Christmas Fair marks opening of new church in Newcastle

The Salvation Army in Newcastle is to host a Christmas Fair to welcome members of the public to its new building in Cowgate for the first time.

Newcastle City Temple’s new Worship and Community Centre in Stamfordham Road will open for festive activities this December at what is an exciting time for the church and charity, which has been without a permanent home in Newcastle for almost 15 years.

Working with the community and other organisations, they will be developing a programme of activities over the coming months and welcome suggestions from people as to what they would like to see from The Salvation Army.

Major Liz Hancock, who leads Newcastle City Temple Corps, said: “After so long without a home, we’re absolutely delighted to be able to finally welcome people to our new building in time for Christmas.

“What a journey it has been over the last few months as we’ve built this building from scratch. We are still putting together the finishing touches, but we’ve got a number of events running through December which are open to all. Please do pop down to say hello.

“As well as being a place of worship, the centre will serve the community with a programme of activities and support services for those in need, with a Christian ethos behind it.

“I have had really positive conversations with residents and businesses in Cowgate about what they would like to see from The Salvation Army. This new hall will provide us with some wonderful opportunities to serve the needs of those within the local community and wider city of Newcastle even more effectively.”

The Christmas Fair will take place on Saturday 26 November between 11am and 2pm. There will be cakes, treats, craft stalls, festive activities and a Santa’s Grotto.

From Monday 28 November and throughout December, each Monday to Friday the hall will be available for anyone to drop in between 10am and 4pm. 

Carol services will be held on Sunday 4th, 11th, and 18th December at 5pm while on Christmas Eve the ‘Away in a Manger’ crib service will take place at 4pm. On Christmas Day there will be a morning service at 10.30am.

Liz added: “I want to thank all of those who played a part in making this happen, from funders and fundraisers, our congregation and our Salvation Army team, as well as Shaun Ramsey Construction who helped turn our vision into a reality. A big thank you also to all at the Brunswick Methodist Church, which has been our home for the past 14 years, we have been grateful for the support of our friends there.

“As a corps we are really excited about what is to come for the Salvation Army in Newcastle and look forward to having the community alongside us on this journey.”

Major David Burns, Divisional Commander for the North East of England, said: “The Salvation Army in Newcastle has a long history of serving the people of the city. This new facility will enable us to house our church and community work into the future. We look forward to sharing the love of God in practical and new ways across the city.”

The Salvation Army has a 142-year history in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Since 1889, the City Temple Corps was based between Bath Lane and Westgate Road, however spiralling costs associated with the building forced them to leave in 2008. For the past 14 years, they have been housed in the Brunswick Methodist Church in Brunswick Place.

The building is on Stamfordham Road, NE3 5JQ and can be accessed via Westerhope Gardens NE5 3JP. For more information visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/newcastle-city-temple or search for Newcastle City Temple Salvation Army Church on Facebook.