Holy Rosary Parish House Refurbishment Update

We’re excited to share the latest progress on the refurbishment of the Holy Rosary Parish House, an important project that will help ensure this much-loved building continues to serve our community for years to come.

For 35 years, Teams and Bensham Community Care has been a lifeline for older adults in the area, hosting lunch clubs, men's groups, and a variety of social activities designed to combat isolation, promote wellbeing, and offer a sense of belonging. The charity provides freshly cooked meals, wellbeing activities, door-to-door minibus transport, and opportunities for volunteering and meaningful social connections. With many attendees facing challenges such as ill health, social isolation, and bereavement, the groups are deeply valued by the community, with participants attending one to three times each week.

Why the Refurbishment Is Happening

The parish house has provided vital space for parish life and community support for many years. Meanwhile, our communal lounge on Bolam Street will be demolished in the future along with Redheugh and Eslington Court flats.

The Holy Rosary Parish House will need modernisation to make it safer, more accessible, and better suited to the needs of our beneficiaries and this refurbishment will create a warmer, more energy-efficient, and more welcoming environment for everyone.

What’s Being Done

Planned improvements include accessible entryways, widened doorways, accessible toilets, and the conversion of the domestic kitchen into a professional-grade facility to support the preparation of hot meals for our beneficiaries.

Progress So Far

We’re pleased to report that significant progress has already been made, with several major stages now complete:

• General Site Setup – ✔️ 100%

• Demolition of Garage, Lobby, and Store – ✔️ 100%

• Alteration of Boundary Wall – ✔️ 100%

• Internal Strip Out – ✔️ 100%

• Internal Alterations, Demolitions, and Structural Work – ✔️ 100%

• Extension (Reduced Levels and Foundations) – ✔️ 100%

• Below Damp Proof Course Brickwork/Blockwork – ✔️ 100%

Inside, doorways have been bricked up, new structural openings created, and preparatory works completed for the new layout. Outside, the boundary wall has been altered and new foundations laid, while materials are on site ready for the next phase of construction.

What’s Next

With the structural groundwork and early construction stages complete, the next phase will see the extension begin to take shape above ground level, and lots of exciting changes inside. We can't wait to see it take shape.

We’ll continue to share updates as the exciting work progresses.

Our activities are still taking place at our Bolam Street address until our Holy Rosary home is ready. If you or someone you know would like to join us at one or more of our lunch clubs (held mid-morning to mid-afternoons on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays) or one or both of our men's groups (held mid-morning to mid-afternoon on Mondays and Thursdays), contact our team on 0191 4600297. There's a range of activities at each group, a freshly cooked two-course meal, refreshments and accessible minibus transport from home and back again in the local area.