Not A Design Agency

🇬🇧 𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗗 🇬🇧

Saturday is set to be the biggest day of Sunderland Armed Forces Weekend 2026, with a packed programme of entertainment, activities and celebrations taking place across Seaburn Recreation Park and Roker Cliff Park.

The day begins at 9:30am with the Cadet Parade, as cadets march into Seaburn Recreation Park ahead of the official opening ceremony.

At 10:00am, we will be joined by the Mayor of Sunderland, who will officially open Sunderland Armed Forces Weekend with a speech before taking part in our Armed Forces Day Flag Raising Ceremony. This special moment provides an opportunity for us all to come together and recognise the dedication, sacrifice and service of our Armed Forces community, past and present.

Following the opening ceremony, visitors can enjoy a full day of entertainment, including:

🎷 Saxaholics
🎤 Simply Vocal
💃 AF Dance Academy
🥋 Kanzen Tohoku Karate Club
🎙️ Claire Louise
🎶 Brooke Havana Bailey Performer / Creative
🎤 Tahnee - vocalist NE
🎸 New Dimension
🤼 Dropkick Championship Wrestling
🎤 Karaoke

As the evening arrives, the entertainment continues at Seaburn Recreation Park with:

🎸 Corey G
🎙️ Karaoke
🕺 Roker Riviera Soul Club

⚽ ENGLAND MATCH SCREENING ⚽

We’re also delighted to confirm that we will be showing the England match live on our large LED screen. Join us from 9:00pm for our England Match Warm-Up Playlist before the match is shown live from 10:00pm.

Whether you’re supporting England, enjoying the entertainment, exploring the Market Village, visiting the military vehicles or simply spending time with family and friends, there really is something for everyone.

📍 Seaburn Recreation Park & Roker Cliff Park
📅 Saturday 27th June
🎟️ FREE ENTRY

Join us as we celebrate our Armed Forces community and enjoy what promises to be a fantastic day on Sunderland’s seafront.

💜 We're Hiring! 💜

Not A Statistic Northeast CIC and Not A Design Agency are looking for a Community & Creative Support Coordinator to join our growing team.

This is a unique opportunity to work across both our community mental health services and our creative social enterprise, helping us support hundreds of people across the North East while contributing to exciting creative projects.

We're looking for someone who is:

✅ Compassionate and people-focused
✅ Creative and confident using social media/Canva
✅ Proactive and able to work independently
✅ Experienced in supporting people, communities, or vulnerable groups
✅ Flexible, reliable, and willing to learn

📍 Sunderland, Washington, Houghton-le-Spring & surrounding areas
⏰ 15 Hours per Week
💷 £12.82 per hour (Real Living Wage)
📅 Closing Date: Friday 26th June 2026
📅 Interviews: Week Commencing 29th June 2026

For full details and to apply, visit our LinkedIn job advert:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4424181302/

Applications should be sent to:
📧 [email protected]

If you'd like an informal chat about the role, please contact Shane on:
📞 07308 117083

Please share this post and help us find the right person to join our team.

💜

Behind every “small business post” is usually someone juggling about 17 other things at the same time.

Client work.
Emails.
Invoices.
Family life.
Mental load.
Self-doubt.
Trying to remember if they’ve eaten lunch.

Social media often shows the polished version of running a business.

But the reality?
Most founders are just doing their best with the time, energy, and headspace they’ve got available that day.

That’s why we believe creative support should feel human.

Not intimidating.
Not overwhelming.
Not packed with buzzwords designed to make people feel behind.

At Not A Design Agency, we want people to feel supported - not pressured.

Because building something meaningful already takes enough energy without feeling like you have to “beat the algorithm” every five minutes.

So here’s your reminder for today:

You’re allowed to build slowly.
You’re allowed to ask for help.
And you don’t have to do everything alone.

A lot of people think good branding starts with logos, colours, or websites.

Honestly?

It usually starts with confidence.

Confidence to:

- put yourself out there
- talk about your business
- share your story
- stop hiding behind “I’m not ready yet”

We’ve worked with brilliant people who had amazing ideas…
but felt overwhelmed by the digital side of everything.

The pressure to constantly market yourself can make even passionate founders doubt what they’re building.

That’s why Not A Design Agency isn’t just about design.

It’s about helping people feel supported while they grow.

No corporate jargon.
No pressure.
No pretending you need to become a full-time content creator overnight.

Just honest creative support from people who understand how hard building something can actually be.

Because behind every business is still a human being trying their best.

Not everyone gets a Bank Holiday.

Small business owners.
Founders.
Community leaders.
People building something from scratch.

A lot of us are still replying to emails, planning content, fixing websites, chasing invoices, and thinking about next week before this week has even finished.

And while social media tells us we should always be “on”…

The truth is:
constant pressure leads to burnout.

You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your peace, family time, or mental health just to keep your business visible online.

That’s one of the reasons Not A Design Agency exists.

To help take some of that pressure away.

Because sometimes the best support isn’t about “going viral” or posting 3 reels a day…

Sometimes it’s simply having someone in your corner who understands the workload and helps you reclaim a bit of balance again.

So if you ARE working this Bank Holiday -
we see you.

But we also hope you still manage to take five minutes for yourself somewhere along the way.

You’ve earned it.

Burnout in business doesn’t always look dramatic.

Sometimes it’s just:

- replying to messages at 11pm
- stressing over what to post tomorrow
- feeling guilty for taking a day off
- staring at Canva with zero energy left
- knowing your business needs marketing… but having absolutely nothing left in the tank

The pressure to constantly “show up online” is exhausting.

Algorithms don’t sleep.
Trends move fast.
And suddenly you’re trying to run your business while also becoming a full-time content creator, designer, marketer, photographer and copywriter.

It’s too much for one person.

That’s one of the reasons we created the Not A Design Agency Project.

Not to add more pressure.
Not to sell you complicated strategies.
Not to bury you in jargon.

But to help take some of that weight off your shoulders.

Sometimes the most valuable thing a creative partner can give you isn’t just branding or content…

It’s breathing space.

Space to focus on:

- your actual work
- your family
- your wellbeing
- your ideas
- your life outside the screen

You don’t have to do everything alone to build something meaningful.

And honestly?
You probably weren’t meant to.