Grassroots · Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
Byker Community Coop (formerly Byker Mutual Aid)
A neighbour-run mutual aid group on Newcastle's Byker estate, now becoming a community co-op
Shine Sunlight to follow their work and see how it grows.
Since 2020Works locallyTyne Catchment
Started in March 2020, Byker Mutual Aid gave residents of the Byker estate weekly food handouts, emergency shopping, community meals, small crisis payments and phone top-ups for asylum seekers, working from St Michael's Centre and raising about £14,400 in the open through Open Collective. In October 2026 the volunteers set up Byker Community Coop CIC, with plans to become a co-op, and opened a community space at 66 Raby Street.
The group calls itself 'run by locals for locals' and uses the motto 'Solidarity not Charity'. A Transition Network listing describes it as an unconstituted group of about 16 members with no paid roles, supporting 50+ households a week, plus community art and creative projects. A website is planned, and the Facebook group remains its main channel for now.