Saint Ann’s Community Hut Repairs

Copper pipes providing gas to St Ann's Community Centre were stolen by thieves a few months ago, leaving users of the hut without heating or hot water, with winter approaching.

Because the pipes were mounted externally, the replacement work was not covered by insurance. Despite this, Cllr Gareth Cooper pressed the council's community facilities team to find the money and complete the work in time for Christmas, and insisted that new pipework was installed inside the building to avoid a repeat visit from the criminals.

Cllr Cooper has also arranged to make a survey with the Police Crime Prevention officer in January to check overall security at the hut, and advise the management committee of further improvements that could be made.

The centre is used by a range of community groups including a regular bingo club for older residents, and there is a community café operating providing sandwiches, hot food and drinks.

The management committee are looking for new members and users to keep the centre running for the benefit of St Ann's neighbourhood. If you are interested in supporting the centre, please contact Jill Hall on 0191 277 3484.