The Beacon Centre
The vision
The Beacon Centre journey began in 2017 when Fr. Chris, the Rector of St Cross Church, contacted Healthy Me Healthy Community about the possibility of setting up a Community Grocer in the church’s centre.
From this initial conversation, it emerged HMHC already had their sights set on a building in Barrington Street, as a possible site for a Clayton-based Community Grocer. Although still under public ownership, the building at that time had been out of use for many years and had fallen into a state of disrepair.
Manchester City Council were keen to lease the building to a group of local people who could commit to raising the money needed to repair the building and bring it back into community use.
Creation of the CIO
Led by the Rector of St Cross Church, eight local and community-minded individuals came together as Trustees to form The Beacon Centre CIO. The CIO was registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on the 13th December 2018.
Since then, it has worked tirelessly to raise more than £400,000 to repair the building and employ a Centre Manager.
Having listened carefully to what people living in Clayton, Beswick and Openshaw have told us they need from their local Community Hub, our aim is to provide a welcoming and well-run space where different local partners can come together and address the issues that matter most to local people.
We aim to carry on listening to the views and ideas of local people so that we can adapt the services offered here to the changing needs and demands of the community.
Our sponsors and partners
We are grateful to many individuals and organisations that have helped guide us through the asset transfer process as well as raise our profile including:
We are indebted to our funders: Sport England and the National Lottery Community Fund.
We are also grateful for the project managers from Abacus Cost Management and our contractors, Big Red Construction. Were it not for the good will, generosity, and hard work of Abacus and Big Red, we would not have crossed the finish line.
Visit the Beacon Centre website for more information.
The Beacon Centre journey began in 2017 when Fr. Chris, the Rector of St Cross Church, contacted Healthy Me Healthy Community about the possibility of setting up a Community Grocer in the church’s centre.
From this initial conversation, it emerged HMHC already had their sights set on a building in Barrington Street, as a possible site for a Clayton-based Community Grocer. Although still under public ownership, the building at that time had been out of use for many years and had fallen into a state of disrepair.
Manchester City Council were keen to lease the building to a group of local people who could commit to raising the money needed to repair the building and bring it back into community use.
Creation of the CIO
Led by the Rector of St Cross Church, eight local and community-minded individuals came together as Trustees to form The Beacon Centre CIO. The CIO was registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on the 13th December 2018.
Since then, it has worked tirelessly to raise more than £400,000 to repair the building and employ a Centre Manager.
Having listened carefully to what people living in Clayton, Beswick and Openshaw have told us they need from their local Community Hub, our aim is to provide a welcoming and well-run space where different local partners can come together and address the issues that matter most to local people.
We aim to carry on listening to the views and ideas of local people so that we can adapt the services offered here to the changing needs and demands of the community.
Our sponsors and partners
We are grateful to many individuals and organisations that have helped guide us through the asset transfer process as well as raise our profile including:
- HMHC
- One Manchester
- St Cross Church
- St Willibrord's Church
- Clayton Methodist Church
- Step Up MCR
- Place Based Giving
- MCRactive
We are indebted to our funders: Sport England and the National Lottery Community Fund.
We are also grateful for the project managers from Abacus Cost Management and our contractors, Big Red Construction. Were it not for the good will, generosity, and hard work of Abacus and Big Red, we would not have crossed the finish line.
Visit the Beacon Centre website for more information.
