Cotgrave Futures (Opened September 2002)

Background information

The community building project came forward under the SRB programme when it was realised that the Youth Club building originally provided by the Welfare was coming to the end of its life and the existing voluntary child care provision was struggling to find suitable long-term accommodation.  Kids' Club operated for some time in a porta cabin and other provision was not in dedicated buildings.  It was against this backdrop that the idea arose for a project headed by Cotgrave Town Council.  The Council had a significant reserve acquired from a land sale, which was intended for a community project, and this emerged as the potential match funding for an ambitious plan involving the replacement of the youth club and the creation of accommodation for a range of basic services for families and children.

The SRB board approved the scheme and a funding bid was put together for The New Opportunities Fund and the Coalfield Regeneration trust.  This progressed well until its final stages when NOF, against all expectation at this point, withdrew its support.  This caused great consternation and we threw all our efforts into a rescue operation.  We managed to scale down the project, secured the continuing support of CRT and with help from the County over the shortfall, we were eventually able to go ahead.

This event clearly rendered the building less versatile than we had wished, deprived us of potential sources of income and undermined our business plan.  Our conviction that such a venture was needed has sustained our determination to carry on and while we have had to endure some criticism - usually ill informed - we think the outcome has justified our efforts.  We have a legacy of problems but with good will from other partners these should be capable of satisfactory solution.

The Futures Building consists of a youth wing, a Sure Start Children's Centre (since summer 2006), child-care wing, a community cafe and a general meeting room and various offices. We have an office in the lobby, which serves as a reception point.

Since opening we have remained sanguine about the underlying practicability of the business plan though we were badly hit by an arson attack, which took the kitchen out of operation for six months.  This unsettled our first cafe franchisee who had shown promise, and the approach of the second who came in following the fire, retired.  The Surestart Children's Centre Centre currently operate the kitchen and cafe areas.

(Courtesy of Eric Woolsey, Chairman of Trustees)