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Blackhall Community Centre

The Blackhall Community Centre

After Easington Social Welfare Centre, the only other surviving former miners’ welfare hall in our area is the Blackhall Community Centre and in this feature Centre Manager Alison Paterson explains how it is thriving thanks to her dedicated team of staff and volunteers.

The Miners Welfare at Blackhall opened in 1959 and served the Pit community until it closed in 1988, the actual Pit in Blackhall having closed in 1981.

The venue was renamed Blackhall Community Centre and ticked along until 2006 when £250,000 funding from the National Lottery led to a refurbishment and the appointment of a paid worker, me!

We now have six paid staff and a team of 15 fantastic volunteers who we couldn’t do without, and we do everything you would see in a traditional community centre and then much more! There’s a gym, café/bar, concert hall/stage, pool room and we do everything from knitting and keep fit through to hosting meetings, conferences and rock concerts and putting on plays and productions.

We say yes to most things!

One of our biggest revenue schemes come from dance schools and we now work with 16 dance schools, and they regularly hire out the building for entire weekend to make the most of our fabulous stage and concert room.

We also work with food banks, function as a letter/parcel distribution centre, provide support to local mental health groups and offer meals every Wednesday for just £8 – there’s pretty much nothing we can’t do or offer.

There are no barriers to using the centre, so it’s not just for the people of Blackhall, although we get fantastic support from the local community.

We have 1,500 people using the centre each week but despite how busy we are, we have to find £12,000 a month to keep the doors open and we still just about break even. So, it’s a constant struggle and I spend a lot of my time making applications for funding, because that £12,000 doesn’t take into account things you can’t predict, such as broken window or leaky roof that may need to be replaced, God forbid.

If we were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at the rates we charge, it would not cover everything.

I often think our name doesn’t do us any favours because we are so much more than a community centre. If you put yourselves in the shoes of a live music act, would you want to perform in a community centre? However, we had a Whitesnake tribute act in recently and 120 people came for that, and we’ve just had a write up in a Newcastle and North East Music magazine about what a great live venue this is.

The only dream I ever have for the Centre is that we can wash our own face and be fully self-sufficient without worrying about where the next funding stream is coming from.

The Miners Welfare used to be a wonderful place to come back in the day and we want to continue this and ensure people are comfortable and made to feel welcome when they walk through the door.

Anyone who may be able to advise Alison on future funding streams can contact her on 0191 586 7396 or email alison@blackhallcommunity.co.uk

You can keep up to date with everything going on at the centre via their Facebook page.

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Registered Office Address: The Grove, 168 Front Street. Chester-Le-Street, County Durham, DH3 3AZ