Leaders of the Laleham Community hub talk about the challenges and successes they've faced when trying to achieve their goal of setting up a hub.
___________________________________________________________________

What is the charity trying to do?

Laleham Park Hub is a newly formed charity that is looking to create a community hub, which once established will become a valued asset to the local community.

We are proposing to build a community hub and café at Laleham Park which presents an exciting opportunity to combine green space with community engagement and recreational opportunities for the people of Surrey.

The site will incorporate a café and flexible community space for workshops and events, along with changing rooms and showers for those wishing to take part in water sports. The hub and park will provide a holistic approach to health, well-being and community, where people can socialise, learn and thrive. Laleham Park Hub is keen to collaborate with other charities in the borough to create a wider awareness of their work in the community and support available.

The cafe will generate revenue to sustain the operating costs necessary to keep the hub staffed and maintained. Laleham Park is a popular area for dog walkers, cyclists, hikers, families, camping and water sports, which offers a good footfall for potential customers. We aim for the building to be flood resilient due to the river location, whilst making sure it’s built using the latest green technology, in order to keep maintenance costs at a minimum.



What have been some of the biggest challenges?

There have been a wide range of challenges especially as we are a new charity. The administration, management and complexities of setting up the relevant legal structures of our organisation to make it fit for purpose is a major focus and challenge for us. This has been further compounded by the fact that no funders are willing to take the risk on funding professional consultancy fees for this project. Luckily our founder has run a charity previously and has the experience to take on these challenges. But finding the right professional people to assist, including those giving their time on a voluntary basis is difficult. The people with the skills we need, especially IT, legal and financial, are all busy working to pay their mortgages.

We also have a number of obstacles to overcome such as convincing the council we are capable of managing this project in a professional and sustainable manner, despite not having any trading history or charitable activities for this organisation as yet. And due to the heavy workload and other priorities of staff at Spelthorne Council it’s not always been easy to liaise with them about our project.

There are also local political sensitivities to manage. We have a PR plan in place but managing the social media and communication with a few pairs of hands is very time consuming.

We have had some positive support from people living locally and want to create a diverse board and committee. We have great enthusiast women, and young people keen to be involved but not enough men or people from other minorities. We are confident this will change as our project gathers momentum.

What have been some of the successes so far?

We have already received positive support from potential stakeholders and the general public for our project. We have met some great charities and organisations we hope to collaborate with. We have spent two years networking and have raised our profile and engaged with many groups and people about our plans. The great thing is that this project can create potential opportunities for local colleges and businesses to be involved. We are in discussions with various organisations about how they can help make the project a success.
We have worked with a local architects who have given their time and expertise for free to get us plans that would work in the space.

We have been inspired by other community projects around Surrey and have been built strong relationships with them for the future.

What is the importance of having community hubs like this and how can they help people in the area?

The hub will be a welcoming place, that provides a central source of greater public awareness of what is going on in the Spelthorne community. In a fast-moving digital world, it’s important to provide face-to-face engagement opportunities, to help combat isolation and loneliness and create a supportive environment.

Laleham Park Hub will support the community with their mental health and well-being while complimenting existing initiatives by working with other charities and organisations to help combat depression, loneliness and anxiety. We also plan to have volunteers who are trained to be mental health first aiders.

Laleham Park Hub is passionate about connecting people with nature and wildlife. By working with other groups and charities that are experts in this field we are exploring the possibility of installing bird watching huts in the park and nature trails to raise awareness about the local habitat and the importance of biodiversity.

We recognise the importance of kids getting away from their screens, enjoying activities in the great outdoors and have plans to run activities at the site. We also believe Laleham Park Hub will be a great place to outreach to volunteers and candidates for local jobs, apprenticeships and further education opportunities.

The café will provide opportunities for those seeking volunteering and work experience as well as providing a dog-friendly area with watering stations for waggy tailed friends. We are planning to partner with the catering department and their students at a local college, who will help design and run the café. This will provide valuable work experience and opportunities for the students.

There is also the opportunity to offer hot desking and wi-fi capabilities to the general public as a supplement to work-from-home employees who may wish a change of scene and some green and natural surroundings.

We will have a flexible community space on site which will also provide revenue for the hub and give opportunities for those wanting to hold events such as exercises classes, training sessions, birthday parties or kids’ playgroups.

This space will also provide educational opportunities such as art and craft classes, sewing classes or other hobbies where new skills can be learnt and new friendships made.

The hub will also help to educate people. We plan to invite guest speakers that align with our ethos and values to educate and inspire future generations.

Laleham Park Hub is about providing inspiration for the next generation of social entrepreneurs and a legacy for the local community.

Share Story: