The purpose built extension to the HOPE Centre in Hereford Road will feature offices and meeting rooms for 17 new and improved services and local organisations, small business units, training rooms and a central community meeting space with catering facilities.
It will also aim to meet the growing need for specialist childcare facilities locally, with an on-site crèche and day care unit set up to accommodate more than 30 families.
The ambitious project has been spearheaded by the HOPE Family Centre, who has been delivering a range of community services for the people of Bromyard since 1999.
Working alongside Herefordshire Council and the Rural Regeneration Zone (RRZ), it has successfully secured nearly £1.1m from AWM through the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) with work due to begin in February.
Matt Smith, Partnerships Manager at the RRZ, was delighted that the bid was successful:
“Bromyard’s 6000-strong population has suffered for some time from a limited provision of community services and problems with isolation and transport.
“HOPE had been providing an excellent service to families from its existing centre, but this simply wasn’t big enough to cope with demand and they approached us with a number of options.
“We looked at the plans and realised that we had a unique opportunity to do something that would revolutionise the way people access services in Bromyard.
“With the sense of purpose, dynamism and commitment shown by the community, I was not surprised approval was given and now we can plan for a new future of delivery in the area.”
The 950sq metre Multi-Use Facility, which will be led by Herefordshire Council, will accommodate a range of permanent and outreach service provision organisations, which could include Connexions, Age Concern, Adult and Community learning, RELATE, the PCT, police, family support, Business Link and the Rural Hub – the latter providing support and training to meet the needs of the 750 farmers in the catchment area.
It will also provide a hub where home workers can meet and a catering facility where formal training will be undertaken and healthy eating initiatives offered to the whole community. Specialist support will also be available to lone parents, those on low incomes, people with low skills levels and economic migrants.
HOPE Family Centre’s Rosemary Collie was instrumental in the bid:
“This is excellent news for the people of Bromyard and gives us a wonderful opportunity to provide the local community with the level and range of services which are clearly needed in the area.
“In particular, it has helped save a valuable day care service we had been offering nearby, but were set to close due to inadequate facilities. This is no longer the case and we will soon be able to have a modern unit where we can offer excellent childcare to parents who previously have been unable to take up training or employment due to appropriate provision.”
She continued: “The project has been a real team effort and ‘community spirit’ has undoubtedly won the day and I have to thank Herefordshire Council, the Rural Regeneration Zone and of course AWM for supporting us in this bold vision. “
Once completed the Multi-Use Facility will support more than 22 full time positions, provide 17 enhanced services and be responsible for improving the skills of 250 people.
It is also expected that the provision of small business units – unique to this particular Facility – will give users of the centre the opportunity to test a business idea in a supportive environment.
A spokesperson at Herefordshire Council concluded:
“The new development will enable social workers, educational psychologists, welfare officers, youth workers and family support to share the best facilities, to collaborate and work together to maximise the impact to the local community.
“It will go a long way to tackling the ‘referring on’ culture, which can lead to families being repeatedly assessed, but never progressed. In short, this is excellent news for Bromyard.”
The Bromyard MUF, which is part of the Rural Regeneration Zone’s network of Multi Use Facilities, has been funded through the Rural Development Programme of England’s Strategic Investment Guide.
Its aim is to improve the quality and life of people across Eastern Herefordshire by providing a place to meet, recreate and communicate.
Picture (l-r):Sheenagh Davis (HOPE Family Centre), Colin Birks (Herefordshire Council) and Matt Smith
(Rural Regeneration Zone)
In the News:
Ledbury Reporter, 14-01-2010