Easton Community Centre

Welcome to Easton Community Centre, a community space built by local people for local people 20 years ago. The Community Centre you see today opened its doors in 1990, replacing the leaking portacabin which acted as the first centre until local people planned and fundraised for this purpose-built treasure. Then, like now, the motive was to show off what's good about the area, to offer social and educational facilities for all sections of the local population, to have parties and to come together when necessary to promote the interests of the area. Nearly 20 years on, the centre is still busily at the heart of the community, with workshops, courses, volunteering opportunities and many projects to be part of.

 

 

Last year the Centre went through some change and the a national charity that had been managing it pulled out. Some local individuals and agencies seized the opportunity to bring it back into local control, but without company or charity status could not take the lease from Bristol City Council. The Beacon Centre stepped in to support for 18 months until a new local company and charity could be set up to run the Centre. The Beacon Centre manager, Carla Wright, said “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Easton Community Centre. Both of our organisations were set up to provide good facilities for local people, and we have many aims in common. But it is important that the Community Centre continues to run its own affairs, and becomes completely independent as soon as possible. We will be working together to make sure this happens”

 

On 7^th August this year Easton Community Centre was registered as a company  and we are now in the process of also registering as a charity. Six members of the group who have got it to this stage have become the first directors of the new company – Jim Conley, Mandy Shute, Renee Stone, Rob Mitchell, Sophie Shirt and Stuart Griffin. As soon as we are registered as a charity, we will be looking for hundreds of local people from all sections of our populations to become members. Then there will be the first Annual General Meeting of the newborn Easton Community Centre, hopefully early in 2010 (not long now!). All six directors will step down, and the meeting will elect up to 15 new directors to take Easton Community Centre into its new life. We will keep you up to date on this website, but if you would like more information about what’s happening and how to become a member,

 

contact Liz Jones, the Centre Manager by emailing her on liz@eastoncommunitycentre.org.uk, or come in for a chat.

 

The building is full of resources and opportunities, including low cost rooms and a hall to hire, seven computers with free Internet access in the foyer (which is also used to showcase local artists' work) and a new café open every weekday. (You can also hire this out in the evenings and at weekends). There’s post-natal exercise, a community choir, English lessons, fencing, a youth club, street dancing, African and Brazilian dance for kids, a toddler group, yoga, community walks,  a community garden, the Evergreens and Asian older peoples’ groups, Brownies and Guides, people to sit around and chat with and even health trainers to help you if you want to change your lifestyle.

 

People also hire the centre for naming ceremonies, wedding and engagement parties, birthdays and even funerals. But there’s space for lots more as well – We have plans for more stuff for kids, there’s a sports Development worker from Bristol City Council based in the centre one day a week developing sports here, we want to develop our I.C.T. suite into a training space for creative technology.

 

 

The Centre is also home to some of Bristol ’s leading organisations who each work in community development through a variety of means and media, from English classes to day care for the elderly.

 

 

Come down to the centre and see exactly what is happing in this fantastic space and bring your ideas with you, and we’ll help to make them happen.

 

 become a part of it. It belongs to all of us

 

          

 

 

 

                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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