Things are constantly changing in Newcastle – and our aim is to put residents at the heart of that change. 

A charitable company with a community vision, Centre West works to give residents a voice in the issues that matter in the Newcastle. Local people are at the heart of our work – our Trustees are local people and specialists with a passion for making a difference.  

If you would like to make a difference and join our Board, we would love to hear from you. (See contact details below).  

Centre West grew from the successful Newcastle New Deal for Communities programme, with a focus on issues like jobs, health, education and the environment – and above all, a strong, safe community. 

We work with communities across Newcastle and now in Gateshead, typically in the more disadvantaged neighbourhoods, with children, young people and families.  

Making things happen 

That means supporting projects like The Beacon – a £6.7m centre for enterprise and community on Westgate Road. Popular with local groups and businesses alike, The Beacon has made a real impact promoting and supporting enterprise in our community. 

It means backing schemes like Hat-Trick which helps thousands of young people every year to gain skills and confidence through sport and CHEFF - Cooking, Healthy Eating, Fitness and Fun work with hundreds more and their families.  

And most of all, it means giving local people a helping hand to get involved and make a difference. 

If you’d like to find out more about Centre West, we’d love to hear from you: send us a message, call us on 0191 242 4894, or email enquires@centre-west.com. 

 Centre-West Board of Trustees

George is a governor of a local primary school (St Paul’s on the Rye Hill). He represents that school on the West Schools Trust. That trust supports primary schools across the West of the city from Elswick to Lemington.

George is passionate about the success of Centre West. He and his colleagues are really glad that Hat Trick and CHEFF are enjoying success. He is eager to see similar successes in the near future as Centre West seeks to see especially the inner-West of the city prosper.

George is also a trustee of the Beacon Partnership, a joint venture with another local charity. Together they developed and are responsible for The Beacon, situated on the West Road.

Fergus Laird is a partner of Commercial Property specialists Naylors Gavin Black, a firm that has had its roots in the Newcastle since 1990. Fergus deals with commercial property as an investment vehicle in his day to day job.

Fergus’ connections with Centre West go back over 20 years when he was real estate advisor to Centre Wests predecessor, Newcastle New Deal for the Communities.  During that period Fergus showed an interest in the Charity and was invited to become a trustee ,which he gladly accepted.  Fergus says ‘I have had a great interest in the outcomes of the charity since becoming trustee.  My day-to-day skills were important to the charity in its earlier days when its income was derived from property investment’.  As the charity has developed Fergus management skills have been helpful.

Fergus is also a trustee of the Beacon Partnership, a joint venture with another local charity running the prestigious community and serviced office centre in the West End of Newcastle, The Beacon.

Marie Bartley has been a School Business Manager at St John’s Primary School in Benwell for nine years. St John’s is at the heart of the local community. The School Business Manager role involves managing the school budget, health & safety, facilities, policies and the school kitchen. As well as the school there is also The Turf @ St John’s the community sports facility which is open throughout the year.

Marie joined the Board of Centre West in 2021 during lockdown. Hat-Trick have always worked closely with St John’s and supported the work of the school and particularly The Turf. It was hoped that by joining the Board of Centre West this relationship could be strengthened further with St John’s providing a link to the local community.

Marie’s strengths were quickly put to use in re-writing the safeguarding policy for the organisation.

Habib Rahman is a Newcastle City Council Councillor first elected in 2010 as a Labour Party Cllr serving Elswick Ward. Cllr Habib Rahman is serving the Centre West Board in his capacity as a Councillor. Habib Rahman served in the front bench of local politics becoming the City's first Black, Muslim Cabinet member in 2019. In 2021 Habib was elected as the Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, his term of office coming to an end in May 2022 becoming the City's first Black, Muslim Cllr to hold this office in its 806 histories of Mayoralty. 

Habib lives with his family within the Centre West area, his link with Centre West dates back to the formation of the New Deal for Communities some 20 years ago. Habib is a Youth and Community worker in profession and is passionate to support the Charity with all its interest helping and supporting the diverse communities within its area of benefit.

Lou Douglas is the Customer Relationship Lead at CMR Group, a long-established manufacturing business based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Lou deals with global OEMs in her day-to-day role and works with CMR’s other sites worldwide.

Lou has worked with Centre West for over 7 years and joined the Board in 2017 after her professional role brought her into contact with the team there. Lou showed a real interest in the projects the team was involved in and was invited to become a trustee. Lou has been able to use her skills in Business, Communication and Recruitment to work with the Centre West team.

Lou is also a trustee of the Elswick Pool and Leisure Centre. This started as a secondment from The
Centre-West board as part of a charitable partnership, but due to the drive of the board and employees, along with the positive effects on the local community, Lou has remained on the board even after the secondment had ended.