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The Centre will be a very
special building, which is flexible and able to adapt and
evolve with the community it
serves.
It will create spaces
for drama, music and dance; for film, sculpture, and
painting display; for offices and support for voluntary
organisations and local government; for a family resource
centre; for complementary and mainstream health advice
and practice; for business startup advice and
development; and for tele-cottage/cybercafe facilities.
It will be a natural
centre for residents of, and visitors to, Halesworth and
the Blyth Valley.
The centre will provide an
opportunity for craft workshops, small retail spaces, and
offices specifically aimed at start up businesses. By
putting a variety of facilities in one place start up
business and voluntary organisations can benefit from
things like co-owning or sharing reprographic equipment
maybe, or access to computers and the internet, or
exchanging knowledge and skills.
The Halesworth and Blyth Valley Centre Group will:
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study and research
the needs of the community of Halesworth and
District and the ways in which a centre for the
community can help meet those needs; |
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envision, promote
and plan the creation of a multi-purpose building
for the community which not only will provide a
setting for groups and individuals to centre
their activities in the town, but also will
actively enable people to share ideas and
experiences in a creative and practical way, thus
being a vital force in regenerating the town and
its environs socially and economically for
sustainable and healthy life; |
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oversee a
feasibility study into the building of such a
centre in the heart of Halesworth, and into its
sustainability in the future in business, social,
economic, and environmental terms. |
Who and what we
are
We are a group of
residents individually reflecting various interests in
the community. Our members include Town Councillors, a
Community Development Officer, Arts and Performing Arts
representatives, Complementary Therapists, and others
from the area with business, educational, social work,
building, and environmental experience and expertise.
Early in 1997, one
of our members invited individuals from social, arts,
local government and voluntary groups to a meeting at
which the HBVC Group was born. As a result of our
commitment to an in-depth consultation with the community
as a whole, we carried out a two day "Requirements
Capture" event entitled "Heart of
Halesworth" in June 1997.
We are working in
conjunction with the Halesworth Partnership (for the
Regeneration of Halesworth), with the Rural Development
Agency, with Suffolk ACRE, with SUCCESS, and with the
Halesworth Town Council. We are constantly open to
interested individuals and representatives of
organisations in Halesworth and the Blyth Valley.
Halesworth and
Blyth Valley Centre Group Aims and Objectives
Aims
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to put the heart
back into Halesworth |
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to harness the
hopes, aspirations, energies, and creativity of
the people of Halesworth and the Blyth Valley to
achieve a centre for the community |
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to ensure that this
centre, far from being a "village hall"
type of project, will help build a greater sense
of community in the area. We envision a series of
spaces bringing different groups and interests
together, so there will be an exchange of ideas
and experience, cross-fertilisation, greater
empathy, leading to the development of new ideas
and projects, and helping people to work more
fully together to meet their needs. |
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to ensure that the
community feels part of the process of building a
centre, are identified with it, and
"own" the process by being involved
with it, ideologically, physically, or both. |
Objectives
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to create a very
special building, flexible, able to adapt and
evolve with the community it serves, centres, and
helps to regenerate, which is open, accessible,
and welcoming to all. |
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to create spaces
for drama, music and dance; for film, sculpture,
and painting display; for offices and support for
voluntary organisations and local government; for
a family resource centre; for complementary and
mainstream health advice and practice; for
business startup advice and development; and for
tele-cottage/cybercafe facilities. Hence, to
create a natural centre for residents of and
visitors to Halesworth. |
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to oversee the
design of the building with sustainability and
ecological low impact as a highest priority. |
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to oversee the
creation of a business plan which will ensure
that the centre is sustainable in practical
economic terms for years to come. |
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to maximise the
involvement of all sections of the community in
the envisioning and planning process. Formally stated the objectives
are:
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To create a
multi-purpose building for the community
which not only will provide a setting for
groups and individuals to centre their
activities in Halesworth for the Blyth
Valley, but also will actively enable
people to share ideas and experiences in
a creative and practical way, thus being
a vital force in regenerating the town
and its environs socially and
economically for sustainable and healthy
life; |
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To support
the work of organisations and bodies
engaged in the relief of poverty,
sickness and disabilities, the provision
of facilities for recreation, education
or other leisure time occupation within
the meaning of Section 1 of the
Recreational Charities Act 1958 and any
other charitable purpose in Halesworth
and the Blyth Valley. |
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