ARC has launched a fundraising drive to complete building work on a community café & bar and multi-use hall, that will provide the local area with a much-need community hub where people can socialise, exercise and develop skills in an accessible, inclusive and safe environment.
ARC has consulted with local organisations, businesses and community groups representing more than 6,000 people, with 95% saying that there was a need for a community space like the one we are preparing to build. After many years of planning the building project is now ‘shovel-ready' and ARC is seeking £300,000 to reach our fundraising goal and complete construction.
ARC is a charity that relies on donations to continue to provide high quality and affordable services and facilities for the local community. Thanks to grants, loans, donations, and the hard work of a dedicated team of staff and volunteers over the past 20 years, we’ve managed to raise over £3.7 million, now welcoming more than 5,000 people through our doors every week.
ARC continues to promote a fun, family focussed, inclusive ethos across our wide-ranging programme of activities, improving the health & wellbeing of local people through outreach initiatives, partnerships with charities and community groups, and a busy events calendar. In 2024 we provided free tennis in schools benefitting more than 2,000 children, welcomed almost 200 residents to their Free Family Open Day, and hosted 1,750 children at holiday activity camps. Every week, more than 50 disabled adults attend our inclusive sessions, and more than 300 children receive coaching at the centre. ARC celebrates equality, diversity and inclusion every year in a month-long festival of events welcoming members of the LGBTQIA+ community, displaced people and families, and those with disabilities.
In September 2024, Judy Murray OBE, legendary tennis coach and advocate for bringing tennis to disadvantaged areas, visited ARC to see the centre in action. Judy Murray said of her visit: “ARC is the best community multi-sports centre I have visited in 35 years of coaching. Run as a charitable foundation and done for the good of the community and for the good of getting people active. It was great to see different sports, mini tennis for local schools, and special needs groups co-existing in a hive of activity. There is still a job to do in terms of fundraising to complete the café and multi-use space, but ARC should be very, very proud of the work they’ve done to create an incredible asset for your local area. Community spirit at its finest.”
When complete, this new part of ARC will serve as a community hub where everyone will be able to meet, work, play and develop skills. The café & bar will be a warm, welcoming social space serving hot & cold food & drinks, whilst offering work and training opportunities for local people. The multi-use hall enables ARC to provide even more fitness classes, workshops and talks, and will be available to the local community for public meetings and workplace training, as well as activities such as dance classes, martial arts, weddings, parties and more.
Our new fundraising drive provides multiple ways for individuals, families and businesses to support our cause. Alongside making a quick and easy donation on our website, ARC’s ‘Buy A Brick, Build A Legacy’ scheme lets supporters place their name, the name of a loved one, or the name of a business on a Legacy Wall in our new café & bar area. Family Sponsorship is available for those wishing to contribute whilst securing a wealth of perks for both adults & children. For those wanting to be actively involved, we’ve produced a Fundraising Toolkit empowering people to put on their own events or organise their own sponsored activities. Past successes have included themed quiz nights, a Murder Mystery theatre experience, and a Ceilidh dancing event with local legends the Oggle Band. ARC also offers a range of affordable and flexible Corporate Sponsorship packages that provide businesses with unique benefits that include unrivalled physical and digital brand exposure.
Tom Vinall, ARC General Manager, said “Community has always been at the heart of everything we do, and this newly launched fundraising drive gives us an incredible opportunity to provide the local community with a space that is their own. There is no existing community centre or accessible village hall in our local area which means that many are limited in their activities due to a lack of space and resources. It is our hope that the unwavering spirit that makes our community so special can help us complete a project that has been many years in the making.”