home life.
We’re proud of what we’ve built: safe spaces where young people could express themselves, tools that helped families better understand and support each other, and holiday camps that gave children a place to feel joy, connection, and belonging outside of school. Every programme, session, and conversation was delivered with love, care, and an unshakable belief in the power of early support.
We owe everything to our community. Your trust, encouragement, and solidarity have allowed Mindstars to grow from a grassroots idea into a beacon of support in North Tyneside. Whether you were a parent, a young person, a partner organisation, a school, or a past employee/volunteer—thank you. You made this possible.
We remain hopeful that the future will bring a renewed focus on children’s mental health—one where early intervention is not just recognised, but prioritised. Our children deserve timely, compassionate care that supports them before they reach crisis. It is our greatest hope that the system evolves to reflect that.
Though this chapter closes, the impact of Mindstars will live on in the resilience of the families we've supported, the tools we've created, and the community we've built together.
With heartfelt gratitude and warmest wishes,
The Mindstars Team (Rebecca, Marisa, Sophie and Kimberley).
