We can’t quite believe it’s the final newsletter of the year! We’ve had another busy year here on the estate, with even more planned for next year. This year saw The Lighthouse Project open its doors. The state-of-the-art youth and community hub has already made a huge impact within Byker and has so much planned for the
upcoming year. Head to page 4 to find out more.
During October half term the estate held its first street food market. There was a great range of food vendors and activities, with lots of community partners getting involved. We all had a brilliant time and hope residents who attended did too. Turn to page 6 to see highlights from the day.
The festive season can be a very expensive time of year, but it’s important that you maintain your rent payments. Depending on your tenancy you could either pay your rent over 49 or 52 weeks. If you pay over 52 weeks you must continue to pay your rent over the Christmas period, and if it’s over 49 weeks it’s a great opportunity to build some credit up on your account, or clear rent arrears. Head to page 7 to find out more.
You may remember in the previous edition of the Byker News we announced funding to refurbish some of the hobby rooms on the estate. One of these rooms will be turned into an artist’s studio and we’re now accepting applications from individuals or groups who would like to take on the space. Head to page 14 to find out more.
Whilst we want everyone to have a brilliant festive season, we want to keep you and your homes safe. On page 10 Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service have put some handy tips together to keep you safe from fire risks this Christmas. As always, we welcome your feedback about this newsletter and the services we deliver, please speak to your Neighbourhood Housing Officer or a member of staff within our Customer
Services Team.
This just leaves me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy 2026. If you’re on Facebook, please do give us a follow @bykercommunitytrust where we post regular updates about what’s happening on the estate.
Michelle Bell
Assistant Director – Byker
Byker News Winter 2025
We can’t quite believe it’s the final newsletter of the year! We’ve had another busy year here on the estate, with even more planned for next year. This year saw The Lighthouse Project open its doors. The state-of-the-art youth and community hub has already made a huge impact within Byker and has so much planned for the
upcoming year. Head to page 4 to find out more.
During October half term the estate held its first street food market. There was a great range of food vendors and activities, with lots of community partners getting involved. We all had a brilliant time and hope residents who attended did too. Turn to page 6 to see highlights from the day.
The festive season can be a very expensive time of year, but it’s important that you maintain your rent payments. Depending on your tenancy you could either pay your rent over 49 or 52 weeks. If you pay over 52 weeks you must continue to pay your rent over the Christmas period, and if it’s over 49 weeks it’s a great opportunity to build some credit up on your account, or clear rent arrears. Head to page 7 to find out more.
You may remember in the previous edition of the Byker News we announced funding to refurbish some of the hobby rooms on the estate. One of these rooms will be turned into an artist’s studio and we’re now accepting applications from individuals or groups who would like to take on the space. Head to page 14 to find out more.
Whilst we want everyone to have a brilliant festive season, we want to keep you and your homes safe. On page 10 Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service have put some handy tips together to keep you safe from fire risks this Christmas. As always, we welcome your feedback about this newsletter and the services we deliver, please speak to your Neighbourhood Housing Officer or a member of staff within our Customer
Services Team.
This just leaves me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy 2026. If you’re on Facebook, please do give us a follow @bykercommunitytrust where we post regular updates about what’s happening on the estate.
Michelle Bell
Assistant Director – Byker
Byker News Winter 2025
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