Changing the game at the St Albans Community Centre
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For 39 years, St Albans Community Centre has been an integral part of its community. The Centre relied on local authority funding for many years. Moreover, having leased their building on a peppercorn rent, they were then asked to sign a lease for over £20k per year.
In response, the team looked for new funding options to keep their services going including how they could develop their trading income by delivering more fee paying and contracted community services like day care services. Through perseverance and support from Power to Change and other sources, they were able to purchase the asset in 2019/2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional obstacles, as the centre had to shift its focus to meet the evolving needs of the community, and pivoting services to meet the communities need.
Over the last five years, there has been a significant increase in demand for services, whether that be day services, access to community advice and advocacy, and space requirements from community groups and organisations. To meet this need, St Albans recognised the building needed renovation and reconfiguration, and new ways of generating income had to be found to not only sustain these services but develop new services to meet changing needs.
Despite these challenges, the team remained committed to the survival and sustainability of their vital services.
Making a difference in the community
St Albans Community Centre aims to improve accessibility for disabled people by reconfiguring their building to provide inclusive services to their entire community. Renovations will enable the space to become more flexible and provide a range of additional uses for the community including spaces for family support services, better advice and information facilities, more community hire spaces and a food pantry. These changes will not only benefit the community but will also increase the centre's self-sufficiency by providing additional funding/rental opportunities.
Funding the project
St Albans Community Centre secured £250K in capital funding and £50K in revenue funding from the Community Ownership Fund, along with additional match-funding sourced from the community, which further engaged them with the project. The revenue grant has already helped cover the architect's costs and consultation expenses.
According to the team, the Community Ownership Fund has exceeded their expectations:
“The COF has opened up the doors and has gone above and beyond what we expected. Locally, there is a lot of love and affinity for this building and we are all so excited to get started with this project”.
Advice for other organisations
The St Albans Community Centre team has two recommendations for groups applying for COF funding:
- Seek early expert advice and plan ahead.
- Stay goal-focused, ensuring sustainability is a top priority.
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