Aviva Community Fund provided £186 of match funding
Building St Andrew's Community Hub
Carlton, England, United Kingdom
Aim
We are raising money to create a community hub in the only public building we have in our rural village, St Andrew's Church.
Who we are
We are Carlton PCC, the local trustees and managers of St Andrew's Church in Carlton. We also take a great interest in, and support, our local community. We are all volunteers.
Our need
We recognise that our community is growing and we have no public space in the village for meetings, events and activities and in particular to support our growing number of older people, our 60 plus children, and those with special needs. We know that people in rural communities can become isolated and vulnerable and feel cut-off. As you can see from the pictures, we are already trying to do something about this by using St Andrew's for events, such as the craft fair above and the produce show below, but any meeting or event is difficult to arrange given the fixed pews in the church.
We want to do something more. This project is the result.
What we want to do
Our project will create a community space for Carlton and its surrounding villages in Leicestershire. We will build an extension at the back of St Andrew’s Church, housing both a kitchen and an accessible toilet. We will remove fixed pews from the back of the church to create a meeting and activity space. We will relocate the font making the entrance to the building more open and welcoming. Finally, we will raise the height of the path into St Andrew’s making it more accessible for the elderly, the disabled and for parents with pushchairs.
This new facility will be known as the St Andrew’s Community Hub. Examples of what might be provided in the Hub include:
- Coffee mornings, a ‘knit and natter’ group, exercise classes, and a regular lunch club for older residents, reducing isolation and boosting health and wellbeing.
- A space for a local dementia group to gather, together with their carers.
- A place for young people to gather in a safe environment, reducing social isolation and giving them an opportunity to do something more productive with their free time.
- A ‘stay and play’ group for new parents with babies/toddlers in this new stage of their lives.
- We are also keen to explore how the Hub might be used to support those with special needs, and for people simply to drop by. We will also encourage new groups and activities to form.
The Community Hub will be available for use by groups and for events using a booking process open to anyone in the wider community. It is anticipated that it could be open from 9am until 10pm each day as required and dependent on bookings.
Benefits of our project
- Carlton’s existing groups and meetings will be able to use the Hub, rather than gathering in homes, limiting numbers. New meetings, groups and activities, such as the regular coffee mornings, will be encouraged to improve community links and reduce isolation. Existing village events will be held in the church allowing more people to attend.
- The church becomes a more attractive venue for weddings and similar events, increasing income (and thus helping to pay the bills for using the Hub).
- Most importantly, the Hub will play a central role in Carlton’s rural community, further improving community spirit and reducing isolation.
How long will it take?
The building work should take around 12 months to complete, starting in later in 2020.
Who is involved?
Carlton is blessed with many people willing to volunteer and so we will manage the building project and the Community Hub ourselves. Members of the PCC will own and lead the project (with professional help where this is needed). Local residents expert in building will give support and advice. The Carlton Gardening Group will make good the church grounds after the building work has been completed. Members of the PCC and the wider community will then run the Hub and support groups and activities held in it.
Our local parish, borough and county councils all think our project is a great idea and are helping us with funding and other support. Councillor Cook, our borough councillor, said
“In Carlton the church is the only community building and anything which would enhance and encourage community cohesion is to be welcomed. Loneliness and isolation is a major cause of mental health issues, particularly amongst the elderly in rural areas and I would support any initiative to address this.”
The Church of England has given its approval to our project. Some other charities have already pledged their financial support, but we are still short of our funding target.
Please help us to help the villagers of Carlton, particularly those less able to help themselves.
This project successfully funded on 7th October 2020