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West End Women and Girls Centre
Supporting West End Women and Girls through the Greggs Foundation
Nestled in the vibrant West End of Newcastle, the West End Women and Girls Centre stands as a beacon of support, empowerment, and community spirit. Founded with a clear purpose and driven by the collective dedication of its staff and volunteers, this organisation has played a pivotal role in transforming the lives of women and girls in the area.
The West End Women and Girls Centre has been supported by the Greggs Foundation for three years, with grants totalling £50,000. As one of the recipients of our Community Hub funding, the annual grant received by the centre is funded through a share of the profits from Greggs Outlets. The Community Hub programme aims to financially assist organisations that are making a difference in local areas surrounding any of the Greggs Outlets.
The grant is put to excellent use by the West End Women and Girls Centre. It funds the salary of an in-house cook responsible for a programme of cooking classes throughout the week, and who uses the fruit and vegetables harvested from the community garden in Elswick to prepare nutritious meals. It’s a great example of how funding from the Community Hub programme is directly supporting an organisation making a positive impact.
History of the Centre
The West End Women and Girls Centre emerged in 1981 when local volunteers recognised the pressing need for a safe and nurturing space dedicated to the needs of women and girls in the West End of Newcastle. Driven by a desire to address the socio-economic challenges and gender-based inequalities prevalent in the area, the initial club at Elswick Pool grew quickly. Developing from one evening session to run across multiple days, with a specific provision for teenage girls. This then evolved into daytime sessions with a creche facility before the popularity of the groups necessitated a shift from a social focus to more skill building for attendees.
From a small community project, the West End Women and Girl’s Centre now provides a range of essential resources, opportunities and workshops. Over the years, it has evolved into a trusted hub where women and girls can find solace, inspiration, and a supportive network with advice on everything from housing, legal issues, surviving domestic abuse, jobs and volunteering.
One of its greatest achievements lies in breaking down barriers to education and employment. Through educational support and vocational training, the centre has empowered women and girls to pursue further studies or secure meaningful employment, enabling them to gain financial independence and build successful futures.
Shaping the Future
Whether it’s teaching adults to ride a bicycle or learning to prepare healthy and nutritious meals, it is the local community that helps drive the programme of support offered by the centre.
We really can’t thank The Greggs Foundation enough for supporting us in our purpose to support women and girls in the West End of Newcastle with advice, key services and skills-building opportunities. During the pandemic, it was our community of women and girls who really made us consider new ways we could provide value to the local area. We were delivering 500 portions of soup into the community every week and as we visited more people at home, we came to realise how important access to green space was for many in our local community. One of our members of staff knew of a farm in Northumberland not too far from Morpeth. The land was owned by the National Trust and formed part of the original Wallington Estate, gifted to the National Trust by Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan in 1942. Unbeknownst to us, Sir Charles Trevelyan had in fact stated that he wanted the estate to provide opportunities to those living in the West End of Newcastle, where he served as a labour MP. With this information, the National Trust were able to offer us the lease for Fallowlees Farm – fulfilling the original wishes of Sir Charles - and in the process creating a new destination and powerful skill-building location for us to use. We have a member of staff who lives onsite all year-round, but we visit every week to help build facilities, hold social retreats and tend to the farm. More than anything, the farm is a space away from the urban landscape of Newcastle which we use for camping retreats and a chance to enjoy the countryside. It’s a real treat for our women and girls to enjoy.Centre Coordinator, Huffty McHugh
For more information on the West End Women and Girls Centre, please visit West End Women and Girls Centre. To access further details on The Greggs Foundation Community Hubs programme, please visit our dedicated grants page.