Weights & Cakes CIC

04/10/2026

What a bloody amazing weekend

Seven of our youngsters competed at the British Weight Lifting British Age Group Championships in Huddersfield this weekend and I honestly couldn’t be more proud of them.
We came home with golds, silvers, bronzes, PBs and some bloody good lifting! But for me it’s never just about the medals.
These kids turn up week after week, put the work in, have good sessions, s**t sessions and everything in between and then get out on a national platform, deal with the nerves and give it their all.

Watching them support each other and celebrate each other’s lifts was pretty bloody special too
Massive thanks to our coaching team who put so much time and effort into these kids. We genuinely couldn’t do what we do without you.

And of course one of the best bits of a competition weekend is catching up with coaches, technical officials and all the weightlifting people we only seem to see at comps 😂

Very proud coach tonight.

Very tired coach tonight

But I would not change it for the world

03/10/2026

Great first day at British Weight Lifting British Age Group Championships. 6 out of 6 lifts for Scarlett in the Under 12 girls with 2 competition PBS. 5 out of 6 lifts for Joseph and a silver medal. I’m super proud of our young lifters. Just rocking up and lifting is a win in my eyes. It takes courage, commitment and passion to even enter a competition so I’m super proud. Great work from our team of coaches too Erin Quinn 😝 𝙱𝙴𝙲𝙺𝚈 AJ It takes a team ###

02/10/2026

02/10/2026

The word “Community” gets used a lot online, social media and in funding bids. But are we actually living it, or is it just something we are putting it on our marketing material and funding bids?

At Weights & Cakes, I measure our impact by the families we have supported, the young person who feels safe and the older person getting out of the house, having a cuppa and finding people to talk to.

The medals and trophies are lovely. I’m a competitive bu**er, so of course I love them. But those everyday moments matter so much more.

We notice when someone hasn’t been on this week. We ask how they are and having time for the answer. We listen to what people need and encourage them help shape what happens here, after all this space is for them.

People might walk through our doors to get stronger but I want them to find somewhere they feel accepted, valued and be part of something too.

That takes time, trust and plenty of conversations over a cuppa & cake 🍰

Building stronger communities together. We’ve got to keep earning those words and not just ticking boxes.

01/10/2026

I had so much fun with this! Me and some of my favourite people :)

01/10/2026

This weekend we are taking our youth weightlifters to the British Weight Lifting Age Group Chsmpionships. All the coaches will be coaching and cheering on our lifters so the gym is closed. All sessions back to normal next week. Apologies for any inconvenience

01/10/2026

Proud to be part of this ❤️

As Chairman of Southwick Remembers it’s important we keep remembrance alive in our community. A visit to Eden camp really brings to light how important the allied victory was.

Southwick has always been fantastic in supporting Remembrance Sunday, and we’re looking forward to making this year even bigger and better.

A big thank you to our committee and the RAOB for keeping this going over the years. 🇬🇧

A sombre but important day for Southwick.

Lest we forget 🌺

01/10/2026

This is brilliant

💻 FREE LAPTOP + FREE PRACTICAL TECH TRAINING IN SUNDERLAND 💻

We’re looking for Sunderland residents to join Fix, Reuse and Progress Sunderland, a free hands-on programme designed to build practical tech skills, confidence and help people take their next step towards work, training or volunteering.

🔧 Learn how to safely take apart, repair and refurbish laptops
💻 Work on a laptop throughout the programme and keep it when you complete all six sessions
🍴 Free lunch provided each day
🚌 Travel costs covered so getting there doesn’t have to be a barrier
👥 Small, friendly group with no previous tech experience needed
🤝 Support with employment, training and your next steps

📅 22nd October, 29th October and 5th November

Each day includes two sessions:
🕙 10am to 12pm
🍴 Lunch 12pm to 1pm
🕐 1pm to 3pm

📍 BornGood CIC
88 Newbottle Street
Houghton le Spring
DH4 4AJ

The programme is open to Sunderland residents aged 19+ who are not currently working and are not actively looking for work.

👋 Want to find out more before signing up?
We’re holding a recruitment and information session on Thursday 15th October, 1pm to 4pm at BornGood CIC.

Drop in to:
✅ Meet the tutors and BornGood team
✅ Find out more about what you’ll be doing
✅ Ask any questions

The programme is funded through the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority - Economic Inactivity Trailblazer Programme and administered by Sunderland City Council (Sunderland, UK).

Interested, or know somebody who might benefit?

📧 [email protected]
📞 0191 249 3869

Places are limited, so please get in touch as soon as possible.

30/09/2026

I know he’s a bloody pain in the arse but he can be canny at times too!!! Poor bu**er had to attend the HAF review as I’d double booked myself. Well done team. This is for you guys too Erin Quinn 😝 𝙱𝙴𝙲𝙺𝚈 AJ great work from team Weights & cakes.