Our community cycling project runs twice a week in Gateshead. Bikes, helmets and support are provided, and beginners are very welcome.
Our weekly drop-in in Sunderland offers advice on housing, work, benefits and health, in a friendly space where you will meet people who understand.
Supporting Eritrean integration across Tyne and Wear for more than 20 years.
About us
TWECA was established more than 20 years ago to support Eritrean people living across Tyne and Wear. Over time our work has grown to include refugees and other people from East African communities. As the number of people we supported increased, we formalised the organisation and gained charitable status in October 2025.
We provide a welcoming place where people find practical help, build friendships and take part in community life. When someone needs specialist help, we refer them to statutory or voluntary organisations, and we work with partners to help people understand and exercise their rights.
Everyone is welcome, whatever their status.
Our activities are free to take part in.
Much of our work is led by volunteers.
Registered charity number 1215306.
New to the area? Come and meet us. There is no cost and no paperwork.
Get in touch20
Years serving the community3
Towns: Gateshead, Newcastle and Sunderland3
Projects backed by The National Lottery50
People consulted to shape our Sunderland drop-inWhy it matters
Many of the people we support live in areas with high levels of deprivation. They may face language barriers, isolation, financial hardship, or difficulty finding the right support. Our long-standing relationships with the community help us reach people who would otherwise miss out on services.
We respond to the needs people bring to us
Practical help alongside a place to belong
Free to take part, with no paperwork
What we do
Gateshead
Rides twice a week, 42 weeks of the year, for men, women and young people aged 16 and over. Each session takes 10 to 15 riders and lasts up to 90 minutes, with time to sit and talk before and after. Bikes and helmets are provided.
Supported by National Lottery players, through Sport England
Join a ride
Sunderland
A weekly drop-in in a community centre, offering advice and signposting on housing, employment, benefits and health, alongside emotional support and wellbeing activities. Come for the help, stay for the company.
Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund
Find the drop-in
Tyne and Wear
Food support, welfare advice, sports, social gatherings and wellbeing activities, plus training and workshops that help people build skills and confidence. Our volunteers welcome new members and help people connect with local services.
Led by our volunteers
Get involvedOur heritage
Building bridges between the generations, in Newcastle upon Tyne.
The coffee ceremony is at the heart of Eritrean life. With support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we ran workshops teaching young people to roast, grind and brew coffee the traditional way, built a resource library of books, equipment and film, and held a celebration of Eritrean food and culture in Newcastle.
The workshops continue, the library keeps growing, and a community committee now looks after our cultural events.
25
young people at the workshops50+
people at the celebration90%
wanted to keep learning85%
learned something new about Eritrean heritage
Watch
Two films made during the heritage project, recording the ceremony and the celebration that closed the project.
In their words
The workshops have given me a deeper connection to my heritage and taught me skills I can share with my family.
It was good to be able to share coffee and chat without mobile phones buzzing.
The event was a beautiful showcase of Eritrean culture. It was enlightening to see the community come together and celebrate our traditions.
Every project we run is paid for by someone, and we think you should know who.
Our cycling project in Gateshead, made possible by National Lottery players through Sport England.
Our weekly drop-in in Sunderland, made possible by National Lottery players through The National Lottery Community Fund.
Preserving the coffee ceremony in Newcastle, made possible by National Lottery players through The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Cycling meeting points
Drop-in sessions, Sunderland
We speak Tigrinya, Amharic and English.
Everything we run is free to take part in.
Bikes and helmets are provided.
No paperwork and no referral needed.
