Northampton community hub looks to buy building

Rachel Bott and Tasha Faulkner work at the Doddridge Centre and say buying the building would be "amazing".

A community centre in a deprived area has launched an appeal for funds to buy the building off the landlord.

Staff at the Doddridge Centre in the St James area of Northampton said the purchase would help it play a greater role in improving lives in the neighbourhood.

The facility offers everything from a library to a youth club and a community wardrobe.

Users said the centre had improved their mental health and wellbeing.

The Doddridge Centre is based in an old school in the St James area of Northampton

Based in an old brick-built school, the Doddridge Centre has been serving the community since 1996.

It is located in an area that has particular issues with health and crime.

Rachel Bott, one of the staff, said the activities it offered reflected what local people wanted.

"All our offerings are led by the community, so they're things that people from the community said to us, 'Can we have this?'."

She believed buying the building off the landlord would leave the centre free to become even more responsive to local needs.

She said: "All the landlord's restrictions are released and we can then do what we want and make this the real community hub that we envisage it being in the future."

The centre has access to money from the government's Community Ownership Fund, but it needs to find £40,000 itself.

The centre provides a range of activities for the community, from a playgroup to a seniors' lunch club

Another staff member, Tasha Faulkner, has seen first-hand what the centre can do for people who are struggling.

"Having them here in the centre, we've really been able to watch them grow and develop lovely relationships with each other - they've become like a little family," she said.

Jill is a regular visitor and said it was like a home-from-home.

"You always find one of the people around to sit and have a chat with. Sometimes I feel like I've come over and it becomes a bit homely, so I don't particularly want to go home."

Janet regularly visits the centre to meet its "lovely people"

Janet used to volunteer at the centre and said it was still important to her life.

"I love coming here because of the staff and the people that come here for a warm space. You get to know all sorts of lovely people," she said.