Jersey volunteer helps save community centre

Laura has long blonde hair stands in a grassy park area, wearing a bright blue dress with a pink belt. The person's face is blurred for privacy. In the background, there are trees and other people, including a child wearing a hat. The sky is partly cloudy
Image caption,

Laura Hefford has been nominated for the BBC Radio Jersey Make a Difference award

  • Published

A Jersey volunteer helped save a community centre after it struggled with finances after the Covid pandemic.

St Mary's Community Centre made £4,000 in 2021 but has operating costs of £60,000 per year.

Laura Hefford joined the charity as its treasurer and found new ways to raise revenue.

She worked to set up new events and collaborated with other groups in the island to make sure the operating budget became balanced.

A group of children and adults are gathered outdoors in front of a colorful graffiti-style sign that reads 'Welcome to St. Mary's.' The sign features a blue fleur-de-lis symbol and additional text saying 'Made by Moonlight' and 'Skate Park.' Some children are holding skateboards, and balloons are attached to the sign. It’s a sunny day with trees and a fence in the background.Image source, St Mary Community Centre
Image caption,

A skate park was opened at the centre earlier this year to help children in the area

Ms Hefford has been nominated for the BBC Radio Jersey Make a Difference Awards because of her dedication.

She said the improvements at the centre were down to a "massive team effort".

She said: "We have a couple of full-time and non-profit residents and we have to be reasonable landlord. They are massive assets to our community so we have to keep this place open."

She is now looking to raise the centre's profile so more people realise it has facilities for the wider community to use, like tennis courts and a skate ramp.

Jules stands outdoors on a sunny day, wearing a red patterned dress with short sleeves and holding an object in their hands. In the background, there is green grass, trees, and a black tire lying on the ground.
Image caption,

Centre manager Jules Cabot says the centre is very grateful to Laura

Jules Cabot is the manager of the centre and said Ms Hefford had gone above and beyond, and "gave up so much of her time and energy to turn things around".

"She is a pocket rocket," she said.

"She's tireless, dedicated and the fact she does this all for free - we'd be struggling without her," Ms Cabot added.

Follow BBC Jersey on X, external and Facebook, external. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk, external.