St Werburghs Community Centre: Essential Appeal

Hello, from St Werburghs Community Centre! We want to thank everyone who has helped us raise over £16,000! We couldn't have done it without you. We are keeping this page open if people would like to keep donating to our cause. 

We need to raise £20,000 (our stretch target), to keep running our much-needed support services, projects and our historic building. With the rising costs of running a warm, community space, we need your help in these difficult times.

With the cost of living crisis and a greater demand for our services, we are trying to survive and create a better future. Many people are facing a worrying struggle financially, and we are too. Our gas bill alone has gone up by 300%!

WHY IT MATTERS

We provide a safe and welcoming space for thousands of people each year. With our targeted projects we help children, young people, adults and those with additional needs to thrive in the city. With over 200 member groups, we pride ourselves on being a fully inclusive space.

You can support a warm and active space that helps the community to thrive through healthy living, wellbeing, sustainability, creativity and making sure no one is isolated. 40% of people that use the centre are from minority backgrounds and we are proud of being one of the most diverse centres in Bristol.  You can help by supporting our services and groups:

• The Foodshare: providing weekly food and household products for local families and low income households. Since it began,  251 individuals and 58 families have benefited. A happy Foodshare user says it has been “a lifeline…we can pay bills and have heating on instead of deciding between the two.”
• Raking & Baking: free weekly community cooking and gardening classes. 100% of participants reported that they felt more confident, less isolated and saw an improvement in their well-being.
• Easy PC Digital Inclusion: free computer classes .This one-to-one computer skills support service helps older people to get online and supports unemployed people who are looking for work. 40% of the participants were using Easy PC to undertake job searches and applications in 2019-20. “I look after my husband with Alzheimer’s, so I enjoy the friendship as well as learning. When I can no longer get out, I will hopefully be able to shop online, do banking and lots more.”
• Festive Friends: our biannual community feasts for around 100 isolated elders,  take place to ease loneliness and help people feel connected.
• Over 50s Art Club: self-led creative group with a range of activities.
• SEND stay & play for children and yoga classes for parents / primary carers (SEND – special educational needs and disabilities)
• Business Hub: business support and office space, providing professional coaching opportunities, helping local start-up businesses to get off the ground and achieve sustainable success.
• Free open access computers: unlike in library settings, we don’t require an address to use the computers, which serves the increasing number of Centre users without a fixed address (up to 15%)
• Subsidised Weekly Classes run by local groups; such as yoga, tai chi for over 50s, dance fitness, African Dance with live drumming, dance classes for children, language classes, charity training, parent and baby groups and much more.
• Volunteering: taking part in our weekly groups and community events like Picnic in the Park, our annual community celebration in Mina Road Park.
  
  

THE HISTORY

The centre was set up in the 1970s when a group of locals, including Roy Hackett MBE, came together to transform the old school building into a Community Centre. This was a new venture with St Werburghs being one of the first Community Centres to be created in Bristol. The strength of the community and the focus on bringing the different cultures of Bristol together continues to this day. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

This is the largest campaign we have ever launched and we are asking for your help.

The money raised would pay for service costs such as the gardening group leader's time, buying food for the cookery class, core costs such as staff to manage the building, rising energy costs, plus maintaining the Centre for the 80,000 visits each year. 

Any donation is welcome, even £10 would put a smile on so many faces here at the Centre.

You can make huge difference to the campaign, ensuring we build momentum and guarantee we reach our total and secure our future.

TESTIMONIALS

Murilo Leite D’Imperio:

‘For me, St Werburghs Community centre has kind of changed my life. It helped me start my own business which has now been running coming up, 5 years. My partner’s office is also based here so it’s kind of a really huge part of my life and without it I don’t know what I would be doing. ‘  

Anon:

‘It has been a great help as financially, life has been a struggle. Having their support has been a godsend’

Lee Markham:

‘It’s a wonderfully unique place where you meet many great people that you may not otherwise’

Linda McGlew:

‘I like so many things about this community centre. The friendly staff, the interesting classes like the free computer classes. I especially love the Christmas dinner.’

Thank you to everyone that has donated a reward to our campaign. We'd also like to say a huge thank you to Fifteen Ten for so generously giving their time and expertise to create our Crowdfund video. We really appreciate all the support!

We are co hosting a fundraising Pub Quiz at the new Wiper and True tap room in Old Market on the 23rd March. 7pm. Come on down to join the fun and raise some funds.