Firstly, my apologies I haven’t blogged for ages, the truth is we have been flat out at the BEC with all sorts of issues and projects on the go. None have been more challenging than Heath Park Community Centre it is fair to say!
Last year through the work of the BD Collective the BEC along with other organisations Trye Cadence CIC and the Independent Living Agency formed a consortium to take on the management of Heath Park Community Centre. If you are not sure where Heath Park is, it is a ward in Dagenham (near Morrisons) and is home to around 9,000 people. Heath Park has lots of challenges in terms of deprivation and access to opportunities as it is not in central location like Barking Town Centre or the Heathway and has a diverse population.
The building was extremely run down, the roof was leaking profusely, the main hall had no source of heating, there were bare wires everywhere and none of the building compliance issues had been managed. So, no water testing, or fire extinguishers had been checked etc, etc, etc. It is fair to say it has taken a while to get the building useable on a regular basis. Even on Saturday at our community day, we discovered it was pouring with rain both outside and inside the building; so more work still to be done 😊
It is not all doom and gloom we have met some fabulous people who are really committed to making the community centre a destination place in the area and we are grateful for their continued support. This includes older residents we have met who are isolated and lonely and seeking valuable connections in their area as well as young people who are lacking things to do in the area that do not cost a lot of money. Last Saturday we held a community engagement day, and we again met lovely people as well as getting to work with some amazing volunteers who came and supported working with young people, providing yoga and of course manning the teas and coffees.
We have learnt a lot, especially about running this type of building, if you remember buildings are our bread and butter with three workspaces but running a community centre has its own set of challenges.
Below is a snapshot of our learning to date:
Funding and financial stability
One of the biggest hurdles is securing enough funding to keep the centre running smoothly. Most community centres rely on grants, donations and council funding which given the councils challenges has not been possible. We have met organisations and residents who want to use the spaces we are creating for free, however there is no such thing as free space! It costs the consortium to heat the building, arrange for a caretaker and a cleaner, insurance, and repairs and maintenance and so the concept of free space is not something we can accommodate on a regular basis. However, we have made it very affordable as part of our commitment. It has been a challenge to educate people to this reality and is very much work in progress.
Staffing and volunteers
Community centres often depend on volunteers to support them and so we are actively recruiting volunteers to support the work as well as providing staff from all the organisations involved as much as possible. We are very grateful to all those who have helped to date.
Facilities maintenance and infrastructure
Do not be fooled maintaining buildings that are functional, pleasing on the eye and safe are a costly business but we are committed to making improvements we know that the residents and organisations deserve high quality spaces, and we want quality services and activities to run from the building.
Adapting to Social Changes
The needs of any community evolve over time. Issues like social isolation, mental health and digital inclusion have become more prominent. To stay relevant, we must adapt our programmes and offer to meet the needs of people and find innovative ways of doing more for less.
Despite all these challenges we are committed to delivering a well-run community centre as a force for good – creating connections, fostering support, and bringing positive change.
If you think you can help us with advice or support either as an individual or a group, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us on heathparkconsortium@gmail.com
We are hosting a business breakfast event at the space on Thursday 26th June you can sign up below.
If you are faith or community organisation and you would like to come and meet with us to discuss all things community then you can join us for lunch on Thursday 26th June between 12 and 2pm link below
