For 20 years, the Summerfield Centre in Winson Green, Birmingham, has provided educational and training opportunities for local people. The centre’s main aim is "to encourage local people to re-engage in education, as a means of raising basic skills levels and increasing the confidence of the community in finding employment."
A HLF grant of £500,000 supported the local authority’s £1. 2 million project to restore the Summerfield Centre’s home – a Grade II listed Victorian school building – and create extensive improvements inside the building. Part of the HLF grant helped to pay for a new lift, which has made access throughout the centre much easier for disabled people.
The Summerfield Centre is the only community centre in this area of Birmingham. Its wide range of services and activities means that it is used by people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. It houses a newly upgraded nursery, a youth project, neighbourhood information centre, refurbished IT suite, fitness room and netball courts. City College Birmingham runs a number of courses at the centre.
The successful bid for HLF funding for the Summerfield Centre gave a boost to community confidence in an urban area of high deprivation. The building itself, designed by Birmingham architect John Henry Chamberlain, is a local landmark, and its refurbishment to the high standard made possible by HLF funding is a source of local pride.
“It’s all about the regeneration of the local area and restoring people’s pride in their community. The kinds of services on offer at the centre are a lifeline to many members of the local community.”
Cathy Jones, Centre Manager