Community centre among grant hopefuls (From The Oxford Times)

Community centre among grant hopefuls

2:00pm Monday 13th February 2012 in Oxford By Rhianne Pope

Priscilla Waugh hopes the community centre fund gets a boost

A COMMUNITY centre rising from the ashes is among 20 projects bidding in the second round for Big Society cash.

The £600,000 fund was started by Oxfordshire County Council last February and organisations bid in two rounds last year. About £165,000 remains.

The former Dean Court Social Club in Pinnocks Way, Botley, burned down on February 28 last year and ever since, residents have worked to reopen it as a community centre.

Working group vice-chairman Priscilla Waugh said: “It would be fabulous to get this money. There are so many groups keen to use this space, so it’s an exciting time for us.”

The group has already received £30,000 from sources including the Oxfordshire Stronger Communities Alliance and Cumnor Parish Council.

And it bagged £6,250 by receiving a high number of public votes in the NatWest Community Force awards late last year.

If it received the £15,600 grant from Oxfordshire County Council, money would be spent on adapting the building for young children and families.

Ms Waugh said: “We want to make the burnt-out lounge more useful for little kids. It’s right by the playground so it would be a fantastic resource in a sunny bit of the building.”

Diggers arrived to demolish the most damaged buildings late last year. Some buildings should open by this autumn.

Ms Waugh said: “We want to have a room for police. Having it as a base for the neighbourhood team would be fantastic.”

The group hopes to create a centre for the whole community, host live music and films and offer meeting room space.

Ms Waugh added: “Tenders for work go out fairly soon too.

“It seems to have been an age, but it’s all coming together.”

Other groups which meet the council’s Big Society criteria include Kidlington Youth Club, New Horizons in Littlemore and Go Ride, which connects Thame, Wheatley, Watlington and Chalgrove The bids will be considered by the council tomorrow.