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The 20th Walsall Scout Group identified through its discussions with various community groups and organisations that it wasn’t just the Scouts and Guides that needed a more suitable meeting place. The wider community had needs, which ranged from residents meetings through to adult learning, which weren’t being met due to the lack of a community centre.

Our bid to the Big Lottery Fund began back in 2006 when we submitted our application to the Community Buildings Programme – this included plans about who would use the Community Hub, what benefit this would mean for the local area and how more people would become involved in their community.

Alan McGarrol, group chairman at the 20th Walsall Scout Group said: “Thanks to the lottery fund, voluntary groups, uniformed organisations and service providers will at last now have their very own base from which to operate and extend their activities, improving the sense of community and belonging within Great Barr.”

 

A little history

The late Reverend Joseph Reaney, of St Margaret’s Church at Great Barr until the millennium, had supported the group for nearly fifty years, allowing free use of the old Vicarage coach house, which was known affectionately as ‘The Barn’ for use as a storage facility for our equipment. The surrounding land in this unused part of the vicarage garden was used for outdoor activities. Unfortunately the Barn was neither, big enough or safe to use as a meeting place due to its condition.

This incredible news means that we’ll have brand new venue for residents of all ages to come together for a wide range of activities and services.

What is the Community Buildings Programme?

The Community Buildings Programme will give communities the chance to improve their quality of life by funding buildings that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. The programme will pay for creating and improving facilities that offer a wide range of services and activities to a broad range of local people.

Facilities will include:

Activity Hall – big enough for a game of Badminton!
Kitchen
Meeting Room
Store Room for equipment