Plymouth’s East End Community Centre, based in Cattedown, reopened its doors on Wednesday 22 June in a grand relaunching ceremony with the Lord Mayor Councillor Sue Dann.
Following the closure of much of the city’s community hubs during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the official reopening aims to put the centre back at the heart of the local community. The site is located on Cattedown Road, and has been closed for an extended period of time.
After receiving £20,000 from the Covid 19 Additional Restrictions Grant Fund, awarded by Plymouth City Council, the ceremony showed off a brand new IT suite that will support Plymouth jobseekers, community organisations, trainers, and local businesses. The Trust will also be working at getting their services back to normal in the wake of the pandemic restrictions over the past few years.
Trust manager, Julie Richardson, said that they are hoping to expand further, with ‘ambitious plans’ for an arts and crafts room. She also explained there are hopes for the centre to be used by local businesses as a meeting room in the heart of the city for those organisations that do not have the space.
She said: “The Elder Tree Friday Club is already supporting our older residents to create CVs, job search and employment opportunities. We are particularly interested in training organisations that want to use our IT suit or collaborate with our Trust.”
A number of guests were invited to the ceremony, where the opening ribbon was cut by Plymouth’s Lord Mayor, Sue Dann.
The community centre will also work with an organisation delivering food parcels around the Cattedown area. Voluntary Sector Director, Roger Compton, said the Trust provides space for The Plymouth Christian Centre, located just up the road, to deliver these emergency parcels to vulnerable locals.
“The East End Development Trust was established in 2008 for the public benefit of residents in Plymouth’s Cattedown area, and we are really proud we’re open for business again,” he said.