A fundraising campaign designed to help a popular North Tyneside community centre complete a much-needed refurbishment project has hit the halfway mark.
The Meadow Well Connected community centre is looking to raise around £12,000 to overhaul the reception area at its Waterville Road premises to help make it more accessible for all of its users and visitors, including those with disabilities or additional needs.
A £2,000 grant from the Banks Community Fund has taken the total raised so far to £6,000, with the centre management team confident that the rest of the money will be raised and the refurbishment completed in time for a Christmas opening.
The current reception desk will be replaced with a single height, wheelchair accessible counter with a curved design, making the space easier to navigate and enabling staff and visitors to engage on an equal level, while non slip vinyl flooring will be laid throughout the reception area to improving safety and ease of movement.
Walls, doors and doorframes will also be repainted using three contrasting colours to help support people with visual impairments.
First opened in 1994, Meadow Well Connected hosts a wide range of community services and activities for local residents of all ages, from after school and holiday clubs, sensory play sessions and dance classes through to adult day care services, joinery workshops and walking football matches.
It also runs a community café and a free-to-use IT suite, while its 3.5 acre community garden includes beehives, a wildlife pond and areas where organic fruit and vegetables are grown by local people for use in the centre’s kitchen.
A 40-strong team of local volunteers supports the community centre team in the delivery of its services, which also include an employability service, guitar-building workshop and a service working with people in food, fuel and digital insecurity.
Karyn Ainsley, chief officer at Meadow Well Connected, says: “Reception is naturally the first point of contact for our services and the experience that our visitors have there is key to creating the impression they get of who we are, what we do and how they’ll be looked after while they’re here.
“The building hasn’t had a great deal of work done to it since it first opened and it’s been increasingly clear that we needed to improve the reception area to make sure we have the facilities for all of our visitors.
“The work we have planned will make a massive difference to the centre’s environment and will mean we’re able to give the right sort of welcome to everyone who comes through our doors.
“This project represents a substantial and costly undertaking for a small community organisation like us, but we’ve had a great response to our fundraising campaign so far.
“Getting this sort of lump sum from the Banks Group is a real boost and will really help us build momentum towards achieving our final goal.”
Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “Meadow Well Connected is at the very heart of its community and provides a wide range of opportunities which might otherwise remain out of reach to local people.
“We’re very glad to be able to get behind this important fundraising campaign and look forward to seeing the plans for its new reception being realised by the end of the year.”