Started in May 2007, the Friends of St Mary’s is an independent group of local people that care about and want to support and promote this beautiful, inspiring building and its heritage.
Membership of the group is free, and members are able to choose their level of involvement to suit their interests and needs.
St Mary’s is now home to St. Mary’s Heritage Centre, where visitors can find out about Gateshead’s past through family history research, guided tours, and exhibitions. The Friends group will make an important contribution to bringing the building to life for all visitors.
Becoming a Friend will give you the opportunity to do any or all of the following:
- Promote St Mary’s to Gateshead’s visitors and residents.
- Contribute memories and tales about the building.
- Give guided walks or talks of the building and its surroundings.
- Assist with the provision of educational activities and projects.
- Attend talks, social gatherings, meetings and other events about St Mary’s.
- Have a say in what is going on now and what is planned for the future.
The Friends group has gained momentum quickly, having already acquired over 140 members! Many of the friends have personal links to St Mary’s from its time as a Church where local people were Christened, married, or buried. Others have a keen interest in local history and heritage, or in volunteering to help with the above activities.
If you would like to join the Friends, please contact Sarah Allton by telephone on 0191 433 4699 or via email at sarahallton@gateshead.gov.uk.
The Friends also have a group set up on the popular online social network, Facebook. The group’s page provides news updates, a forum for views about St Mary’s, a place to display photographs of the building and its events, and an opportunity to socialise online with other Friends - not only from the local area, but all over the world!
Simply ask Facebook to search for ’Friends of St Mary’s, Gateshead’, and follow the on-screen instructions. To join the Facebook group you must have a Facebook account, which is completely free to set up through www.facebook.com
