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InformationNow News 3 July 2026
3 July 2026
InformationNow News 17 July 2026
InformationNOW
Hello from Hannah Riley – the new Prevention, Information and Advice Lead joining the InformationNow team! I’ve spent recent weeks settling into my new role, getting out there and learning lots about how adult social care supports the people of Newcastle every day. I’m excited to make new connections in the coming weeks and months, and to contribute to shaping the future of InformationNow alongside colleagues and residents.
Visit www.informationnow.org.uk today and keep Newcastle connected.
School Summer Holidays
It’s officially the summer holidays and time for Newcastle’s Best Holiday Ever!
Newcastle’s Best Holiday Ever is designed for families in Newcastle during the summer holidays to help children, young people and their parents have fulfilling, active, fun-filled and healthy experiences.
Read more about Newcaste’s Best Holiday Ever
Newcastle Pride 2026
Newcastle Pride is returning in 2026 on 25th & 26th of July. After 17 incredible years shaped by registered charity Northern Pride, the festival steps into an exciting new chapter led by the Curious family.
2026 promises a return to the city centre, city-wide celebrations and a Pride weekend designed with the community at its heart.
Read more on InformationNow about Northern Pride
Help Us Improve InformationNow!
Could you help us shape how people of Newcastle access and use InformationNow.org.uk?
We’re looking for people to join us in gathering feedback on InformationNow in a short, interactive session at the Civic Centre.
Whether you use the website in a professional capacity within the council, in the VCSE sector or as a local provider, or you use InformationNow to support you in any way in your daily life, we’re keen to hear from you. This session will focus mostly on making sure InformationNow is as accessible and easy to navigate as possible.
The group will meet on Tuesday 25 August 2026, 2pm to 3pm. If you’d like to join us, register your interest here.
Read more on InformationNow about the ways you can currently make InformationNow more accessible.
SPOTLIGHT ON
New Women’s Health Service Pilot opens in Newcastle
A new Women’s Health Hub pilot will launch in Newcastle next month, bringing specialist women’s health support closer to local communities. Initially, the service will operate one day a week from the East of Newcastle, but with plans to expand to additional days and other areas of the city later this year.
The service will provide faster access to GPs with a special interest in women’s health, working alongside a community gynaecologist to support patients with conditions including menopause, heavy or irregular bleeding, and pelvic pain. The pilot is designed to complement hospital-based gynaecology services, helping to ensure that patients whose care can be safely managed within community settings are seen more quickly and receive timely advice, assessment and treatment.
Click here to read more about the programme
For more information, please get in touch with their team at [email protected]
Read more on InformationNow about Newcastle GP Services
Free School Meals are Changing
Free school meals can help with the cost of living. The scheme also makes sure that children can have a healthy meal during the school day. Click here to download a leaflet that explains the different types of school meals, who can get them and how to apply.
Find out more about the changes here
Read more about Newcastle’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme
Read more on InformationNow about Free meals and affordable food in Newcastle
OPPORTUNITIES
Would you like to volunteer?
Could you spare a few hours this summer to help support local families? The Owl Tree are looking for friendly, reliable volunteers to join the team at The Owl Tree Children’s Cafe, helping with everything from welcoming families, making and serving food to crafting, all whilst creating a warm, inclusive space.
If you would like to help out, email [email protected]
Read more on InformationNow about The Owl Tree Children’s Cafe
Newcastle Restaurant Week
3 to 9 August 2026
Dine at some of the city’s top restaurants for just £15, £20 and £25 per person. NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week is back with a smorgasbord of new places to try!
Read more on InformationNow about Get Into Newcastle NE1
Ready to be part of Newcastle history?
Don’t just watch it. Be part of it. This is your chance to be right at the heart of one of the biggest outdoor artworks Newcastle has ever seen.
Newcastle City Council are looking for 300+ friendly volunteers from across the North East to help make Dominoes Newcastle happen on Sunday 9 August; this isn’t your average volunteering opportunity.
Created by the internationally acclaimed Station House Opera, Dominoes Newcastle is the spectacular headline finale of NOVUM Summer Festival. Thousands of breeze blocks. A giant chain reaction. One incredible domino run weaving through the streets of Newcastle city centre.
And it simply can’t happen without volunteers helping to build the giant domino run…..
We are looking for individuals, couples, community groups, organisational teams and families with children aged 8yrs+.
This is a one-day, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be at the heart an extraordinary city-wide event, meet brilliant people, be part of an amazing team and help create a moment that thousands will remember for years to come.
To sign up email: [email protected]
Read more on InformationNow about Novum festival
CONSULTATION AND ENGAGEMENT
Curious about Medical Research?
6pm – 7.30pm Wednesday 22 July 2026 at Whitley Bay Big Local, 158 Whitley Road, Whitley Bay, NE26 2LY
Join a free event to look at how science is helping improve healthcare. The event is open to everyone – no science background needed! The talk will cover
- If computers replace animal testing
- What happens when silver fillings disappear
- Can computers help us understand skin disease?
- Solving the mystery of rare skin conditions in children
Refreshments and buffet provided.
Read more on InformationNow about Get involved in health research
Research Interest Groups
One of the outcomes of the Connecting People, Connecting Ideas event in March was the establishment of ‘Research Interest Groups’ (RIGs). It is hoped that the RIGs will bring together a variety of individuals from diverse sectors to create meaningful collaboration to explore opportunities for research within a specific areas. For example; children in care, transport and active travel, healthy ageing, healthy places and many more.
Click here to see the whole list of groups
If you’d like to be involved, email Anna Irvin to join one of the groups.
Read more on InformationNow about Get involved in health research
REPORTS AND RESOURCES
Stop Smoking Training
The Newcastle Stop Smoking+ Service provides free, confidential support to help people quit smoking through a 12-week programme. People who access support from a stop smoking service are up to three times more likely to quit successfully, and these training sessions help professionals feel confident in starting those important conversations.
Upcoming Training Dates
4 August 2026 – 1:00pm – Brief Advice
11 August 2026 – 2.30pm – Very Brief Advice
Read more on InformationNow about Newcastle Stop Smoking+ Service
UPCOMING EVENTS
Screen on the Green
Our much-loved open-air cinema Screen on the Green is back in place at Old Eldon Square this summer and screening two to three films a day from Monday 20 July to Monday 31 August.
Swing by to catch family-friendly films all summer long, alongside cult classics and critically acclaimed gems with Tyneside Cinema Takeovers on Wednesdays plus recent big movie hits with Blockbuster Thursdays.
Read more on InformationNow about Get Into Newcastle NE1
Exploring Urban Plants
10am to 12.30pm, Wednesday 23 September 2026, Star and Shadow Cinema
Weeds, wildflowers, whatever you choose to call them, our towns and cities are home to an astonishing variety of plants just waiting to be discovered. Join us for a relaxed and friendly walk along the Ouse Burn Way as we explore the resilient, remarkable and, in some cases, surprisingly scarce plants thriving in this urban landscape.
Perfect for beginners, this series of walks with botanist and NHSN Senior Naturalist James Common will introduce you to the fascinating flora that shares our city. You’ll learn to recognise common and familiar species, discover what makes them so successful, and develop a new appreciation for the colourful plants bringing life to our streets, parks and riversides.
Read more on InformationNow about Star and Shadow Cinema
Last updated: July 17, 2026
