£100,000+ lottery boost for project honouring Sunderland mum Tina Robson

An project helping women recover from addictions is celbrating a big lottery win.

The Women in Empowerment & Recovery (WIRE) project has been awarded £100,041 over two years from The National Lottery Community Fund to support women’s recovery from trauma-based addiction.

Based at The Barn in Easington, a rewilded 30-acre farm on the Durham coast, it will create opportunities for women to connect to nature, through growing and creative activities, working collectively to recover the land and provide learning, supported volunteering opportunities and training to increase women’s potential for employment.

Those taking part will be offered opportunities to grow, harvest and cook food, participate in the rewilding project on the farm; as well as learning traditional crafts in willow weaving, foraging, preserving, pickling fruit & vegetables and herbalism.

The ground-breaking project is a legacy to the Tina's Haven pilot project founded in 2022 by Dr Sue Robson in memory of her daughter Tina.

Tina Robson died in July 2020, leaving her 11-year-old son Vinnie heartbroken.

The 35-year-old, who had battled with addiction and mental health issues from a young age, was originally from Penshaw but was living at the Bridge House Mission, in Stockton, at the time she died.

Considered a vulnerable adult, Tina was subject to a safeguarding enquiry and a Police Public Protection Order.

An inquest into her death at Teesside Magistrates’ Court in 2022 concluded with assistant Teesside coroner Karin Welsh ruling that Tina died of misadventure.

The hearing was told on Monday that no definite cause of death has been established and a pathologist had concluded the most likely cause was the result of combined effects of a number of drugs in Tina’s system.

“Tina died in temporary homeless accommodation having suffered addiction for most of her life because of childhood trauma," said Sue.

"She left behind her adored son Vinnie. Out of our family’s experiences of severance, trauma, and loss, we were determined to create something transformative and hopeful.”

The initial project was a collaboration between The Barn at Easington, Addictions North East and The Own My Life Course; and funded by No More Nowt, Awards for All, East Durham Trust, and The Barbour Foundation.