Something Wonderful
is happening in Benwell

Strengthening the community of Benwell and Scotswood and preserving its heritage.

Something Wonderful is a project 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.

Group of people celebrating, with many raising hands and smiling, inside a room with bookshelves, artwork, and craft supplies on the table.
Orange circular logo with white cityscape silhouette and the words 'Something Wonderful' in stylized font.
Donate to Something Wonderful

You will be taken to our 'Give a Little' page.

  • Person viewing black and white portrait photographs of children and adults on a gallery wall.

  • A man making a miniature house model at an outdoor table with art supplies, while other people are painting and working on art projects in a lush garden.

  • A woman wearing a gray hat cradles a sleeping child with an oxygen tube in a cozy indoor setting.

  • A band of four musicians performing on a small stage inside a church with stained glass windows in the background. The band includes a female guitarist and vocalist, a male bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist. There are two large speakers on stands, a projection screen to the right, and musical equipment on the stage.

  • An elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a pink knit hat and a red coat with a furry hood, is painting a picture of a blue parrot on paper set on an easel inside an art studio. She is sitting at a table covered with a floral tablecloth, with a white bag on her lap and a mug and small green bowl on the table.

  • Two women hugging warmly, with one woman wearing glasses and the other having blonde hair.

  • People serving and receiving food at a buffet-style meal in a communal setting.

  • Three smiling adults, two women and one man, are in a room with bookshelves and other people working at tables in the background. The woman in the center is showing her hands, which are covered in dark paint.

  • People participating in a candlelight vigil during the evening, some wearing warm clothing and one person with a Santa hat, in an outdoor setting with trees.

  • People gathered in a banquet hall for a meal, with round tables covered with white tablecloths, bottles of water, soda cans, and plates of food. Some individuals are serving themselves, while others are engaged in conversations. The room has walls decorated with pictures and string lights, and there are posters on the wall.

  • Group of people gathered outdoors for a religious event, with some dressed in liturgical robes and holding candles, standing under green trees on a sunny day.

  • A decorated and illuminated Christmas nativity scene in front of a stone building at night.

Our community

Our building

We engage with hundreds of people every week. We work with many community partners and organisations to provide activities for anyone who may be isolated and vulnerable. This includes families in food poverty, asylum-seekers, those with poor mental health, the elderly, disabled, and others.

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.

St James is a historic and beautiful landmark at the heart of a community which has known much change. We want to open up, restore, and honour this sacred heritage space 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, 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.