Pictured above: (l-r) Mike Herbert and Euan Lindsay of St.
Modwen with Peter Teggin, chair of fundraising for St. Albans
Community Centre and Stephen English of the project's architects,
Wood Goldstraw Yorath
A project to transform a Stoke-on-Trent Church into a purpose
built community centre and café has received a £25,000
funding lifeline from the St. Modwen Environmental Trust.
The Trust, established by regeneration specialist St. Modwen to
support the communities in which the company operates via the
Landfill Communities Fund, has selected St. Albans Community Centre
in Blurton as the recipient of its 2010 community grant,
following an application by the Parish.
The Trust's donation has enabled the project to meet its target
of raising a staggering £653,000 to transform its existing
dated building into a multifunctional community facility that will
provide schemes, groups and activities to promote health,
well-being and education within Blurton's disadvantaged community.
With help from the BIG Lottery Fund, Church Urban Fund,
Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Cooperative Foundation, Parish of
Blurton, Staffordshire Environmental Fund (under the Landfill
Communities Fund supported by Biffa) and Stoke-on-Trent City
Council, it is hoped that the new Centre will act as a catalyst for
further development in line with the local area's community
cohesion agenda. By offering a truly intergenerational programme of
activities, the new Centre will engage with all community members
and target those individuals who have been traditionally hard to
reach.
Speaking about the donation from St. Modwen Environmental Trust,
Peter Teggin, chair of fundraising for St. Albans Community Centre
commented:
"We are delighted to have received funding from the St. Modwen
Environmental Trust which allows us to complete this major project
for the benefit of the Stoke-on-Trent community. With a population
of 10,000 Blurton is a thriving community but one which has felt
the effects of the decline in the mining industry particularly
through unemployment. We hope this new Centre will not only provide
residents with a genuine community heart but also the support they
need to improve their circumstances. With the Trust's donation we
are now able to complete the project on time this summer and
deliver these facilities for the benefit and enjoyment of residents
of all ages."
Mike Herbert, regional director for St. Modwen added: "We
are delighted that the St. Albans Community Centre has become a
recipient of funds from the St. Modwen Environmental Trust.
As an active developer in Stoke, St. Modwen is extremely
aware of the changes many communities have gone through following
the decline of the mining industry and Blurton is a prime example
of a local community striving to progress and forge a positive
future for its residents. As the developer of Trentham Lakes,
which is located on the site of the former Hem Heath colliery and
adjacent to the Blurton community, it is pleasing to have the
opportunity to able to assist in this way. While the project has
been overseen by the Parish it is being managed and organised by
the people of Blurton who have demonstrated genuine passion and
determination to create a new focal point for their community. The
new Centre already looks fantastic and I'm confident it will prove
to be an invaluable asset to the people of Blurton when it
opens."
Built in 1957, St Albans has been used constantly by church and
community groups for the past ten years. The refurbishment project
for the Community Centre is due to be completed in May and involves
building an extension for a community café with modern
kitchen plus dividing the existing community hall into three
soundproofed rooms for simultaneous usage and bringing the building
into line with current environmental guidelines. Managed by a
committee of local people, the completed Centre will introduce
mixed income streams to ensure its long term financial
sustainability.