Hardwick Community Centre Working Group

(On behalf of the Hardwick Community Centre)

January 2025

Progress so far

Our architect firm, Blue Ink, has now developed initial concept drawings to fit the Parish Council brief. These were discussed by the PC in their January meeting and they are keen to press on with refining the plans.

As the new plan uses a fairly redundant area of the recreation ground between the pavilion and the MUGA, it saves most of the multi use games area (MUGA). It will probably be necessary to use a three metre strip along the pavilion edge to accommodate the size of building we want. It will still leave approximately 1000sqm that could be refurbished for a wider range of activities.

The new plan, below, will have a bigger hall than the original plan, so more likely to bring in activity groups for regular daytime classes that will raise revenue for sustainability. There will definitely be at least one other meeting size room and a cafe, much needed in the centre of the village. The chosen design also incorporates an enclosed landscaped courtyard between the pavilion and the new building. This could provide further outdoor seating options for both buildings.

Overall we aim to keep the eco credentials we required for the original building. The PC has cut back a significant amount of the shrub area around the line of trees leading from Egremont Road to the pavilion. This will tidy up that area and eventually add to the grass recreation area fronting Egremont Road and the new building.

The drawing below is not the final design. This design is the first draft and the next stage is to work with the architect to refine the design in the light of questions raised by the PC and the Hardwick Community Centre Working Group. You can still have your say and your questions answered by emailing me at 

a.west3412@gmail.com

I very much expect the final design to be ready for the next HH and will be on our website before seeking planning approval.

There is a full collection of previous updates and the full architect brief on this website.

Alan West - (on behalf of the Hardwick Community Centre Working Group.)

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).