November & December 2025 – Before planning your visit, please see our ‘Visitor Notices’ page for any temporary changes to opening hours and accessibility updates. Click here to visit.
Donate to Provide a Warm Meal – Changing Lives Christmas Meal Appeal
1st November - 18th December
The Changing Lives Christmas Meal Appeal will return to Café 16 in the Cathedral Refectory on Friday 19 December. (Please note: Café 16 will not be open to the general public on this day.) Individuals in Newcastle who would benefit can enjoy a warm meal, welcoming company, and a supportive environment.
To extend this generosity beyond just one day, Changing Lives will also distribute food and toiletry parcels, as well as Christmas dinners, to those in their services across England.
If more money is raised than is needed to provide Christmas meals this festive period, your generosity will help provide:
- Essential food parcels for those unable to afford food.
- Cooking equipment enabling people in our services to make more home-cooked meals.
- Cooking classes for people in our services to develop their skills not only for cooking but for budgeting too.
- Welcome Household Packs, including items such as bedding, kettles, toasters, microwaves or air fryers.
- Welcome Toiletry Pack, including items such as shampoo, body wash, sanitary items, or dental hygiene products.
About Changing Lives:
Changing Lives has been helping people facing some of the most challenging circumstances for 50 years, having begun as a small charity in the North East helping people who were experiencing homelessness. The charity now operates nationally, helping over 14,000 people each year to change their lives for the better.
About the Oswin Project:
Since 2012, the Oswin Project has been committed to mentoring, training, and supporting individuals with criminal records across the North East. Since its opening in 2021, Café 16 in the Cathedral refectory has offered meaningful opportunities for people to gain employment, learn new skills, and build a fresh start.
Prisoners who work for the charity inside HMP Northumberland can go on to work in the café on day release or once they have finished their sentence. The charity’s work aligns with the Cathedral Lantern Project, which seeks to walk and work alongside those facing dark and difficult circumstances in life.
Find out more and donate £5 today to buy someone a warm meal.
