North Star's all-staff initiative delivers 445 volunteer hours for communities across the region
North Star Housing Group colleagues have contributed 445 hours of volunteering and helped support hundreds of people through the organisation's Heartbeat initiative. The programme invested more than £8,000 in community projects and reached an estimated 662 residents and community members in its first year.
Launched in Spring 2025, Heartbeat was created to strengthen connections between colleagues, customers and communities through volunteering, engagement activities and community projects. It aimed to improve understanding of the communities where North Star operates while helping colleagues see firsthand the impact of their work, regardless of whether their day-to-day role is customer-facing.
Carole Richardson, North Star’s Executive Director of Customers. said: “Heartbeat was created because North Star was a good organisation with committed people and strong values, but we wanted to go further in putting customers at the heart of everything we do. Above all, we wanted customer focus to become part of North Star's DNA — something that shapes our culture, our leadership, our decisions and our everyday behaviours.
“Heartbeat was about moving from being an organisation that cares about its customers to one where that care is consistently demonstrated in everything we do.”
Over the past year, colleagues worked in cross-departmental groups aligned to housing officer neighbourhood patches. They delivered a wide variety of community-focused activities, including environmental improvement projects, support for local organisations, community events and direct engagement with customers. Some groups helped promote Christmas Day community lunches to residents who may otherwise have felt isolated, while others provided Christmas gifts to children experiencing extreme poverty.
One attendee at an event hosted at The International Community Centre in Middlesbrough last October commented that: “It’s wonderful to see so many different cultures blending. Every community should take notice of the positive effect this event has on the people here.” Thanks to its success, another will take place this year on Friday 30th October, featuring free refreshments, seasonal activities, freebies, support and information for all ages.
Heartbeat activities were also supported by a number of North Star’s contractors and partners, including maintenance contractor Ian Williams, whose operatives volunteered time to several community projects.
As well as benefiting communities, Heartbeat helped colleagues build relationships across the organisation.
One colleague described Heartbeat as:
"A brilliant opportunity to get out in the community and gain a greater understanding of our communities as well as working with staff from other teams."
Others highlighted how the initiative strengthened working relationships and reinforced a shared sense of purpose.
"We engaged with colleagues across the business and built great relationships in a less structured way. We got to know each other more and how each role contributes to the business."
Following the success of the Heartbeat initiative and positive feedback from both staff and customers, North Star has decided to invest a further £10k in projects this year. Groups will also have access to grant funding, provided they partner with a local charity or voluntary organisation. If you have a project idea you'd like to share with us, please get in touch.
A key focus for the year ahead will be tackling child poverty, which will play an important role in supporting the delivery of North Star's next five-year strategy.
