Newport church hall hopes to be ‘beacon of light’ for community

St Julians Baptist Church, which has been a long-established feature of the area since the 1960s, opened Jubilee Hall in March last year after it was awarded £250,000 of Welsh Government funding to build the facility back in 2017.

Since then, dozens of groups have made a home in the swish-looking building – which boasts a number of function rooms – as the church tries to create a bustling social atmosphere in the building post-pandemic.

The booking secretary for the hall, Matthew Taylor, said he was thrilled to see the hub was getting so much use.

The hall's booking secretary, Matthew Taylor.

“The timing has been perfect really,” Mr Taylor told the Argus.

“I think that throughout the pandemic we’d noticed how much people were struggling with things like social isolation and it was then you realise how important a role places like this play in the community.

“The old hall that was here before this building was at the end of its life. We were looking at it and thinking that we needed to do something new with the space.

“We raised about £30k ourselves and then applied for Welsh Government funding back in 2017 which we were lucky enough to get.

“We’ve got so much going on here – we get choirs, Pilates, gymnastics, playgroups, arts and crafts groups and various other societies using the space which is wonderful to see.

The main room of the hall - which has a divider to split into two rooms.

“We want to play our part in the community here in St Julians and it’s not just about hosting classes – it’s a space where we help each other out too.”

Two district nurses began operating out of the hall during the pandemic and continue to do so.

Mr Taylor, who grew up in St Julians and has been affiliated with its Baptist church all his life, said there were plans to expand what the hall currently offers, with a coffee shop space being considered.

St Julians Baptist Church has been a mainstay in the area since the 1960s.

“We’re always looking to do more, add more classes, make ourselves more useful to the community,” he added.

“We’ve got such a great range – we even have a Hungarian cultural community meet here to learn English. It’s really lovely to see the space being utilised so well and for people to be out and about chatting and interacting again.

There's also a brand new kitchen which serves up Sunday lunches for churchgoers.

“We’re now hoping to open a coffee shop space which would provide more opportunities for people to meet up.”

As for Jubilee Hall itself, alongside its several function rooms, there is also a new stainless steel kitchen, which is also providing churchgoers with a Sunday lunch after service.

Mr Taylor said the support from local councillors and politicians had been great, with Newport East MP Jess Morden and its MS John Griffiths enjoying a breakfast morning at the hall recently.

It’s hoped that the centre can continue to recruit more groups as it continues on its journey towards being a force for good in St Julians.

A handful of smaller rooms off-shoot the main hall area.

“We just want to be there for the community,” Mr Taylor added.

“I think it’s about using what we have here to fit the needs of the community – whether that be doing things to combat social isolation or helping to keep kids off the streets – we want to enact positive change in the area.”