14th October 2024
Mudeford Wood Community Trust wishes to notify the following news items about Mudeford Wood Community Centre:
1. At an overall cost approaching £150,000 the All Weather Pitch (AWP) adjacent to the Centre was totally refurbished earlier this year to modern safety standards using funds from the Trust’s reserves. This follows the upgrading of the flood lights with LED energy saving fittings a few years ago with grant support from Sport England. The AWP is available for casual or longer term hire for a range of sporting, party and other group activities. It has football, tennis and netball/basketball markings and fittings. It is available for hire from 8.00am to 10.00pm every day. Enquiries from prospective hirers of this superb upgraded facility are invited.
2. Since the local community took over management of the Centre in early 2012, following extensive lease negotiations with the Local Authority, the Centre has been completely refurbished and offers a range of different sized rooms and a Main Hall for casual or longer term hire arrangements. A renovated and enlarged kitchen area offers the opportunity for preparation and serving of hot and cold foods and has a 5-Star grading from Environmental Health.
3. Prior to Covid, the Centre building was partially redeveloped internally to provide bespoke facilities for a Pre-School. The work was partially funded by a grant from the Department for Education of around £170,000 plus a further similar amount from the Trust’s reserves and other local grant making bodies including the Talbot Trust. The facilities were developed in close co-operation with the then Playgroup Management Committee, who were proposing to hire the new facilities as a Pre-School in order to fully meet their needs for safeguarding, storage, exclusive office and toilets. Since then the Trust has endeavoured to work with the present Pre-School Management Committee to ensure that, as a Hirer of the facilities, they adhere to their Hirer’s Contract Terms and Conditions and statutory Fire and Health and Safety Regulations. Unfortunately, in spite of repeated reasonable verbal and written requests to ensure compliance and significant support and help from the Trust, they have not remedied the issues highlighted placing the Centre at risk of closure by the relevant authorities and of the Trustees of the Centre being at risk of prosecution for not ensuring statutory regulations, in particular, are complied with. The Pre-School Management Committee has been given several warnings over a period of many months that their continued non-compliance would place them at risk of having their hire contract terminated. The existing Pre-School was required to store their equipment away safely so as not to interfere with use of the Centre’s facilities by other hirers, adhere to statutory regulations and allow thorough cleaning of the areas they use. A final date of 1st October 2024 was offered to remedy the matters highlighted to them. This date passed without the necessary actions being completed. The Trust has therefore, with some reluctance, been forced to advise the Mudeford Wood Pre-School Management Committee, that its hire contract will be terminated with effect from 31st July 2025. The Trust will now, in consultation with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council representatives, seek to appoint an alternative organisation that wishes to hire the Centre’s bespoke facilities to continue pre-school service provision from September 2025. Any organisations interested are invited to make contact. Parents and Guardians of young children who wish to register interest for their enrolment to the Pre-school from September 2025 will be invited to complete a pro-forma to be made available from the Centre’s office in due course.
Notes to Editors:
The specific object of the Trust is explained within its Articles of Association and, in summary, is: to promote for the benefit of inhabitants of Mudeford Wood, Christchurch, Dorset (and the surrounding area) the provision of facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disability, financial hardship or, social or economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the life of the said inhabitants. In practice this will mean the provision of facilities offering diverse activities for the social, mental and physical wellbeing of the local community, regardless of age, ethnicity or culture. To help achieve this, the Trust engages with and encourages the local community to become involved in the planning of activities and the running of the facilities at Mudeford Wood.
The Trust’s operations meet its public benefit expectations achieved with an enthusiastic set of volunteers running the Community Centre and its associated sporting and other recreational facilities. The Trust assumed responsibility for the Mudeford Wood Community Centre and adjacent all-weather pitch together with access rights to the adjacent field from Christchurch Borough Council within the terms of licence agreements on 1st April 2012 pending the enactment of a lease for the former two areas in November 2013. The Centre is a busy and thriving community based facility that offers a diverse range of activities together with the opportunity for individuals and societies to hire the all-weather pitch, rooms and halls for their members and others. In planning activities for the period the Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and the needs of the local community. The Trust has confirmed its commitment for the Centre to be used for community purposes during a period of emergency and/or local crisis as an evacuation or temporary holding location.
Further information can be obtained by contacting the Centre office.
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