Winn Group is delighted to play its part in the creation of a new Byker-based community centre, called the Lighthouse Project.

Built to support the families living in the Byker wall area of the city, we, as a proud resident of the area, are thrilled to have contributed £12,000 worth of kitchen and art resources to assist the project.

The Lighthouse Project is a state-of-the-art facility that will offer a range of activities and opportunities for youngsters in the local area.

After a mixture of grants from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Youth Investment Fund, the Lord Crewe Trust, and the Squires Foundation, as well as significant input from local businesses like ourselves, the project was unveiled at St Michael’s Church after 18 months of work.

Set to provide for 1,500 young people and their families each year, the Lighthouse Project has a youth club annexe, arts and performance spaces, an e-sports suite, a music rehearsal space, an outdoor multi-purpose sports area, and a nature trail.

With a fully functional kitchen space prepared and ready for cookery classes inside the building, the project has revived a previously underused building and breathed new life into this area of Byker Wall.

Also providing a new home for the Byker Scout Group, the multi-purpose venue is sure to be put to good use by the local community.

Ben Roman, Chief Executive at The Lighthouse Project, said: “The transformation of St Michael’s has seen us trying to use every available space inside and outside the building to provide something that will benefit local young people and families.

“Our team has created an outstanding facility over the last 18 months, and we’re confident that the new opportunities we’ll be opening up and the aspirations we’ll be raising here will give many more young people in Byker the chance to fully realise their potential.

“Seeing major North East businesses and charitable trusts getting behind our plans has added credibility and confidence in what we’re looking to do.

“Our long-term goal is to see the template we’ve created here for delivering young people’s services being replicated in cities right around the UK, and we’re excited to be at the start of something that we hope will one day make Byker even more famous.”

The Lighthouse Project will also be one of the recipients of the ‘Trees of Hope’ Sycamore Gap saplings that are being gifted to individuals, groups and organisations across the UK by The National Trust, with its sapling due to be planted next winter in an area which will be used for Forest School activities by two local primary schools.

Ross Jackson, Winn Group Deputy CSR Lead, commented: “This is a project that will make a massive difference to the lives of countless youngsters in Byker Wall.

“Lacking a genuine community space, this provides safety, security, and a warm, welcoming environment that encourages youngsters to aspire, to learn, and to enjoy themselves while doing that.

“We’re proud to support our local community and this is one of the largest impact projects in a number of years in Byker – we’re delighted to help it on the way to a successful opening and beyond.”