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Our Story
Red Balloons was developed in 2017, adapted from a blog by our founder Claire about her lived experience of ill mental health. Supported through her work as a volunteer for Mind and Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind, Red Balloons first came onto social media, to promote how exercise can help you manage your physical and mental health, before becoming a Peer Support group, meeting on Tuesday evenings in Stockton. These meetings offered a safe space for people to tell their stories and get help and support.
In the early days we were just a small group of dedicated Volunteers doing what we could to support people with their mental health. Red Balloons grew from the first peer group, to a running group and then to Walk and Talk Groups and 1-1s. During Covid our online services grew – we started our messaging service available on facebook messenger from 7am-7pm, 7 days a week and our private wellbeing group, Red Balloons Wellbeing.
In 2021 we became a registered Charity and received our first small amount of funding. This meant we could employ our first member of staff in May 2021 to develop the Charity and more services.
Fast forward to 2025 and those intervening years have seen our Walk and Talk Groups develop from 2 per week in Stockton to 8 per week across Tees Valley, we run a Ramblers Project, a Women’s Peer Group, a Men’s Peer Group, a Bereavement Group and offer 1-1 support. We’ve launched a Perinatal Peer Support Group and we co-host Lived Experience Forums in Hartlepool, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland. We host Tees Valley Peer Support Network, supporting other peers and peer-led organisations around the region.
In 2024 we supported 385 individuals with their mental health. We have a staff team of 4 – our CEO Leigh, Operations Manager Kylie, Peer Lead and Peer Network Development Worker Mandy and our Operations Administrator Caitlyn. We have an amazing team of olunteers and a brilliant Board of Trustees.