Winscombe Community Association
Winscombe Community Association (‘WCA’) (Charity No. 280231) was established in 1979 to run a former local authority school building and land as facilities for the community. The Parish Council later acquired the land and property, which has continued to be managed and run by WCA up to the present day.
In 2019 we established a CIO (No. 1186290) (a legal structure better suited to projects of this type), with the intention that all undertakings will be transferred to this new charity.
WCA’s community facilities have been well supported, well used and are very successful. Run by unpaid volunteers and Trustees, WCA has been entirely supported by room rental, fund raising and donations from the local community and is used by the whole community. Regular activities as examples, include a youth club, community market, table-tennis club, bridge, painting, jumble-sales, a book exchange, and old person’s luncheon group.
Forty plus years on from their first conversion for community use the facilities are tired with the outbuildings now confirmed as near or at, the end of life and beyond economic repair. Requests for room hire are already turned down for lack of capacity.
The inflexible facilities provided by the aged buildings severely limit the uses to which they can be put, particularly by the young people of the Parish.
Challenged by these circumstances the WCA formed the WiNSpace Project with a vision to explore how it can provide and sustain the quality and capacity of community facilities the Parish needs for the next 40 years and more, and to make that a reality
Survey Results
Thank you to everyone who completed the WiNSpace – Parish Council Financial Support Request Survey – your feedback was greatly appreciated.
80% of the parishioners who completed the survey felt the Parish Council should provide funding towards a new parish Community Centre in Winscombe.
Funding So Far...
Close on the heels of the Community Ownership Fund Grant of £300,000 -WiNSpace recently heard that they have also obtained £200,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund. With Community Support, the Parish Council will be applying for a loan of £250,000 – that will be called on in the next few months. This is a huge step for the project. They have also been informed that they will be receiving a further £60,000 in grants from providers once the digging starts.
With 89% of funds identified, it’s will start very soon, although there’s still lots to do and more funds to find.
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