Hardwick Community Centre Working Group

(On behalf of the Hardwick Community Centre)

May 2025

There have been three major developments around the new plans for a Community Centre. The first is the work involving matching the original plans to the money available. The second is development of a plan for the MUGA and the third is additional money for sports changing rooms. 

1- New floor plan

Our architect has been working on a new design to maximise the floor space but reduce costs. His original design, in our last update, proved too costly still. As a result of this the new design attached has been developed. The structure is simplified in shape and slightly repositioned to enable future expansion. The main reduction in size has been taken from the main hall but it’s being constructed in such a way that it can be extended in future if funding becomes available. The reduced main hall size is still significantly larger than the hall at The Cabin by about 50%. There is also a possibility of extending into the now long pitched roof design with second floor rooms or storage. 

These designs are still subject to changes but are very close to where we think the final design will be. The design and affordability gap is almost closed now. Tweaks regarding air source heating or ground source heating are still to be resolved, plus the size and position of the power plant to run these. 

Any comments regarding the new designs are very welcome. 

2- Sports Changing Rooms

There is still £60k grant money, not included in the build money of £1.4m, that is allocated for officials’ changing facilities that were to be included in our original plan. This now looks likely to be used to add rooms to the existing pavilion.

3- Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) Development

The Parish Council has been gathering together design ideas for redevelopment of the MUGA. The new community centre will use three metres of the MUGA from the pavilion side leaving approximately 1000 sqm. 

There is up to £185k to develop, resurface and re-fence this area that is separate from the £1.4m for the building. The design above, from Play Innovations, shows an idea of what we might achieve with this money. This design includes a five a side pitch, basketball court, two pickle ball or short tennis courts, additional play equipment for  children and some outdoor gym equipment.      

We have collected ideas from visiting similar schemes, ideas from the community and the School. It is intended that the MUGA should be as stated, a Multi Use Games Area with a wide range of uses for all ages and available at all times for games and recreational activities. 

So far this is still in the early stages of planning and very much open to changes and improvements. 

Finally- All three sections above can be planned concurrently.  All three under one umbrella  will enable coordination of the work and timing of the three projects. 

Alan West (on behalf of HCCWG)

Make your family's or children’s names famous

We are raising money for the new community centre. Do your bit and make it your centre with your family’s name or your children’s names on our decorated foyer windows. 

We are going to have decorated display windows in the entrance and main hall. Each window will have names on - your name can be one.

Pledge now, pay later

See below how you can pledge and what you will receive for your pledge.

1- Donations

Donate or raise at least £100 and you can have your family’s name, children’s names or group’s name displayed in the window decorations.

How can you raise money?

As a family, why not organise, by yourself or with neighbours or as a whole street, a cake sale, outgrown toy sale, karaoke or wine tasting?

Get with friends to have a children’s clothes sale, a cake and coffee morning, or anything that helps to raise £100.

If you need a free venue for your money-raising activity we can help. Get your friends to donate too, and get them on the donations list.

An example of the lettering style to be applied to the windows.

2 - Be a sponsor

Give or raise £500+ and have your name on the sponsors’ wall.

How? Raise the money with your group, WI, Jazzercise, fencing, Scouts, Guides, pre-school, Baptist Church, or get your business to donate as a sponsor and get their name on the wall.

An example of the wall plaques for sponsor donations.

3- Be a Patron

How? Raise or get a business to give £10,000+ to get on the exclusive patrons’ wall.

Make a pledge

If you want to pledge some money to any of these three areas, email your pledge to fundraising@hardwickcommunitycentre.org. Please include your chosen names as you wish them to appear. Alternatively, you can pledge anonymously.

You will then receive a pledge certificate and we will send details of how you can pay the money into the Hardwick Community Centre fund any time between now and April 2023. We hope to have a Gift Aid option open soon too.

What will happen when I pledge?

Once you make your pledge, you will receive a pledge certificate to your email address. Pledges should be paid by 1st April 2023.

How to pay your pledge will be emailed to you with the details of the fundraising account.

Will I be able to Gift Aid my donation?

At the moment we are in the process of setting up a charity that will play a part in the management of the centre. When this is set up, pledges will be able to be paid with Gift Aid.

You can pay now or wait and make it a Gift Aid donation and we will get even more as it will attract a government contribution. This is the benefit of making a pledge now and paying later.

Will all pledge donations be part of a permanent display?

All pledge donations will be added to one of the three display areas.

Names displayed on the windows at the front of the building, and the process used to apply them, is intended to be long-lasting and the organising group hopes they will be there well into the future. However, it is impossible to predict accurately enough to make this a promise of the donation process. It is intended that they will be guaranteed a minimum of five years, during which time the management of the building will repair and/or replace any damaged names such as through broken windows or similar.

Those involved in the project at this point of time hope that the longevity of the lettering and the desire to replace any damage will continue well into the future.

As a long-term backup, and for historical records, the names of those displayed through donations, sponsorships or as patrons will also be recorded in a decorated book to be held in the centre as a record of the village’s involvement in building the centre.

Terms and conditions

All pledges are subject to the Pledge Terms and conditions (https://www.hardwickcommunitycentre.org/terms-and-conditions).