Community transformation
One of the Breckland Economic Development team’s main projects was the redevelopment of Swaffham Community Centre, which was housed in a 1960s building and in urgent need of modernisation. Through the Community Economic Regeneration Package, it was transformed into a state-of-the-art office space for organisations that work within the community, which included a crèche.
The redeveloped
Swaffham Community Centre
The striking new building won an award for energy efficiency from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and was rated ‘very good’ under the BREEAM method of environmental assessment. The rent paid by tenants, who include the local education authority, makes the centre financially sustainable.
Mark Stanton, Breckland Economic Development and Regeneration Manager, said: “The funders of the Community Economic Regeneration Package set a number of targets and outputs, and the hard work and strong performance of our partners meant these were greatly exceeded. The regeneration initiative has made a significant difference to the lives of individuals and entire communities”.
Young people into employment
Another project involved recruiting someone to help young people in Breckland to access the services of The Prince’s Trust, the UK’s leading youth charity which helps young people into employment or education, often through providing training, mentoring or financial assistance. The role was created to promote The Prince’s Trust to young people aged 14 – 30, who are often the hardest to reach, and refer these individuals onto The Trust’s programmes.
Graham Ball, Regional Director for The Prince’s Trust in the East of England said: “One notable success was a young man who had experience of drug addiction and who’d been in prison on a number of occasions. He took part in a Prince’s Trust pilot programme, very similar to our 12 week TEAM course, but centred around the construction Industry. ‘Build Up’ involved him working at a local building company where he gained a qualification and employment skills. He’s since been working as a crane operator in Thetford, and has won an award for being the top apprentice in his company”.
Breckland’s Community Economic Regeneration Package has been recognised as a successful project by the East of England Development Agency and the Government Office for the East of England European Unit.
Topics associated with this project
Community engagement, East England, Economy, Employment, Energy, Financial management, Partnership working, Project management, Regeneration, Rural, Training