Who are the Wildlings? Our story, our ethos, our community

We are the Wildlings.

West Allotment Wildlings is a community tabletop gaming club based in Holystone, North Tyneside — and we're so much more than just a games club. We're a crew of painters, collectors, strategists, dungeon crawlers, and storytellers who've built something genuinely special together. Whether you've been rolling dice for decades or you've never picked up a paintbrush in your life, you'll find your people here.

So who are the Wildlings?

We're a Community Interest Company (CIC No. 14640282), which means everything we do is in service of our community — not profit. Every session, every event, every bit of content we put out is designed to bring people together around the hobby they love.

Our members are a proper mixed bag — in the best possible way. We've got seasoned Warhammer veterans, competitive tournament players, casual board gamers, hobbyists who paint for the love of it, and complete beginners taking their very first steps into the hobby. What ties us all together isn't skill level or experience. It's a shared enthusiasm for what tabletop gaming can be at its best: creative, social, welcoming, and endlessly fun.

Our ethos: welcome first, always

The core of everything we do comes down to one simple idea: the hobby should be accessible to everyone. Tabletop gaming has a reputation — sometimes earned — for being intimidating, expensive, or unwelcoming to newcomers. We want to change that narrative, at least in our corner of the North East.

We run beginner-friendly sessions as a matter of course, not as an afterthought. Our Army Painting sessions with Stephen are designed specifically for people who want to learn the craft from the ground up. Our Dungeon Crawler Fridays bring together players of all experience levels around HeroQuest, Warhammer Quest, and the wider dungeon crawler range. And our Advanced Painting sessions with Drew give experienced hobbyists the space to push their skills further.

None of that works without the right atmosphere — and that's something we're genuinely proud of. Walk into a WAW session and you'll find people sharing knowledge, helping each other with rules questions, passing around paints, and talking excitedly about whatever they're working on. That's not an accident. It's something we actively cultivate.

A safe space — not just a slogan

West Allotment Wildlings was created with a very clear purpose: to offer a safe space to absolutely everyone. Not in the vague, well-meaning way that phrase sometimes gets used — but genuinely, practically, deliberately. From the very beginning, mental health and personal wellbeing have been built into the foundations of what we are.

We know that for a lot of people, walking through the door of a club for the first time takes real courage. Social anxiety, past experiences, feeling like you won't fit in — these are real barriers and we take them seriously. That's why we've put effort into making sure that when someone arrives at WAW, they're not just tolerated. They're genuinely welcomed.

The quiet room

One of the things we're most proud of is our quiet room. If a session gets too much — if the noise, the bustle, or just the social energy of an evening starts to feel overwhelming — there's always somewhere to step away to. No questions asked, no fuss, no one making a big deal of it. Just a calm space where you can decompress, gather yourself, and come back when you're ready.

For some of our members, this isn't something they've ever needed to use. For others, knowing it's there is what makes attending possible in the first place. Both of those things are equally valid, and that's exactly the point.

There's always someone to talk to

Every session at WAW has one of our admin team present — and that's intentional. Daryl, Rob, Rob S, Drew, Paul, and Gareth between them bring a wealth of life experience, genuine warmth, and an open-door approach to every evening. These aren't just people who help set up tables and sort out rules disputes. They're the backbone of a community that genuinely looks out for its members.

If something's on your mind — whether it's hobby-related or not — there is always someone on hand. You don't need to make an appointment or find a formal moment. It might just be a conversation over a cup of tea at the end of a session, or five minutes in a corner away from the noise. Whatever you need, however big or small it feels, our team is there.

The hobby itself as a mental health tool

It's worth saying out loud something that a lot of hobbyists already know privately: tabletop gaming and miniature painting can be genuinely good for your mental health. The focus required to paint a model is a form of mindfulness. The narrative escapism of a good campaign gives your brain somewhere to go when real life is heavy. The social connection of a regular club night gives shape to a week that might otherwise feel formless.

We've seen this in action at WAW. Members who've told us that Thursday nights are the highlight of their week. People who came in quietly and left having found a genuine friendship group. Hobbyists who were struggling and found that having something to work on — a model to build, a game to prepare for, a painting challenge to rise to — gave them a focus when everything else felt overwhelming.

We're not a mental health service. We're a games club. But we believe those two things aren't as separate as people sometimes assume — and we're proud that WAW has become a place where both can coexist.

Beyond the gaming table

Our commitment to wellbeing extends beyond the club nights themselves. Our mental health coffee mornings are a deliberate, low-key space for members and the wider community to come together without the pressure of a game or a session agenda. Just people, a hot drink, and the time to talk. No structure, no expectations — just connection.

It's a small thing on paper. In practice, for the people who've come through the door on those mornings, it's meant a great deal.

What we actually do

On any given week at WAW, you might find:

• Games Workshop battles across Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, and beyond

• Dungeon crawlers and narrative campaigns running on Fridays

• Miniature painting sessions for all levels — from basecoat basics to advanced techniques

• Board games, skirmish games, and everything in between

• Community events, trading sessions, and the odd social occasion

We also take the wider community seriously. Our mental health coffee mornings, trading events like the Wildlings Trading Post, and our involvement in multi-club collaborations like the North East Tabletop Show all reflect a belief that a games club can and should be a real community asset. The hobby is the vehicle — connection is the destination.

Competitive? Yes. Cutthroat? Never.

We're proud to be part of the King Beyond the Wall Warhammer 40K tournament circuit — and even prouder that WAW players have earned a Golden Ticket to the 2026 World Championships in Barcelona. That's a remarkable achievement and a testament to the quality of players we have in our club.

But competitive gaming sits comfortably alongside the casual and creative side of what we do. The same club that produces tournament-ready armies also runs sessions where someone paints their very first model. Both are equally valid, equally celebrated.

The people who make it work

WAW wouldn't be what it is without the people who give their time to make it happen. Daryl, Rob, Rob S, Drew, Paul, and Gareth form the admin team that keeps the wheels turning — and what makes them exceptional isn't just the hours they put in, but the way they show up for people. Between them, they greet every new face, keep an eye on how members are doing, and make sure no one ever feels invisible at a WAW session.

Paul keeps things running and is always on hand to introduce people to new systems. Drew pushes the painting craft forward with his advanced sessions. Ben — who many of you know as Benvolio Miniatures — brings an incredible standard of commission painting and genuine generosity with his knowledge. And every single regular member who shows up, helps pack away, plays a game, and shares their enthusiasm is part of what makes this work.

This is a member-led, community-driven club. The CIC structure exists to make sure it stays that way. And the admin team — Daryl, Rob, Rob S, Drew, Paul, and Gareth — are the living proof of that commitment, week in, week out.

Come and find your people

If you're curious about the hobby, thinking about getting back into it after a break, or just looking for a decent night out with genuinely good people — the door is open. Come to a session, have a look around, ask questions. You don't need to own a single model to be welcome here.

And if you're going through a difficult time — if life outside the hobby feels heavy right now — know that WAW is a place where that's understood. You don't have to explain yourself. You just have to show up. We'll take it from there.

We are West Allotment Wildlings. And we'd love for you to be part of it.