More than a Cafe: 5 Years of Transforming Lives at Cafe 16 in Newcastle Cathedral

When you order a coffee and a slice of cake at Café 16 in Newcastle Cathedral, you’re doing far more than treating yourself. You’re helping someone rebuild their life.

Café 16 opened its doors in the Cathedral in the summer of 2021, run by the Northumberland charity The Oswin Project, which offers second chances to people leaving prison. Four years on, we wanted to look back at what that support has made possible — both in cups of coffee and, far more importantly, in lives changed.

By the numbers

Our tills have been busy. Since opening in 2021 we’ve served an estimated quarter of a million items across more than 125,000 visits — and every single one has helped fund training, mentoring and paid work for people who need a fresh start.

Looking at the last two years of sales alone tells the story of a proper neighbourhood café:

• More than 15,700 coffees pulled and over 9,100 pots of tea brewed — turns out our customers are a coffee crowd, splitting roughly 63% coffee to 37% tea.
• Over 7,400 traybakes and 5,300 slices of cake enjoyed, with Carrot & Walnut and Lemon Drizzle running neck-and-neck for the title of favourite.
• More than 6,100 freshly baked scones and over 1,750 bowls of homemade soup.
• Saturday is reliably our busiest day, and the lunchtime rush between 12 and 1 is when the café really comes alive.

Behind every one of those numbers is a member of our team learning new skills, growing in confidence and taking a real step forward. Here are two of their stories.

Lisa’s story: “My first ever paid job”

Lisa first heard about the Oswin Project by chance, during a session on the community payback bus, and immediately thought it sounded like something for her. Keen to make progress, she asked her Probation Officer to make a referral.

After an initial meeting at the farm shop, we made a plan for her to visit and meet the team at Café 16. The feedback from probation said it all: “Lisa has just called ecstatic with today’s meeting, massive thanks Caroline, you’ve brought a tear to my eye.” Lisa summed up her own first impression of volunteering in just two words — “loved it!”

She quickly realised that working with us would help her complete her community hours. Having previously managed just four hours a fortnight, she was soon doing sixteen hours a week. Starting in March with 150 hours to complete, she had finished them all by July.

But the hours were only part of it. “My confidence has improved, and I am better at socialising than previously,” she told us. “I have learnt that it is ok to ask for help — everyone here is willing to help.”

Lisa’s work ethic, ability and friendly manner didn’t go unnoticed. Our Café 16 Manager and the wider team offered her paid employment, which she took up once her community hours were done. She counts landing that role as her proudest achievement — “getting the job — my first ever paid job!”

“Looking at myself now compared to this time last year is unbelievable,” she says. “Within a year I have completed all my community hours, got a paid job and feel so much better in myself. I am so proud of myself for getting where I am.”

Jack’s story: “Oswin is like a family, not employers”

Jack was our first team member to join on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL), coming to us from HMP Kirklevington Grange. After his first day at Café 16 in the Cathedral, he said simply: “This is like a dream, I can’t believe I am here.”

Jack’s journey with us actually began back in 2021, when he first worked at Café 16 inside HMP Northumberland. “My spark has come back,” he said at the time. “The fire in my belly is lit again — I want to return to this industry, despite a gap of many years.” Even after leaving HMPN, our team kept in monthly contact, checking in and offering support. “Their support has been brilliant,” he says.

When Jack arrived at HMP Kirklevington Grange and became eligible for ROTL, he was determined to follow the pathway through to our café at Newcastle Cathedral. He kept to his word, starting work with us and — after his first two weeks — receiving his first pay packet in many years, and learning to use internet banking for the first time. He has brought real experience and joy to the café.

“ROTL has helped me integrate back into society by working while in prison,” Jack explains. It also opened doors to help he hadn’t known existed — housing referrals and “everyday life stuff” he’d had no way of accessing inside.

“Caroline and Chris have gone way beyond any help I thought someone would offer. Chris even picked me up on my release day! Without their help, support, speaking up for me, having my back and even caring for me, I don’t think I would have got my parole. They supplied references for me and supported me with probation throughout my hearing. Oswin is like a family, not employers.”

Today, Jack is released from prison and in full-time employment with The Oswin Project, working at Café 16 in Newcastle Cathedral.

Every cup counts

Numbers like a quarter of a million items sold are lovely to celebrate — but they matter because of what they make possible. Every coffee, every scone and every bowl of soup helps someone like Lisa or Jack find their confidence, their independence and, often, their first paid job in years.

So next time you’re in Newcastle Cathedral, come and say hello. Order a Lemon Drizzle, stay for a pot of tea, and know that you’re part of something that changes lives.