Client
Presteigne & Norton Community Trust, on behalf of Norton Community Trust Steering Group
Project Leads
Norton Community Hub Survey
Norton is a small village next to Presteigne in Powys which over the years has lost many facilities, including the church, a Grade II* listed building. The project was a small contract to help set up a new community hub in the redundant church.
R4C’s job was to research what other rural hubs offer, in order to guide the development of activities in the new hub. Our wide knowledge of community buildings and the range of services and activities they offer to their communities, helped us to add value to this research.
We agreed an online survey with the steering group, and searched out other rural hubs which could be comparable, starting with a number of hubs already known to the client. It was important to identify community buildings which offered activities and services directly, rather than being simply available for hire. Searching available data on community buildings in the nearest counties, Powys, Herefordshire, and Shropshire did not reveal enough that acted as community hubs, so the search was widened to Gywnedd, Caernarfon, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire. Finally, 16 hubs responded to a detailed survey, generously giving their time and information to help the new community hub get started on a good footing.
Our report on the results of the survey covered finances, management, activities, and what worked well and not so well. These findings can be matched with earlier surveys by the steering group on local community needs. Building work to renovate the church is continuing, but already a new management committee has been set up to run the hub when it opens.
The research and report have provided solid information to help Norton’s new community hub run successfully and meet the needs of local people. Ongoing contacts have been established with the responding community hubs, offering further friendly support in the future.