Member Article

MEA House’s new charity tenant is Becoming Visible

An iconic Newcastle office development which provides space exclusively for charitable organisations is welcoming its newest tenant to the fold.

MEA House, a five-storey, 40 year-old landmark building at Ellison Place in the heart of the city, is the new home for Becoming Visible - a deaf-led charity which aims to raise the profile of deaf people in the wider community.

The 11-year-old organisation, which also offers British Sign Language/ English (BSL) interpreting, BSL and Deaf awareness training courses as well as BSL translation for media platforms on a regional, national and international scale, has taken up new premises at MEA House after outgrowing its former base at Newcastle Deaf Centre.

The charity now has the space to run a range of flexible, accessible courses within its new office premises at MEA House, including one-hour taster BSL sessions for beginners.

There are currently more than 35 people enrolled on the BSL courses, and Becoming Visible is hosting a monthly café evening in the building, when everyone is welcome to come along and practise sign language.

The charity, which has six employees, plans to make the most of its central location by running various workshops and groups for the deaf community in Newcastle and will also be coordinating a programme of events for young deaf children this summer.

Director of Becoming Visible, Dawn Marshall, said: “We’re really enjoying the benefits of being at MEA House. We now have the room to expand, and to strengthen the presence of the deaf community from a central position right in the heart of the city.

“We’re called Becoming Visible because deaf people can often be invisible in everyday situations - they are often overlooked, and their skills can be hugely underestimated. We aim to change society’s attitudes and assumptions about what deaf people are capable of achieving - and MEA House is the ideal base for us to work from.

“On our first tour of the building we instantly picked up that there’s something special about MEA House. Not only is it well equipped and spacious, but it has a very welcoming atmosphere and we’re in good company here with so many other charities.

“We’ve found that the reception team are an asset to MEA House too - they always provide a friendly first impression of the building when our visitors come to see us.

“Our focus is now very much on sustainability and development, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for us in our new premises.”

MEA House, which is owned by registered charity MEA Trust, sees fifty thousand people pass through its doors every year and has supported more than 50 organisations in its history.

MEA Trust director Ann Wynn said: “It’s brilliant to see Becoming Visible - born and bred in the North East - continue to thrive and expand 11 years on, and we’re so pleased that the team have chosen MEA House as the focal point of their growth and development.

“They join us in our 40th year, which is a hugely important landmark in our history, and we look forward to supporting the charity’s invaluable work with the deaf community in the coming months.”

To mark its 40th anniversary, MEA Trust has opened HIVE@MEA House to provide an affordable office environment especially for small charities, industrial and provident societies, community interest companies and other forms of social enterprise.

HIVE has space for six people to hire hot desks equipped with broadband, wi-fi and optional DDI telephone numbers, and there are three separate two-person offices available to hire within the unit, as well as all a dedicated meeting room.

For further information about MEA House, please contact Ann Wynn on 0191 255 1901 or visit www.meahouse.org.uk.

To find out more about Becoming Visible, visit www.becomingvisible.co.uk or call 0191 233 0999.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Uniquethinking PR team .