Bellway Homes is delighted to donate £1000 to The Hub, which is operated by the volunteer-led association Westhoughton Community Vision, to further develop its technology offering.
The Hub, which is located on Central Drive in Westhoughton, opened eight months ago (September 2017). The building, which was previously owned by Bolton College who provided a range of community courses, was at risk of closure until Councillor Anna Marie Watters promised to safeguard its future and the building was placed into community ownership.
Supported by Westhoughton Community Vision and its host of volunteers, The Hub now provides access to meeting spaces, advice, information, educational, social and leisure opportunities to residents of Westhoughton and across Bolton.
It is attended by all age groups, from six up to 18 years old, as well as individuals and families alike.
Growing rapidly, The Hub is committed to catering for all interests, and by listening to what is needed, provides the local community with a real point of difference and is a truly beneficial facility in Westhoughton.
By far the most popular course available is the Minecraft coding course, which is operated independently by The Hub. Having identified a niche in the market, The Hub purchased the computers, sourced the license and employ a tutor to host the course, which is always fully booked.
The money donated by Bellway Homes will be invested in additional computers and IT equipment, with The Hub hoping to ‘skill up’ local youngsters for future jobs in a 3D generation, as well as provide equality for those living with mental health issues, learning difficulties and dementia.
Gaynor Ratcliffe, Development Manager at Westhoughton Community Vision, comments: “We are grateful to Bellway Homes for its generous donation. The importance of community engagement from companies based in the area and developers building in the region is crucial to The Hub and its future development.
“We are currently one of the only facilities in Bolton providing a collection of community courses for all age groups, and we are the first centre in the region to run our own coding courses. We really are committed to giving our community what it wants and needs, and as a volunteer-run centre, donations are always used to improve the facility, whether that be the provision of new or additional courses or purchasing new equipment.”
Bellway Homes is fully supportive of The Hub. Helen Lewis, Technical Director at Bellway, and Paul Wright, Construction Director at Bellway, have visited the facility on a couple of occasions and were both overwhelmed at what they saw and what had been achieved.
Helen says: “We are proud to support such an innovative and inspiring facility, which the whole community can benefit from. Having already volunteered at The Hub, Paul and I were incredibly impressed with what Westhoughton Community Vision had achieved in such a short space of time. The next natural step for the company was to make a financial donation that will be used to enhance the centre further.”
In the coming months, Helen and Paul will return to The Hub to host a number of ‘careers in construction’ talks and training for local children, highlighting the continuous support Bellway is offering the Westhoughton community.
