A New Chapter Begins: Scaffolding Goes Up at Holy Rosary

This week marks an exciting moment for our charity.

It's the beginning of a refurbishment project at the Holy Rosary Parish House in Gateshead, our new home from early 2026!

After over two years of planning and preparation, scaffolding is now up, signalling the start a four month project that will transform the ground floor of our new home for our lunch clubs and men's groups.

Scaffolding is now in place at the Holy Rosary Parish House

Why This Matters

Back in 2022, when it was announced that the flats next to our communal lounge on Bolam Street would be decommissioned due to the planned demolition, we faced a big question. Where would our lunch clubs and men's groups go? The answer came with Holy Rosary Parish House.

Our charity has strong links to the Holy Rosary. Father Tony Battle (from Holy Rosary), along with Sisters Pat Devlin and Bernadette McAvoy (both from Little Sisters of the Poor), as well as our Founders, Rev. Brian Howell and GP Margaret Sheratt, played a significant role in numerous community projects in the Teams area. Together with Holy Rosary parishioners, who were among our first employees, they established Teams and Bensham Community Care. This ecumenical approach and the strong and lasting friendships across the Roman Catholic, Free Church and Anglican Church, has led to a lasting legacy in our community through our charity and many other community services. Both Brian and Margaret remain dedicated trustees of our charity today.

The Holy Rosary is once again an exciting opportunity from which we can create a space at the heart of the community we have served for 35 years.

Behind the Scenes

As a small charity, we’ve been humbled by the kindness and support that have carried this project forward.

• Architect David Noble has given his time, expertise, and steady guidance to bring our plans together and coordinate the work needed to secure a contractor. His generosity has made a remarkable difference, and we’re thrilled to see his designs begin to take shape in the coming weeks and months.

• Gateshead Council and the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle have offered invaluable advice, guidance, and reassurance throughout.

• And we are deeply grateful to our funders: The Wolfson Foundation, Benefact Trust, Bernard Sunley Foundation, The Clothworkers’ Foundation, and Gateshead Parochial Charities, and many others we'll be publicly thanking very soon, without whom this refurbishment would not be possible.

The scaffold going up, to begin work on our new roof, is an important milestone, the beginning of major works to make our building safe, accessible, warm and welcoming.