Something Wonderful is happening in Benwell and Scotswood.

Strengthening the community and preserving its heritage.

Something Wonderful is a project of Benwell and Scotswood Team Parish, based at St James Church Benwell that aims to strengthen the local community, whatever their background or belief. We have named it ‘Something Wonderful’ as we want to do just that – continue to be a place run by and for the community where you can encounter/eat/learn/create/do/be something wonderful.

Just some of our activities include:

Pathways welfare support hub

Pay-what-you-feel café

Art club

Creative writing group

Gardening and local history group

Interfaith and intercultural community events

Tours, talks and exhibitions.

We also have an aim to open up, restore, and honour the sacred heritage space of St James' church to keep it as a resource for the community.

Currently, St James is open every weekday with hundreds of people coming through the doors every week for community use. However, this grade II listed building is also in a poor state of repair. Only one third of the building is usable, the roof leaks, the heating system is broken, and the lights don't work.

But, we have an aim for St James' to be less burdensome and more environmentally friendly. We want to secure its future for a diverse urban community, as a place that belongs to them and is part of their story.