The future of the community center is now in jeopardy due to rising costs

Dec 08 The future of the community center is now in jeopardy due to rising costs

Cottonmill Community and Cycling Center could ultimately remain empty and unused, leaving a gaping hole in lives of local residents because managers Everyone Active puts profit above people.

As revealed in the St Albans Times, after taking control of the center in early October, SADC contractors imposed a package of changes without any warning or consultation.

These include limiting opening hours from 10am to 3pm on weekdays, from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays and closing the center all day on Sundays. Community groups are also required to rent a minimum of two rooms for bookings outside weekend opening hours, which has increased their costs.

We visited the center for Monday Club – a joint initiative between LeeAnnas Wish CIC and Sopwell Residents Association, which offers free hot food and drinks, children's activities, football coaching, arts and crafts and table tennis.

Children were running freely between different rooms or engrossed in creating works of art, people of all ages were chatting over plates of steaming food, and there was a general buzz in the center, suggesting a real enthusiasm for what was happening there.

Valentina Maggio, who has multiple sclerosis, comes to the center two or three afternoons a week: it's a break for me, freedom for the children who have a big space to play in, and it's nice to just come downstairs come and spend time with other people.

The center is now only open for four hours a week outside school hours, drastically limiting access to toilet facilities for young people using the outdoor cycle track and football pitches.

Karen Lawrence enjoys the community crochet sessions: When I retired, this place was a saving grace for me because I made new friends, I had somewhere to go during the week and it gave me purpose.

I also come on Saturdays and Tuesdays, and the fact that they have trouble paying because it's so expensive makes me worry that I might have to cut out one of these activities and be home alone again.

Claire Hymas, who has a neurological condition that prevents her from working, says she found it difficult to go outside and socialize before discovering the Cottonmill Centre.

The group was founded nine years ago by LeeAnnas Wish following a suggestion from Simona Twilley after she suffered a stroke.

It has left me physically and mentally disabled, so I can't go to work, I can't drive and I need help getting anywhere. I came here for the first time with my Headway group [a brain injury charity] But

found out they would like to start a crochet or creative craft group so I put my brain to good use and here we are.

Henrietta Richardson is also a bingo caller at Tuesday's Community Cafe: people come from as far afield as Luton and New Greens to take part; it's really welcoming and friendly, and there's lots of conversation and mental stimulation for older people leaving their homes, and it's appreciated by so many people.

Claire added: Our community is made up of many children, elderly and disabled people, and there is also cultural diversity. We have all our Caribbean ladies, our Eastern European ladies and people who have lived in St. Albans all their lives.

Carl CJ Boyle helps with manual labor in the center: Everyone who comes in here is so nice and open and so friendly that you just end up talking to people whether you want to or not. But it's the community spirit that keeps it going.

Shelley Hayles, director of LeeAnnas Wish CIC, fears for the future: locals had nowhere to go before this center was built. I think it's important to highlight the impact the shorter hours have had and how much extra finance it costs. I don't know if I can afford it properly.

We applied for our financing in August, but then rents went up, and will probably do so again in April.

I don't know what they do to be honest. This used to be much more flexible. We were able to rent rooms because we were key holders, but now Everyone Active says that an employee must be present at all times, which costs them a price, and why they are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

The center was never intended to simply be a council resource. It was clear that it would never make any money, hopefully it could survive, or if it made a loss the council would support it from their own resources, but now they want to make money because it is Everyone Active.

My biggest concern is the impact it has on people. A lot of people move to St. Albans and don't have family, so what they get here is that sense of belonging. It is a mental health project in itself, a lifeline to the community.

I mean, what's the purpose of it? Is it a community center? Because what we do here is all about community. Everyone active wants to run this place into the ground. They have no care and they have no attention.

I mean, the fact that many other charities occupying this space have now moved to other places speaks volumes.

Sopwell Cllr Harriet Sherlock said: The Lib Dem administration is incredibly proud of delivering the Cottonmill Community Center hand in hand with the Sopwell community, and we are committed to ensuring it remains affordable and accessible for residents and community groups.

St Albans District Council is still reeling from the Conservative government's 25 per cent cuts since 2015, the mini-budget and ongoing cost pressures, so we need to ensure that the centre's income covers its running costs.

To achieve this, councilors initially agreed to some weekend closures, but did not agree to changes to weekday opening hours. An administrative error occurred and these changes should not have been advertised.

All existing bookings will be honored and events can still be booked outside of the center's opening hours. And excitingly, the council will upgrade the five-a-side pitch early this year, which will help generate additional income, which in turn will help extend the centre's opening hours.

In the meantime, councilors and officials will meet with the user group of the community centers and the local residents' association on Monday to discuss how the community center can best be kept accessible and affordable.

Daisy Cooper MP added: The establishment of the Cottonmill Community Center is a fantastic achievement for the community and I know the Sopwell community will work hand in hand with the council to keep it available to all.

The new government has yet to announce next year's budgets for local authorities, but it is clear what is at stake. If central government doesn't start funding local government properly, vital community facilities – like the Cottonmill Community Center – will have to work even harder to keep their space open and available.

Having moved heaven and earth to build the centre, we must all do the same again to keep it open and accessible to all the vital community groups that use it.