Wootton and Dry Sandford community centre getting an £842,000 upgrade (From The Oxford Times)

Wootton and Dry Sandford community centre getting an £842,000 upgrade

10:33am Thursday 2nd July 2009 in

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WORK has started to transform a dilapidated community centre into an attractive facility —despite the recession.

The £842,000 redevelopment of Wootton and Dry Sandford community centre will include replacing the flat roofs with pitched ones, modernising the kitchen and toilets, and building new changing rooms.

The funding for the transformation has come from a range of bodies.

The Big Lottery Fund gave £500,000, the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment provided £50,000, the local community raised more than £60,000, and the rest came from the parish, district and county councils.

Chris Wise, chairman of the community centre, said: “At long last, the day has arrived after many years of waiting, planning and discussion.

“The redeveloped centre will transform community life.”

When the work is finished, which is scheduled for next March, the centre will provide upgraded facilities for existing and new users.

These will include the community youth club, a pre-school, the two clubs for the elderly, The Old Folks’ Club and Sandleigh Seniors, a drama group and a range of indoor and outdoor sports groups, including karate, badminton, football, netball and indoor bowls.

Some of the activities are continuing during the closure by switching to Sunningwell vIllage hall.

The facilities will also benefit weddings and social functions, and will be disabled-friendly.

A children’s centre, separately funded by Oxfordshire County Council using central Govern-ment Sure Start money, has been incorporated into the project to provide services to families and children in the area.

The county council has contributed £314,000.

Clare Abolins, the county council’s service manager for children’s centres, said: “We are delighted to have been involved in this project, which we believe will be a great success. The whole building, including the children's centre, will be a real benefit to families in the local area.”

The community centre, which was built in the 1950s and extended in the 1970s, is used by 25 different groups.

George Edmonds-Brown, a member of the redevelopment committee, said he expected user numbers to increase when the centre reopened.

Alex Parker, chairman of Wootton Parish Council, said: “This is an exciting project for our community which will bring benefits to everyone for many years to come.”