Our Story

Struggling with a community building that was bursting at the seams and no longer fit for purpose, St Mary’s Church took the decision three years ago to pull down the old building and create a brand new space that would be ideal for the increasing needs of a diverse community. We took soundings from local people, asking what they wanted in a new Centre, appointed our architects, ERECT and then set to work. Since then so many people have joined us in making this dream a reality: thank you to our local community who’ve been so supportive, to our grant givers for their generosity and to church members for their relentless commitment to fundraising!

A fair number of the projects that operate from the Centre have food as a focus. We want to encourage this! We believe that the preparation and sharing of food brings people together, breaks down barriers and builds community. The flag-ship ‘2nd Chance Café’ is symbolic of our values: to be a place of hospitality, welcome, generosity and mutual exchange. And in the aftermath of Covid-19 when so many people have felt so isolated, we know its important to have welcoming spaces of warmth, friendship and food.

Our next steps will be to develop the grounds outside the Centre into Mary’s Garden. This is one of the initiatives that came out of a series of ‘Listening Circles’ held with the local community last spring. The hope is that the garden will be a relaxing space where people can come together to work on the land, find some peace and learn permaculture skills. To find out more about Mary’s Garden here is an article by Jane Hutchinson.

Sharing ideas from the Listening Circles

Photos from our opening events:

Our fundraising journey