Swinnow Community Centre

Transcript

00:00So my name is Lucy Munton and we're here at Swinnow Community Centre.

00:04And yeah, you and your husband will have taken over the centre a year ago.

00:10Can you tell us a bit about how that came about and yeah, how the last year has been?

00:14Yeah, so we've got a real love, myself and my husband, well, we've got a real love for this community, for Swinnow Community.

00:21And about a year ago, we moved to that area specifically to focus on how we could do something for the community,

00:27do some maybe youth work or who knows, the initial dream was actually to have a community choir out of our house.

00:34But then the community centre was available and it was going to close down.

00:37So we instantly knew that we had to get involved.

00:40So we came, we knocked on the door, we chatted to the lady who was running it

00:44and we worked alongside her to sort of create a plan for how we could bring it back to life.

00:48And that's what we're here doing and we're loving every minute of it.

00:51And what are some of the things that you've introduced during your time here?

00:55And what's, yeah, what's going on?

00:58As soon as we took over, we asked the community what they wanted.

01:01And based from that, we've started a TOTS group where we have about 40 people coming every Tuesday.

01:07We have a community pantry ran by Pudsey Community Project.

01:11We have prize bingo set up from two local ladies within the community that run that as a voluntary thing

01:16to kind of, yeah, reach the community.

01:18We have a community cafe, which is what's happening today, where people can come and have a swimmer breakfast for £5

01:25and just come and be out of the houses, a space to just come and enjoy food with other people.

01:31And there's loads more as well.

01:33And, yeah, you've just received a grant as well.

01:36Could you tell us a little bit about that?

01:37So we're really excited to have this funding from the National Lottery, from the Community Fund.

01:43And that will be to really plough some resources into this area.

01:47So at the minute, everything is voluntary.

01:49Everyone's giving their time voluntarily.

01:51And now we're going to be able to have a staff team to really focus on youth and families in this area,

01:57to focus on community cohesion.

01:59And there'll be a centre manager role alongside that as well,

02:02and a buildings and facilities project lead.

02:04So the funding has been secured for two years to enable us to get more resources running out of the centre into the community.

02:13Yeah, and finally, what other plans and goals do you have for the centre and the community?

02:19Yeah, the big goal that we have, I think, for the community links with our core values,

02:24and that is hope, love and serve.

02:27We really want there to be hope here on the Swinow Estate, hope for a brighter and a better future.

02:32We want the community to love each other, to be part of something together.

02:37And then we really want there to be a sense of service out to the community.

02:40So I think our hope and dream is that those three values will just come to life.