leahortez86: Grant will make community centre more sustainable

A COMMUNITY centre will be able to run more cheaply and sustainably after receiving a grant for works to modernise it.

Double-glazed windows will be installed at the Bakersfield Community Centre to help reduce heating bills, while the kitchen will be refurbished.

Bakersfield and Neighbourhood Community Association (BANCA), which manages the centre, was given the money by shipping company UPS.

The company has previously lent its staff out to the centre as volunteers, and is now giving them $28,803, worth about �17,500 on current exchange rates.

Avril Rathbone, vice-chairwoman of BANCA, explained that because the centre was built in 1938, originally as a school, its running costs have been very high.

"We are extremely grateful [to UPS] because it means we can replace the remainder of the single-glazed windows with double-glazed windows so we can reduce the heating costs, which have just been enormous," she said.

"We can also finish the refurbishing of the kitchen. It needs industrial cleaning and repainting and it needs a new extraction system."

Volunteers from UPS have previously been to the centre twice to do manual work to the building.

On their first visit, in October 2009, they painted and refurbished the meeting rooms on the top floor of the centre. They came back in summer 2010 to paint the dining room.

The volunteers put in so many hours that UPS rewarded them with a prize of �480.

The group could have kept the money themselves but they gave it to BANCA instead.

UPS volunteer Anton Sisso, who is from Sneinton himself, said: "For me, this is more personal as I went to a local school, Greenwood. I've got a lot of family round here. I was born and bred in Sneinton."

His colleague Angela Scott said: "It's good all round as it helps us as volunteers as it's team bonding and it benefits the local community."

UPS sales manager Philip Laughlin said: "I think having a facility that is clean and freshly decorated makes it a more welcoming environment for the centre."

The community centre building was previously St Bernadette's School until it closed 1985. The community association was formed in the same year and the city council agreed to acquire the building so it could be used as a community centre.

It was officially opened on March 14, 1987.

All three Dales ward councillors – Gul Nawaz Khan, David Mellen and Ken Williams – were present when UPS presented a cheque to BANCA.

The cheque hand over marked a double celebration as BANCA treasurer Pauline Taylor was presented with an award to recognise her voluntary work over the last decade.

She won the award for 'Involvement in a community project' at the St Ann's and Dales Volunteer Achievement Awards.

She was nominated by Mr Mellen, who is also chairman of BANCA.

"She gives hours and hours of her time to look after the finances of the organisation and has kept us in a very steady state," said Mr Mellen.

Pauline said: "I had no idea about this. I appreciate receiving this and I just want to thank everybody."