Hi everyone, Today we’re really pleased to bring you a guest post from our friends at the Trinity Centre who’ve got an exciting new project in the works… I’ll hand over to Fflur to tell you more.
Hi All, Fflur here from Trinity Centre. I’m here to tell you a little more about our Sanctuary Project.
First things first, who are the Trinity Centre?
The Trinity Centre in Adamsdown is a friendly and welcoming hub for people who are facing hard times, with a particular focus on supporting asylum seekers and refugees. From the day it opened, word has spread about the warm welcome, practical help and friendly social activities here. People from all over the world come to Trinity – as well as people from just around the corner. It was set up by the Methodist Church but operates with and for people of all faiths and none.
Income comes primarily from renting out space at the Centre to the many organisations we work closely with, but also from events like concerts and ethnic food events and small grants from other organisations. But the Centre could not continue to operate without generous donations from its supporters. We are always very grateful for every penny people can spare.
So what’s the Sanctuary Project and why is it needed?
The Trinity Centre is very popular, but there are serious problems with our building. Well over a hundred years old, its design isn’t really suitable for modern needs and there is a lot of wear and tear to put right.
We are planning a redevelopment project, called the Sanctuary Project to make the Centre more accessible, safe and appealing for the long-term. Current halls, kitchens, toilets and meeting areas will be more attractive and efficient and there will be new features like areas where confidential discussions can take place, which are so important to asylum seekers and refugees. More visitors will be able to take part in more activities more often – leading to improved well-being for literally thousands of people each year.
Our proposed work programme includes remodelling and full upgrading of the interior of the building, repairing and minor alterations to the exterior of the building and replacement of building services throughout.
• Improved access into and around the building, and the addition of a lift
• More and better toilets and baby change facilities, in line with the number of users
• A larger kitchen with good hygiene standards, equipped to feed 80-100
• Creation of consultation rooms, these smaller rooms allow for privacy
• Improved storage
• New Food Bank access route for when other areas are in use or locked
• Flexible Spaces with foldaway seating and tables to allow space to be adaptive
• Easily cleaned flooring to allow a wider variety of activities
• Improved lighting and ventilation
First things first, who are the Trinity Centre?
Current estimates for delivering the Sanctuary Project show an overall cost of £1.8 million.
So far, we have raised over £150,000 and have finalised the design of the project and obtained all required planning permissions. We are now working hard on the challenging task to fund the construction phase of this project.
We are desperately in need of this renovation to make the Trinity Centre a warm and welcoming space for asylum seekers, refugees, the local community and the volunteers and workers who plan and deliver brilliant activities and events throughout the year. Could you spare a few pounds? Every penny you donate brings us a step closer to making this dream a reality.
Thanks for reading and thanks to Green Squirrel for their support as always!
If you would like to make a donation to the Sanctuary Project, please click here.
