Aspire’s Christmas Celebration Afternoon Tea!

We had a lovely afternoon last Friday at our Aspire Celebration Afternoon Tea! 🎉🥳

The afternoon was filled with tombola and raffle fun, Christmas quizzes, laughter, delicious food and a celebration of all that Aspire has achieved over the past year! 🫖🧁

Some of our amazing Aspire women shared their stories about the impact that Aspire has made in their lives and thanked Jan and Janice for all of their hard work and dedication they have poured into Aspire as we wish them a happy retirement! 🥰

We would like to say a few huge thank yous to people who helped the afternoon be such a success:

Thank you to Chester le Street Cricket Club for hosting our brilliant afternoon, for providing a delicious afternoon tea and for kindly donating a bottle of Prosecco to our raffle prizes! 🏆

Thank you to JessiBelle Flowers for the gorgeous bouquets for Jan and Janice and also for the Christmas bouquet kindly donated to the raffle! 💐

Thank you to Durham Mental Wellbeing Alliance, The Durham Ladies, and Official New College Durham for attending our afternoon tea and for all of your support you have given to Aspire to allow us to continue supporting women in the local area! 🫶

Thank you to our wonderful Helen for baking and decorating Jan and Janice’s delicious retirement cake! 🍰

Finally, thank you to all of our amazing Aspire women, staff and volunteers!!! 🎉

We had a brilliant afternoon! 😁

Take a read at what Julie Cane from Durham Alliance wrote about the afternoon:

“Attending Aspires Christmas celebration on December 5th was truly a pleasure. Hearing the inspiring stories shared by the women at the centre was both humbling and uplifting. Their heartfelt praise for the staff highlighted the dedication and compassion that defines Aspire. Most importantly, these remarkable women have demonstrated courage by taking the first steps towards their goals, supported every step of the way by the Aspire team. The atmosphere of inclusiveness and empowerment was unmistakable, making it clear that Aspire is a place where lives are transformed.

The afternoon was made even more special by a gorgeous afternoon tea and raffles, which helped raise funds for the centre. A highlight of the day was seeing Lisa win a brush set—her excitement was contagious!

As well as celebrating the festive season, we also marked a significant transition for Aspire. We wished a happy retirement to the original founders and directors, Jan Vincent and Janice Rokini, who are now leaving Aspire in the very capable hands of Colleen Baker and Valerie Kilner. Good luck, Colleen and Val —we know you’ll do an amazing job”