Tributes pour in after death of Hartlepool community champion Sacha Bedding MBE..
- Apr 23
- 3 min read
Hartlepool pays tribute to Wharton Trust founder Sacha Bedding...
23rd April 2026
Tributes have been flooding in following the loss of one of Hartlepool's best-known community champions after the death of Wharton Trust founder and leading local figure Sacha Bedding MBE was announced this week.
News of Mr Bedding’s death was shared in an emotional tribute by another Hartlepool Charity LilyAnne’s Wellbeing, which praised the enormous impact he had on the town, both through his work in Hartlepool and on the wider national stage with a number of other local charities issuing similar tributes.
Mr Bedding became one of the town’s most recognisable voices on community action, social justice and neighbourhood renewal, helping to shape the Wharton Trust into a major force in Dyke House and beyond with national organisations describing him as a leading figure in community organising, with a long-running role in campaigns pushing for greater power to be handed directly to local communities.
Mr Bedding’s work won national recognition at the highest level when he was awarded an MBE in the 2021 New Year Honours List for services to the local community in Hartlepool, particularly during Covid-19.
That honour reflected the role he played during one of the town’s most difficult modern periods, but his influence stretched well beyond the pandemic. In recent years he was involved in the national We’re Right Here campaign on community power, contributing to policy debates around devolution and local control, and even gave evidence to parliamentary committees as a Hartlepool-based community leader.
In 2025, MPs again heard evidence from Mr Bedding in his capacity as chief executive of the Wharton Trust and a member of Locality.
His work was such that he was even referenced in Parliament, with MPs pointing to his work as an example of how local people can help drive change from the ground up.
LilyAnne’s Wellbeing said Mr Bedding had inspired them to become “more than a coffee shop”, describing him as somebody who saw potential in people long before they saw it in themselves. The tribute said he believed community spaces should be places of “belonging, hope and transformation” and credited him with helping to shape what the organisation became.
Beyond Hartlepool, Mr Bedding had also built a profile in the wider community sector. National groups including Power to Change, Right Here and Community Organisers highlighted his work in Dyke House as an example of resident-led regeneration schemes in one of the country’s most deprived communities.
For Hartlepool, his death marks the loss of a community figure who spent years trying to build confidence, opportunity and hope in local communities too often overlooked. For the people he helped, backed or inspired, his legacy is likely to endure long after the tributes fade.
A Statement from 'The Annexe', which is a part of The Wharton Trust on social media Added.
It is with the greatest sadness and sorrow in our hearts that we share the heartbreaking news that Sacha, who was with the organisation for many years, has passed away.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Nina, Josh, Millie, and Zac, as well as his extended family and friends. We share your loss, and we share your pain.
We will continue to honour the values that guided Sacha, including his belief: “Don’t do for others what they can do for themselves,” as we strive to inspire and support those in our community.
Rest in peace, Sacha. You will be deeply missed.
