The motivation
The Trust is custodian of a community resource – a building held in trust by a resident-led charitable organisation that was established in the public interest and common good.
We started off in 2004 as a group of local parents who were just looking for more child & family-friendly opportunities for local people. We gathered and formed a resident working group called ‘Community Leisure And Recreation for Abergavenny‘ ( “CLARA” – accronyms were all the rage back in the early 2000’s, at a time when the town was losing historical assets, the public purse was shrinking and trust in instutitions and services was in decline.)
Between 2010-12 the residents-group worked with the local authority and local young people to finally deliver a Skatepark to Abergavenny – after 27 years of disappointment. We hoped this would mark the beginning of doing more for our young people and families – our community – but more ‘purchase’ would be required, and time rolled on without us.
Running in the background was a statutory review of Primary education and by 2004 the Park Street Infant School was emerging as the desired asset, with potential enough, to hold and nurture local goodwill for the benefit of people living, growing-up, raising children and growing old in and around Abergavenny. A social enterprise model based on practical solutions ie. ‘things to do, under one roof’ emerged and the void began to fill with the combined efforts and goodwill of more residents who could see that a unique perspective and our proximity to problems was a necessary part of local solutions to local problems. We wanted to be counted in! This was to become our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to step up and be part of a nature force that could contribute towards changes on the ground that make a difference to residents.
In 2010 “The ‘Future is Local’ was the theme we chose to seek to mobilise and galvanise people around the need for a secular community space to occupy a void at a neighbourhood level.
We made a short film in 2008 called ‘Voices of Abergavenny’ – when it’s gone, it’s gone.
Since its inception in 2005 the Centre/Trust has undergone several rebirths:
An Industrial Provident Society Bencom (in order to raise community share capital to buy the building); Abergavenny Community Centre Ltd ; Abergavenny Community Trust Ltd ; and Abergavenny Community Trust, Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Registered charity number 1177133.
The journey in milestones:
2005-2014: Residents campaign to save the former Infant School building as a Community Centre for multi-purpose use.
2014: Monmouthshire County Council grants short-term lease on the building to Abergavenny Community Trust Ltd.
2015: Abergavenny Community Centre opened on 1st March.
2018: Abergavenny Community Trust formed a Charitable Incorporated Organisation to govern its affairs.
2021: Monmouthshire County Council grants 25-year (fully-repairing) lease to Abergavenny Community Trust.
The charity benefits from mandatory business rates relief and a reduction in rent.
The local authority (Monmouthshire County Council) retains ownership of the building and carpark site.