Latest news
- #LoveWhereYouLive Send in your photos of places you love in Sopwell/Cottonmill
- Fill in our 2/3 minute survey click here – we’d love to hear your views about a community centre
- Join the Cottonmill and Sopwell 100 Club. Raise funds for the community centre and be in with a chance of winning cash prizes too!
Cottonmill and Sopwell Hub (CASH), is a resident-led group working in partnership with St Albans District Council (SADC) to provide a long-promised and much-needed community centre at the Marlborough Pavilion site in Sopwell ward.
Facilities like the Sopwell Youth Club and the King Offa pub have been lost over recent years and we plan to put something back!
Our petition, asking SADC to work with us, had an amazing response with over 1000 residents signing it. We now have dedicated support from the council and the hard work can really begin!
Our growing team of volunteers continue to engage with the local community to identify needs and wishes, gain support and move the project on. Next steps are to explore funding, form solid partnerships with local groups and research facility options.
Funding
We intend to fund this project through grants, crowdfunding and local council and business support. Large funders like The Big Lottery, Sports England and other large trusts ideally want to see applications from groups working in solid partnerships with local council, residents, other community groups and with some local business backing.
What Next?
Talks with St Albans District Council are ongoing, and researching the facilities required are in progress.
Visits
We have recently visited other centres e.g. Fleetville Community Centre and Hampson Park Community Centre in Stevenage; Watford and Leavesden Cycling Hubs and Batchwood Sports Centre. We think that combining a sports facility with a community hub will be a positive way forward. This would create more options for physical activity for both young people and adults, work towards a healthy Sopwell, and be an additional ‘draw’ for locals.
Cafe and Indoor Space
We believe that a café with outdoor area will attract young families. We know that we need good quality indoor space for e.g. toddlers play groups, and youth club provision. We would like to offer space for other groups e.g. Repair Shed for older, isolated men, and the local Food Bank, as well as generic community provision and activity classes.
To get involved or receive updates on our progress, follow us on social media or contact us here
Photography Credits
Website photos credits:
Marlborough site aerial view: Barry Block, Marlborough Trails.
All other website photos are attributed to Cottonmill and Sopwell Hub unless otherwise stated.
