Community Hub

Here to support families and the wider community.

Welcome to our Community Hub. Our community hub consists of a dedicated community building, sports hall and changing facilities, kitchen, classroom, pantry and cafe space. It also has an allotment area. Although the space is part of Marlborough Road Academy, it aims to serve both the school and wider community and to reach people of all ages.We know that communities are strongest together and this forms a central part of our hub ethos. We are committed to building positive relationships with the community the hub serves and to enabling community members to act on things that they care about.  Our aims are to:
  • Help our local community lead healthier, happier and better-connected lives.
  • Reduce isolation among our parents/carers and the wider community.
  • Offer a safe and supportive environment, in which local residents can thrive.
  • Promote change driven by both the school and the  community.
  • Provide  opportunities  for community members to get involved, participate, volunteer, learn and to develop their skills and talents.
  • to improve social community cohesion.
The Marlborough Road Academy Community Hub is run by our Community Development Officer: Judith Richens who can be contacted on the following e mail address: communityhub@marlboroughroad.org
 

Have your Say

Community voice is very important to us.  We regularly sample the views and opinions of the community to be sure that we focus on the things that matter to you.  Look out for the monthly community newsletter and follow the school on social media to see what we are currently working on, events that are coming up or things you can get involved in.
 

Good News

We are partnering with  Your Local Pantry to offer local residents membership to a food pantry, which will help our community eat well for less. The good news is that the pantry is now open.    The pantry is open on Mondays from 12pm-2pm and again from 4.30pm-6pm.  You need to be a member to shop, but then your membership fee will be just £5 each time you visit.  For more information and to apply for member ship :
 
Grow To School
 
The community hub are partnering with the charity Grow To School to deliver a year long planting plan.  We will be doing this through the weekly family gardening session on a Friday 3.20-3.50pm.  Come along and be part of a journey to see what grows each month across a 12 month period and enjoy the wonders of cultivation and being outdoors.  The family gardening sessions have already started but all are welcome to join at any time.
 
Volunteers
 
Now that the hub has re-opened, I am looking for volunteers to support the activities that are planned for the space.  If you are willing/able to help by giving some of your time to volunteering, please contact me on Communityhub@marlboroughroad.org.

Current Events

Monday 
 

Pantry   12-2pm   4.30-6pm 

Free Youth Club 4.30-6pm over 10s   (On alternate Monday's)

Scouts  6-7.30pm

Uniform give away all day drop in

Tuesday
Toddler group 9-10am ( £1 per session)
 
Uniform give away 9.00am
Wednesday
 
Thursday
Women only walking football 9am-10am   
English conversation cafe and community breakfast (bring your own dish)10.15 am-11.15am
Friday
6pm-7pm Karate
Family gardening  3.20-3.50pm
 
All the events advertised at the community hub are open to the wider community, as well as families of the school.  We really want to welcome as many local residents as possible.  Please do come along to some of our regular and one off events and bring your neighbours, friends and family.  

Coming Soon!  

Please take advantage of the offer to pantry members of a free pre Christmas shop for food and toys at Audacious Church.  An email will have been sent to you with the details of the booking system.  If you are a pantry member and have not received this information,
please contact Judith on:
 
Ramadan Mubarak to all our community  families marking this period of time.  The children and their parents, who attended the Ramadan crafts over the half term holiday had a great time .
 
Our allotment has been awarded some funding from the Nineveh Trust  to help us grow more fruit and vegetables all year round.  We will be adding a poly tunnel soon.  If you would like to get involved in developing the space, please come along to gardening club on a Friday from 27.2.26.  The space has also been awarded Grace Garden status.  This means we will be working with money from the Grace Trust, Grow To Schools and a film maker called Chris Chinnock  to create an outdoor classroom over the next 12 months.  
 
Once a month we will also be running an eco refill shop alongside the pantry.  This is an initiative driven by the school's pupil leaders, who have developed a range of eco friendly washing products which they sell in re used plastic bottles.  Come along and sample them for yourself - next available on 8.6.26. 
 
Other: 
 
If you haven't completed the community survey yet, please follow this link:
Your views really matter to us.  As the re opening of the space approaches, take an active part in shaping the types of events and activities on offer.  
 
And a link to the Your Local Pantry blog
https://www.yourlocalpantry.co.uk/news/stories-from-pantries/meet-the-uk-s-youngest-pantry-team/
 
Community Hub Launch And Family Fun Day
 
MARLBOROUGH ROAD COMMUNITY HUB CELEBRATES OFFICIAL OPENING
 
~ Local Community Enjoys Fantastic Family Fun Day ~
Marlborough Road Community Hub marked its official opening by holding a fantastic family day for the local community on Tuesday 26 May.
 
The community hub  has quickly established itself as a valued space shaped and led by local people. This week’s family day has been a hugely welcome milestone in the hub’s history – one which reflects and celebrates what it represents in terms of ‘community’.
During the Fun Day, there were a range of activities on offer including karate sessions, a bouncy castle, archery, glitter tattoos, face painting, raffle, henna, threading, pre-loved clothing boutique and a tombola. Barnardo's, which runs Youth Club sessions in the hub, ran activities for children giving them a taste of what is on offer on a regular basis. Thanks to sponsorship from Starbucks, there was an ice cream van giving out free ice cream to children whilst local traders had stalls selling a range of products.
 
Commenting on the day, Judith Richens, Youth and Communities Development Lead at Marlborough Road Community Hub, said:
“It’s been wonderful to welcome our local community today and to celebrate everything our hub has to offer. This hub has grown organically over a number of years and represents a community of people working together to support one another, in the ways they choose to.
Everything that the hub now offers has been developed from an idea or an initiative from within our community – not from outside it – which is part of what makes it special.
There is so much going on here on a daily basis and we’re always looking at how we can expand what we are doing. Thank you to our fantastic volunteers who volunteers who share their time, skills and energy to support the hub and make it such a welcoming and inclusive place.”
One of the most popular stalls was run by 12-year-old Deborah who was selling crochet hair scrunchies and bookmarks that she had made herself. Having successfully applied for seed funding from United Communities, Deborah set up and has been running a popular crochet club on Monday evenings in the hub. Deborah even helped promote the family day – handwriting invitations to go out to all the guests locally.
 
Judith Richens added:
“It’s been such a pleasure to support Deborah as she set up the crochet club. This was entirely her own idea as she wanted to share her love of crochet and bring people together. . I am so pleased we have been able to make this happen and I hope many other young people come forward with their own ideas of what they would like to do. Whatever they want to do, we will always try our best to help them make it a reality.”
The official opening follows an announcement that Marlborough Road Community Hub has received a grant from the National Lottery that will fund it for the next three years. This means the Hub will be able to extend its opening hours so it can be used in the evenings and weekends.
Run by and for local people, Marlborough Road Community Hub is part of the United Communities network of school-linked community hubs.
United Communities is a national charity that supports schools to be great neighbours, helping to create the conditions for meaningful, community-led change.
United Communities is part of the United Learning Group of charities. United Learning runs schools across the country, including Marlborough Road Academy.
 

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