New Community Hub – The Journey Begins!

New Community Hub – The Journey Begins!

The Story so far

The recreation ground at Trewint was bequeathed to the Parish in the 1950’s. Since then it has been home to St Minver Football Club. For the last 30 years it has also been home for the St Minver Scouts and Guides, and the pre-school along with the play area that was refurbished with a grant from Cornwall Council in 2002. Lowlands Parish Council maintain the site along with the public toilets. Each group has grown over the years and maintained their own buildings, but despite the best efforts of all those involved, with the exception of the pre-school which is a new, more recent build, the cost of on- going repairs is increasing and beyond the fund raising that each group can achieve.

Countless young people some of whom are now grandparents to the present day Scouts and Guides have used this recreation area and we want to see it continue to be fit for purpose and provide a true community hub in the heart of the village for all to enjoy.

The Journey

As part of the St Minver Parishes Neighbourhood Plan preparation process a question seeking opinions on a Community Centre was very favourably supported. The St Minver Parishes Neighbourhood Plan has now been adopted and a New Community Centre is listed as one of the Infrastructure Priorities.

St Minver Lowlands Parish Council formed a sub- committee to look into the possibility of providing a new community building on the site to re home all the present users and to incorporate a space to house the Parish Council Chamber. Following an open day and survey undertaken last year, where feedback was gathered from the local community, it is now planned to include rentable space for other users and provide space for a small concession to be leased out in order to create income for the upkeep of the centre. There will also be additional parking. With all the information received, plans were drawn up and planning permission granted.

 “Our Vision”

Mockup of St Minver Community Hub
Mockup of St Minver Community Hub

With the support of St Minver Lowlands Parish Council, a Community Interest Company, (CIC) has been established. This is a limited company, registered with Companies House on the 3 January 2019. CICs are designed for social enterprises that use their profits and assets for the public good.

What Next!

The plan is an ambitious one designed to serve the needs of the local community for at least the next 50 years.

This project will bring certainty to all the present user groups and others that their activities can continue within the village into the future and have the ability to grow and give more opportunities to our young people and hopefully those not so young to explore more recreational activities.

The Challenge now is to raise funds for the project and it is planned to do this via Grants, Trusts and local fundraising.

Community Interest Companies (CICs)

Community interest companies (CIC) are designed for social enterprises that use their profits and assets for the public good. They were introduced by the United Kingdom government in 2005 under the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004. Since then they have grown considerably, both in number and in the diversity of the activities they undertake.  The CIC legal structure supports a wide range of activities that range from very small local projects to multi-million pound health services, covering all industry sectors and are located in every area of the UK.

CICs are limited companies which operate to provide a benefit to the community they serve and all applications require approval by the CIC Regulator.

More Information can be found here – Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-regulator-of-community-interest-companies

We Need Your Help – Come and Join Us

If, you are passionate about your local community and want to see it thrive and grow come and help the Team make it happen.

Your ideas, skills and help are needed. You can give as little or as much time as you would like.

We need help to:

  • Raise awareness of the project by word of mouth and encouraging people to sign up to our mailing list.
  • Create relevant content, news stories, blogs, posts on facebook and form a small communication group
  • Create and organise local events/Workshops and generally help at events.
  • Find appropriate opportunities to speak about the project to small groups or events.
  • Raise funds via grants, trusts and local activities such as events and raffles.

It, is a great way of meeting new people, getting involved with a local project, gaining experience and learning new skills

If, you would like to volunteer to help with the project or would just like to find out more please don’t hesitate to contact us here

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