After a decade of hard work, a final project to transform St Anne’s Community Centre in Buxton into a versatile, multi-use hub has been completed.
Now the members of St Anne’s Parish Pastoral Council are looking forward to re-opening the Centre when Covid-19 restrictions allow and welcoming back their current wide range of Community Centre users, as well as engaging with anyone who wishes to arrange functions, entertainments, children’s parties or hold meetings.
Work to source funding to improve the 130-year-old building for general community use began in 2010, resulting in a number of grants and donations for various projects including: installing new toilets, hearing loop systems and Wi-Fi; replacing the Main Hall floor; refurbishing the Centre kitchen and adding a commercial dishwasher; fitting roof insulation and upgrading the building’s heating system; repainting ground floor public areas; and supplying new chairs.
Finally, in 2020, thanks to a grant of almost £11,000 from Tarmac’s Landfill Communities Fund*, the final major refurbishment project was completed. This included: repainting stairs, landing and upstairs meeting rooms; modernising the upstairs kitchenette; installing LED lighting in meeting rooms; converting a storage room for potential meeting use; fitting an emergency exit; and refurbishing external features including the Centre’s entrance area and fire escape.
Celebrating the completion of the Centre’s transformation, volunteer fund-raiser Bruce Thomson said, “We really appreciated the Tarmac grant as that rounded off the effort and time given by Parish volunteers to making the Centre a modern community facility that we hope many will use and enjoy.”
David Wilson, Tarmac’s business development manager for the Lime operation at Tunstead sits on the panel for assessing applications to the Landfill Communities Fund. He adds: “We are really pleased that the grant awarded to the St Anne’s Centre has been used to improve the facility for wider use by the Buxton community. We look forward to the official re-opening once the Covid-19 restrictions ease.
“We are very keen to receive more applications from community projects around the Tunstead site. In a year in which charities have been badly hit by the impact of the pandemic, we are keen to promote the fund more widely and encourage eligible applicants come forward for possible grants. For anyone thinking of applying, please visit www.entrust.org.uk to find out more about the criteria and the application process. We look forward to hearing from you.”
To find out more or book the Centre, once venues are permitted to open again, please click “Community Centre Bookings” on St Anne’s RC Church website, www.stannes.gbr.cc, email [email protected] or telephone 01298 23777.
*The Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund (or Landfill Tax Credit Scheme as it was formerly known) enables landfill operators like Tarmac, to donate part of their annual tax liability to enrolled Environmental Bodies for a variety of approved community and environmental projects. Landfill operators can reclaim 90% of their contribution as a tax credit which means the remaining 10% must be provided either by them or an independent third party. Through the fund Tarmac donates around £1 million each year to community projects throughout the UK. The fund is open to applicants who meet the strict criteria for projects delivering community benefit. For more information, please go to www.entrust.org.uk
Picture caption: St Anne’s Community Centre from the south west