Bigger, brighter and better new community centre is officially opened

12 Feb 2022

A community’s ambition for a bigger, brighter and better new community centre has finally been fulfilled with an official opening held earlier today.

The New Bury Community Centre on the Howard Estate in Bury St Edmunds was officially opened by local residents Ernie Broom, Barbara Bannister and Val Cownley. All three were former trustees of the New Bury Community Association (NBCA) that led on the project to replace the former 1960s centre in St Olaves Road with a building more suited and shaped to community needs.

“I was involved in setting up the original community centre in the 1960s and I know how important community centres are. I know many people had fond memories of the old community centre – of birthday parties and wedding receptions and more. This new centre is a place where many more memories will be made. It is my hope that it will quickly establish itself as the heart of the community and I’m chuffed to bits to have the honour, alongside Barbara and Val, in opening this new community centre,” said Ernie.

The past few weeks has seen some of the bookings from the old centre including Upbeat Heart Support, Bury St Edmunds Presbyterian Church and the over 60s club testing the new centre to check everything was working as it should be.

Today’s official opening saw those organisations and other groups who are using the new centre, showcase what they do. The new building also houses the Carousel Family Hub and an NHS clinic room.

Yvonne Galloway, chair of the new NBCA trustees said: “We are delighted to finally be able to welcome everyone to their new centre. Although we have taken on ownership of the building from West Suffolk Council, the building really belongs to the community – and it isn’t just for the Howard estate but also for the wider Bury St Edmunds community, including our new neighbours at Marham Park. This centre is here for all to come along and take part in the various activities we have on. It’s here for them to book for their celebrations and if there’s an activity that they’d like to see put on, to explore with us so we can make it happen. It’s a place both to meet and make friends. It’s a new centre, a new beginning and it feels like a momentous day for all who live in the local area.”

The ambitious project has been nearly 10 years in the making. St Edmundsbury Borough Council (now West Suffolk Council) owned the old centre which was run by trustees. It wanted to hand over ownership of the building to the community – but the old building wasn’t in the best state of repair. Suffolk County Council also wanted to find a new use for the former Howard Primary School site, where the new centre has been built.

So the councils set to work with the late Ivy Goodman, Barbara, Val, Ernie and other members of the New Bury Community Centre, the Howard Estate Association of Residents and Tenants, and Gordon Macintyre from the Bury Presbyterian Church - to look at not only how it could achieve a new centre, but what it would be used for and how it would function. Several community drop in events were held to understand what local residents wanted in their new community centre.

As well as the two councils, the project has been supported by Bury St Edmunds Town Council which gave grant funding and Havebury Housing Partnership which contributed to some of the early project costs.

The sale of the former community centre, children’s centre and primary school sites for housing to Keepmoat Homes, as well as developer money from Marham Park, has paid for the new centre. 

The project development build costs have also been backed by money from the Government’s Land Release Fund via the One Public Estate Programme. The new community centre was built by Ashe Group.

Cllr Robert Everitt, West Suffolk Council’s Cabinet Member for Families and Communities, who represents the estate on Suffolk County Council, said: “This bigger, brighter and quite frankly brilliant new community centre is the result of the sheer hard work and determination of members of the local community. It came about through a simple belief that, just as with village halls, these local community assets should be owned by the communities that have been running them for so long. It has been led by the community and shaped by the community and I am delighted to see it finally open for all in the local community to enjoy, now and for many years to come.”

Town Councillor, Peter Thompson, Mayor of Bury St Edmunds, said: “To me, one of the main functions of any council is about helping bring a community together. What’s already been achieved by the local community here in getting this new bigger, better centre is incredible and something everybody involved with the project should feel immensely proud of. The town council funding is about supporting this wonderful project on the next stage of its journey as it becomes a heart not just for the Howard estate but for the wider community, including residents at Marham Park.”

For more on the New Bury Community Centre visit the Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/thenewburycommunitycentre its website at https://sites.google.com/view/thenewburycommunitycentre/home  

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