Hello and welcome to our August newsletter.
Yes it is that time, summer holidays when normally things are a little quieter at the Community centre with a number of our regular hirers taking a break during the school holiday shutdown period. Of course this period is an ideal opportunity for the Centre to catch up with some essential maintenance jobs and as usual we have plenty. Following a fire risk assessment by the City Council (our landlord) last year a number areas of concern were raised and a programme of upgrading has been taking place. This has seen the upgrading of our fire alarm control panel, replacement of the main electrical distribution board, replacement of all the smoke and heat detectors, call points and during this month will see the fitting of new fire doors. Given recent fire tragedies this work is very welcome with the knowledge that the Centre will be operating to excellent fire standards.
We mentioned last month that we had been awarded a grant towards the refurbishment of the toilets. We have to meet a number of requirements to secure this funding, one being have a current lease in place of at least 10 years. Unfortunately our lease “expired” in 2003 and since then it has been rolled over. In 2014 the current administration started the process of renewing the lease on the same terms but this has proved to be difficult, with the landlord wishing to impose terms which the Trustees are not in agreement with. Historically the building was built by the Association but sits on land owned by the City Council and therefore they are the landlord. We continue to have discussions with the landlord with the aim of getting a lease in place by the end of September otherwise the grant will be lost and are therefore involving our ward Councillors in the discussions. This does however mean that we need to put our toilet refurbishment work on hold and assuming we can get the lease in place will look for future dates when we can carry out the work with minimal disruption to our hirers.
Our new website www.chellastonca.org is now operational and you can find information on our activities, hire availability, newsletters, photographs of the facilities and a frequently asked page. Our old website established in 2013 achieved nearly 70, 000 hits in the 4 years it has been running so hopefully we can do as well with our new site. Of course if you are considering hiring the Centre you do have the option to initially contact our bookings secretary Joyce on 07895386433.
We continue to look for volunteers to assist with many tasks that we have in running a Community Centre such as ours. One such task is our IT system which we need to upgrade and also make more secure. The benefits of having charity status mean that we can apply for IT software packages at a very modest cost and this forms part of the assistance we are seeking from a willing volunteer. If you can provide some spare time please get in touch on the number above.
Just a further reminder to all Co-op members that the CCA has been selected as a worthy cause by the Co-op Local Community Fund and any monies received will be put towards the Community Centre Toilet refurbishment project. As a member 1% of your local spend on Co-op branded products is shared between the worthy causes. However you can nominate our cause specifically which over a six month period will be allocated to the Association. We hope that local residents will give consideration to opting to help our cause.
Finally just an early note for your diary, we will be holding our Annual General Meeting on Saturday 14th October 2017 at 10.30am in the Community Centre. It is a requirement of the Charities Commission and our Constitution that we hold this event and furthermore attract sufficient residents to enable the meeting to take place. It normally lasts about an hour followed by complimentary refreshments and provides an opportunity for you to hear about the performance of the Association over the past 12 months. We will review our finances and elect a new committee as well as answer any questions residents may have regarding the Association’s operation. Please make the time to attend, as our motto states we are “working together to keep our community alive”
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