We’re on a mission to help save this valuable asset to Risca – and we need your help! The Youth and Community Centre in Brooklands is a fantastic facility that we want to repurpose and make our home for a number of community run projects. Unfortunately, the building is currently in decline due to it not receiving the investment it has needed for recovery from the Covid Pandemic. With the last user set to leave this building shortly, this building could be heading for demolition.
What are our Plans?
If we were able to successfully save the Brooklands Youth and Community Centre from demolition we would make this into a wonderful community hub. Community Volunteers Wales have already had success of turning old buildings on Risca’s Tredegar Road into welcoming and inviting places in the community. Our Snug Coffee Shop is a prime example of this. This building has been transformed into a modern coffee shop hosting a number of community events.
It is now a member of the Chatty Cafe scheme, encouraging those who would otherwise be on their own to pop along and chat to others. Every Wednesday it hosts a breakfast club. It is a venue for a Youth Club, encouraging vulnerable young people to learn new skills and to have interaction with others their age. It has been the host of the Community Cookbook Project, teaching families to cook together and to empower them to make healthy meals on a budget. Or it is simply a coffee shop, that is volunteer run, offering delicious breakfasts, lunches and snacks with handcrafted barista coffees.
We’ve also transformed The Pantri into an eco-shopping solution for those on a budget. This brand new store offers members the chance of a basket of food for just £4. Proudly serving over 350 members and providing over 56,000 meals. Our impact on Risca so far has been substantial – but as ever we have ambitious plans to grow.
Plans for Brooklands Youth and Community Centre
We have been searching for a space where we can run the majority of our community projects from since our launch in March 2020. In this centre we could launch so many of our plans that are currently on hold, or restricted due to the lack of space. These projects include:
- A Community Allotment – We want to create a true circular economy growing the food that we can offer up as part of our Pantri baskets.
- Sensory spaces – To support the ALN community within Risca we want to create sensory spaces that can be enjoyed by everyone.
- Community Bike Hub – Our Community Bike Hub could grow here, serving more members of the community and helping more young people have access to bikes, exercise and hours of fun.
- Community Cookbook Project – With a larger space we can run our cookbook project with even more families and grow the love of cooking together.
This is not an extensive list – we have many more plans for the space to be revealed at a later time.
How you can Help
Please sign our petition here, (or our paper copy is available in Snug Coffee Shop) and help us save this potential home for Community Volunteers Wales and the host of activities and projects we can run from the heart of Risca.
