From a redundant church we will create a vibrant community café with free wifi. It will also be an entertainment and small conference venue. It will be a place where people can come together, meet socially 7 days a week. There will be comfortable seating and tables, with a main hall to accommodate 150 people and seminar rooms also with multi media facilities each accommodating around 25 people round tables It will be an entertainment venue for concerts, plays, films and a place where people can celebrate their marriage and other family events. We will aim to be a zero carbon building with high levels of insulation and use of renewable energy. This will reflect our values but also make us a financially sustainable venue. While modernising the building we will respect the heritage of the building by retaining church features such as the pulpit and memorials . We do this out of respect but also to celebrate the heritage of the building in our community.

What we'll deliver:

• A new community facility in the heart of a deprived area.

Why it's a great idea:

It will create an open inclusive space were people can come together in a community where there is nothing like it at present. The knock on effect in terms of community well being will be massive. We want the centre to be the local community 'lounge' where everyone feels welcome and comfortable. We want to create a building with a busy agenda providing something for people of all ages and backgrounds. Activities will include income generating activities such as wedding receptions, beer festivals and small conferences. These will support community activities that are less focused on generating income and more about maintaining the building as an open space for the whole community such as the community cafe, a comfortable work place for students, and home workers with free wifi and a place which community organisations can call home for their events and activities.

Steps to get it done:

• We will purchase the building for the community by 1st of July 2023

We have created a vision document for The Newsome Centre and commissioned an architect to develop our vision and estimate the costs of realising it. We recognise that the vision will need to be worked at in stages. THe first being the demolition of the existing kitchen and toilet extension and the creation of a new modern kitchen and accessible toilet block with baby changing facilities. We have established the Community Benefit Society, to lead the project and have a board with currently 5 members. A bank account has been set up. The community consultation that we have carried out has shown strong support for The Newsome Centre across the community and we are confident that it will be popular and meet a need that is not being met locally.