Telford 50 Legacy Fund breathes new life into community facilities in Madeley area
Thanks to help from Telford & Wrekin Council’s Telford 50 Legacy Fund, Madeley Town Council and the hard work of dedicated volunteers, three key community buildings in Madeley are undergoing significant improvements, benefiting those living, working and visiting the area long into the future.
Anstice Memorial Hall, a much-loved local landmark, is on its way back to its rightful place at the heart of the community in Madeley, with funding of around £120,000 from Telford 50 Legacy Fund.
Upgrades and refurbishments works to the hall are currently being carried out as a joint project between Telford & Wrekin Council, Madeley Town Council and the Anstice Community Trust (ACT).
For more details about this project, check our news release here.
A Telford 50 Legacy grant of £13,990 has been given to Park Lane Centre in Woodside, to create a new youth café, providing facilities such as computers and gaming equipment.
The project benefits from a match funding of almost £3,500.
Jacqui Idiens, Centre Manager at Park Lane Centre said: “Park Lane Centre is a busy, vibrant centre which houses a wide variety of local enterprises and community services as well as accommodating training and courses, groups and activities to meet the varied needs of our community and more
“We’ve always wanted to create a dedicated area where are our young people can come together and socialise, learn new skills and enjoy computer and gaming facilities.
“With the help of the Telford 50 Legacy Fund, this has now been achieved - we are delighted with the results and are expecting more visits to our centre in the near future.
“The funding has also enabled us to replace the flooring in our Willow hall, one of the most popular rented rooms for meetings, conferences and training sessions as well as physical activity and exercise groups.
“As a result of a more modern look, the centre is now in even greater demand which helps us run these facilities long into the future – a true legacy of Telford’s 50th anniversary.”
‘The Hub on the Hill’ in Sutton Hill has also benefitted from a grant of £16,000 to extend their café, upgrade their kitchen and provide a central meeting point for people to get together.
Terry Yarnall, Centre Manager said: “Run by local people, for local people” – this is how we define our centre, located in the heart of Sutton Hill.
“Any support we get to improve and extend our facilities is very much welcomed and does make a real difference for the many people who visit us.
“As such, thanks to Telford 50 Legacy Fund from the Council, we are thrilled to welcome them now into a new kitchen and a much more spacious café.
“We will shortly be opening our new garden area as well - so all in all, our centre is getting a new look this year and stands as such as a great legacy of Telford 50.”
Cllr Rae Evans, Cabinet Member for People Services, Tourism & Partnerships commented: “All these projects will help the community in and around Madeley thrive and work even more closely together in much more attractive venues, as well as encourage people to visit the area.
“We are delighted the Telford 50 Legacy Fund is making such a positive impact to so many community centres all across our borough.”
The £2 million Telford 50 Legacy Fund supports a mix of physical schemes as well as other projects that help tackle key social issues in the borough and reduce demand on council services.
A £750,000 from this fund has been giving £150,000 to each of the borough’s five main towns, including Madeley, as part of Telford 50 celebrations, to improve and refurbish key community buildings.
Details of all legacy projects are on www.telford50.co.uk
Pictured at Park Lane Centre in Woodside (left to right): Jenny Higgs (Centre Administrative Officer), Cllr Rae Evans (Cabinet Member for People Services), Janet Smith (Director of Park Lane Centre).
