Update 18th May 2019: work is going to plan, the roof of the new building is going on in May-June and we are on track to open in September. An official opening/open day will happen on Saturday October 5th. A massive thankyou to everyone who has given and supported us so far, you are amazing!
Update 10th March 2019: With £920,000 raised by Christmas 2018 and a competitive quote from Hammonds builders, we started work on 21st January! Everything is currently on time and on budget, with the Centre due to be complete in September. We still need to raise a further £20,000 to kit out the Centre with all the equipment it needs, so please keep giving, and thankyou for supporting us.
UPDATE 3rd October Total fundraising is now £820,000, and we have just interviewed 3 building companies to help us choose the final contractor. By the end of October we hope to have a confirmed price, final confirmation from the Lottery of our £500k grant from them, and confirmation from HMRC that we won't have to pay VAT.
Our Project
Building a new Community Centre for the Westfield estate in Yeovil, on the site of the old St. Peters Hall. We have raised over £800,000 of the £970,000 we need.
£2 will buy a brick, £20 will buy a square meter of hard-wearing flooring/carpet, £60 will buy a square meter of roof tile, but anything you can give will help!
Our Story
St. Peter’s Hall has served Westfield estate since the 1960s, hosting everything from carnival clubs to youth clubs, pantomimes to community bingo. Set behind St. Peter’s church on Coronation Avenue, it is the only community hall on Westfield, an estate of 5,000 people.
Our Problem
In 2012 the hall was recommended for demolition, and has (at last count!) 15 serious faults.
At the same time St. Peter’s church began working with Westfield Community Association and the District Council to begin planning and dreaming of a replacement hall.
Our Vision
Now in 2018 those dreams are becoming real. Working with a local architect, a replacement Community Centre has been designed to serve the Westfield area. The new St. Peter’s Community Centre will have another 2 smaller meeting rooms for hire alongside a brand new main hall, plus an open plan foyer/community café area for people to drop in throughout the week. On top of that we'll massively improve the storage, kitchen, toilets, heating and disabled access.
As well as providing a home for the 15 regular groups which use the old hall, the new Centre will be a purpose-built venue for new commuity groups. It will also become a hub for community advice and support, with interest from Yarlington, CAB, and Somerset Libraries in using the centre to serve the estate.
The Money Bit
The new centre will cost £970,000! With the help of a £500,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund, and grants from the District Council, Yarlington, Yeovil Town Council, the Church of England, Clarks Shoes, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Somerset Community Foundation and Yeovil Without Parish Council, we have raised £820,000 so far. This includes money raised by the Church and Community Association, and help from local businesses such as Battens, Wakeleys, Rivetts and Abbey Manor Group. We are grateful for all this support, it is vital in making the project a reality.
The Future
The new centre will be run by the Church and Community Association in partnership, and will be a great venue for hire, a base for support and advice for the whole community, and a local drop in which is open throughout the week.
