St Alban’s church has been in the community for 125 years, and exists to love and serve the local community; to build bridges and partner with other organisations, for the benefit of the local area.
The church has no fixed pews and is used as a place of worship and as an amazing flexible community activity space. It is open daily and booked for 40-60 hours a week with footfall approx. 1500 per month, equivalent to 18,000 annually. Regular groups include: Mums & Toddlers; theatre; concerts; film and discussion groups; University society concerts and police ward panel meetings.
The kitchen was not set up for such large numbers. Once it has been refitted, we will be able to offer the local community a more functional and practical kitchen to use.
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There is very little available to rent or borrow in the area. Other Churches have fixed pews so their space cannot be used. Even the local schools have no hall as big as our Church interior. The church space is just over 3,600 sq. feet.
What we'll deliver:
- FULLY REFITTED CATERING SIZE KITCHEN FOR COMMUNITY USE
Why it's a great idea:
We rent our space out regularly to local community groups. This kitchen project will make a positive impact on our community, offering more opportunity to increase the numbers who use our space, once the facilities are improved. The increased size of the oven and a more functional and practical kitchen area will make catering for community events easier.
We asked our current users what they would like to see happen, 100% of those surveyed agreed that these improvements are necessary and would benefit the community.
Steps to get it done:
- install catering size kitchen
We welcome volunteers to help manage our events, at present around 40 volunteers help out on a regular basis. Music and drama groups love using our huge space with its great acoustics, and the space is also perfect for indoor sports, games and parties.