Hi Tony,

Mary is right, the Family History Centres are always within the church buildings in my experience as well. Sometimes they list the phone number of the centre separately as a sub-heading in the phone book. If not, I would ring the number for the church and ask them whether they have a Family History Centre which is open to the public, and if so, for their opening hours for non-Church members.

If they don't have a FHC ask them where the closest one is to where you live, and for the contact details.

I don't know how up-to-date the FamilySearch "Find a Family History Centre" is, at: familysearch.org/locations/centerlocator‎.
They say that one of the closest centres to Newcastle upon Tyne is in Sunderland, 28 mins away via the A184, and give maps and exact directions to find it.
Queen Alexandra Road SUNDERLAND, SR2 9BT UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: +44 0 191-528 5787

Also "nearby" is one at Ashington (27 mins north via the A189), and ones at Newton Aycliffe and at Billingham which look a little further away. Phone nos, opening hours, and exact directions are given for all of them, but I'd check in advance in case the details are out of date.

I'd also check as to whether you can order the films over the phone, because there is a small fee for ordering them and they take anything from a week or two, to a month or more, to arrive (depending on local holdings).

If you have to go to the centre to order them you won't be wasting your time. Most FHCs have freely accessible library holdings of books, films and fiche, and free access to their online web sites like Ancestry. You will find their volunteer staff friendly and helpful.
I'd also ask on the phone about their library permanent collections because some will be better than others.

Sue