We already have four such homes - all very different. We have the European Centre at Colchester which serves as international centre, national headquarters and local clubhouse. Then there's the newly refurbished Western Region Centre in Newport. A converted telephone exchange built in a Georgian style with a nod to the Chapel with those lovely arched windows.
The clubhouse at Maldon is a substantial converted Church Hall, with lots of room and good facilities, and then there's the Ravenscroft clubhouse in Edinburgh. A smaller, more traditional local hall, which has everything we need to serve the local members.
Now we are on the brink of acquiring a new and equally different clubhouse for Cambridge. This is an industrial unit (see pic), to be converted into a local facility for members from Huntingdon, Godmanchester and the surrounds. We have secured planning consent for change of use, and are currently negotiating a lease agreement (another first for us - we own the other buildings outright).
The local branch has been working hard to bring this dream to fruition, and it's a very exciting time for all involved (and a little bit frightening as well if we're honest - taking on the responsibility of running a building is a real commitment, so the desire has to be strong).
And now Suffolk Branch are hard on their heels, looking at their own version of the industrial unit conversion trick. This is still just a possibility, but it's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it. More on this as it happens.
