Based in Gateshead, Triangular CIO is a charity set up to provide advice, guidance and community integration support to refugees and migrants. Working holistically, Triangular’s work is geared towards establishing support networks, forging new relationships, contributing to the local economy, and granting access to information, networks, and support services to enable migrants and refugees to thrive.
Triangular’s range of services span from essential support to those new to the UK needing support with housing and employment, through to tailored projects designed to address critical issues such as digital exclusion, mental health, physical well-being and social integration. Alongside this work, Triangular leads a coalition of over 20 Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs) and New Migrant Groups. RCOs and Migrant Groups are smaller, often unincorporated grassroots groups who offer personal support and networks to migrants and refugees, led by members of their respective communities.
These organisations often act as a first point of contact for refugees and migrants new to the UK, providing advice and reassurance for people who may have arrived under traumatic circumstances, without sufficient understanding of the language and culture. They also provide a voice for refugees and migrants with the local community and service providers. These groups can often lack capacity and the country-specific knowledge required to run an organisation in the UK. As it started as an RCO in 2014, one of Triangular’s objectives is to build the capacity of these organisations so that they are better positioned to support their members, whilst equipping them with the tools to run independently.
In 2024, a Latin American RCO group worked in partnership with Triangular to pilot a new community allotment project. The RCO, Hope Beyond Borders (HBB), accessed funding to develop a large site from Gateshead Council in the town of Blaydon. The project transformed the unused plot into a vibrant community garden, offering a welcoming space for local migrants and disadvantaged families. The allotments have significantly improved participants’ mental and physical wellbeing by reducing isolation and stress through social and environmental engagement. Participants have gained skills in sustainable practices and food production, increasing their self-sufficiency, nature connection and eco-awareness, along with improving their English in a relaxed setting.
After the success of the pilot, many other RCOs have shown an interest in food growing and having regular access to a green space. The Foundation is supporting Triangular to scale up the pilot: It will support more RCOs to take on their own allotments, creating a model for hyper-local, grassroots organisations to access, develop and maintain these spaces. Funding will support with tools needed to set up allotments, staff for co-ordinating sessions, and other materials such as flyers and refreshments for events. 5 RCOs will take part in the scaling up of the allotment project, and participants will gain practical skills in horticulture and sustainability, plus the knowledge to navigate allotment systems in their local councils. After the initial year, the allotments will be sustained by volunteers and Triangular will steadily scale the project further to bring in more RCOs.
Triangular intends for this project to create a replicable model for grassroots refugee and migrant groups across the UK to create their own allotments and gardens. Throughout the project, Triangular will track and monitor the journey of each RCO’s allotment, which will allow for any common challenges, or barriers to success, to be identified. The Foundation will work with Triangular to create a step-by-step framework on how to set up a community allotment, which will be shared with others interested in refugee-led growing and gardening projects.
