Introduction

A Mural to celebrate 45 years of Saathi House
A Mural to celebrate 45 years of Saathi House
Saathi House Centre www.saathihouse.org

Build your own community centre sets the goal of developing a new community amenity. It assumes the budget for building the centre has been secured; though one of the tasks includes the challenge of raising some match funding. The challenge is focussed on working with future potential users of the community centre and local stakeholders to ensure that once it is built it meets their future needs and aspirations. 

Task



Kyle Mesdag www.unsplash.com

1. To design a questionnaire to distribute to potential users of the amenities of the community centre and local stakeholders such as local elected politicians, local business and community organisations in the local area. 

2. To develop a fundraising plan to raise match funding of circa €100,000. To include a timeframe for the plan (6 months, 12 months etc.), and potential sources for the funding plan e.g. crowd funding, approaching charitable donors with endowment funds, funding applications to lottery, local authority/central government funding applications, commercial sponsorship, local fundraising. 

3. To undertake a case study of either:

  • A pre-existing community centre or a community facility in development – using desktop research followed up with a follow up interview with the developer or centre manager. For example Limelight Old Trafford – health, wellbeing and community centre (https://www.limelighttrafford.co.uk) or the Bromley by Bow centre Community Health centre (https://www.bbbc.org.uk)
  • A self-build approach where the community themselves are engaged in the construction of the community centre e.g. spacehive.com: Mountford Estate Eco Community Hub

4 Draw up an outline lettings plan as part of the overall business plan for a community centre identifying the number of lets and hires on the available spaces required to meet the target identified in a business plan: Medium size community centre with large hall, 4 function/meeting rooms, commercial kitchen, outdoor 5 aside pitches for hire to meet annual target of €40,000. You need to set the hire rates for each of the amenities and look for a balance of 30% commercial and 70% social rates, assume occupancy of 70% overall and use commercial sponsorship and any other ideas to balance if required. (See the Process section for more details)

Process

In order to complete task 1:

The questionnaire should seek to establish views and preferences on the following topics:

  • A vision for the community centre – what is its core mission and purpose
  • The range of uses to be included – is it a multi-functional centre or does it have particular thematic focus e.g. health and wellbeing; eco centre; employment; sports and recreation or combinations.
  • The key ingredients in terms of the spaces in the centre
  • Indoor: main hall, dance / sports space, changing rooms; meeting rooms, spaces for social enterprises; kitchen (basic or full catering); other to be defined;
  • Outdoor: garden; sports e.g. basketball, small football pitch, running track; parking

In order to complete the case study in task 3:

    • A pre-existing community centre or a community facility in development – using desktop research followed up with a follow up interview with the developer or centre manager. For example Limelight Old Trafford – health, wellbeing and community centre (https://www.limelighttrafford.co.uk) or the Bromley by Bow centre Community Health centre (https://www.bbbc.org.uk)
    • A self-build approach where the community themselves are engaged in the construction of the community centre e.g. spacehive.com: Mountford Estate Eco Community Hub
  • In order to complete task 4 use the below table:

Spaces for Hire

Time Slots

Rates – commercial

Rates – social

Notes

   

Main Hall

10-1200

12-1400

1400- 1600

1600 -1800

1900-2100

6 days a week

 

 

     

Meeting / Function rooms x 4

Same as above

 

 

     

Office Space

Daily (most expensive)

Weekly (discounted)

Monthly (discounted)

 

 

     

Kitchen Facility

As per office space

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

         

Outdoor Pitches

2 hour slots

         

Car Parking

 

Commercial only

       

Commercial sponsorship

           

Total income required to meet income target of €40,000 for 48 weeks:

   

 

Conclusion

This challenge looks at the different steps and skill sets required in getting an ambitious community project – creating a new community asset, which will meet a range of needs for at least two generations.

Evaluation

Learning Objectives

  • Appreciation of the process and approach for ensuring a new community centre fits the needs of its future users and the local communities who will use it.

Knowledge

  • Business planning to ensure that the operations of a new community centre are sustainable
  • Fundraising approaches to raise match funding

Skills

  • Development of questionnaires and construction of case study by desktop research and follow up interview

Attitude

  • To be able to develop an asset that meets local needs
  • To be able to sustainably run the community asset raising sufficient income