About us

The Southwater Area Community Centre has been open since 18 May 2002, when Michael Foster, local MP, officially opened the building at its launch.

The Centre is located opposite St Leonards Warrior Square railway station at No. 1 Stainsby Street. The aim of the Community Centre is to offer something to everyone and become a focal point for the Southwater Renewal Area.

The Centre has a Management Committee of local volunteers who have been involved in the project from the outset.  A manager, Annie Hunter, is also employed to maintain day to day operations and to coordinate events and activities booked into the centre. Annie is supported by volunteers and the Management committee, to ensure that the centre meets the needs of the community as fully as possible.

The Management Committee

• Georgiana de Lussy
• Kim Forward
• Jan Gray
• Andrew Cartwright
• Nicholas Hill

Centre volunteers

A number of other volunteers are involved with helping to run the Centre.

New volunteers are always welcome, if you are interested in volunteering please contact Annie by e-mail or by phone on 01424 461414

History

The conversion of a pub called The Clifton Tavern to a community centre was made possible through Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) funding as part of the Southwater Renewal Area programme. Residents in the area saw a desperate need for social regeneration in order to make sure the physical regeneration already taking place would be effective.

In 1999 local residents were consulted about what they saw as the priorities for the area, and from this it was felt that the way to meet a lot of these needs was to have a building from where a range of activities could take place. A questionnaire was then sent round to local residents in 2000 to ask what they would like in a community centre.

In June 2000 a Residents' Action Group was established to concentrate on the setting up of a Community centre. Much time was spent discussing the conversion work that needed to be carried out before the building could be used as a Community Centre, as well as the variety of activities that could take place. The Community Centre became a company limited by guarantee in November 2001 and gained charitable status in 2004.