Plans for new community centre in High Peak village boosted by funding awards

The parish council and community association for Chinley, Buxworth and Brownside have been awarded £490,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund and £100,000 from Derbyshire County Council towards the demolition and replacement of the venue on Lower Lane in Chinley.

The two local organisations have been working together for almost a decade to build a new centre, as the present structure has been in use for around 25 years longer than expected when it was erected in the 1970s and is now in very poor condition.

Phil Manford, a member of the community association committee, said: “It’s great news that both the National Lottery Community Fund and Derbyshire County Council have recognised our hard work and vision for the community.

“The current building has served us well, but it is now really close to the end of its usable life and it’s so important that we find the rest of the funding so that we can continue to offer and expand the wide range of activities and services to our community from a new building.”

While the funding is welcome news, it must serve as a springboard for an urgent fundraising effort, with a crowdfunding appeal expected to launch in the next few weeks.

Parish council clerk Georgina Cooper said: “Both these awards are subject to securing the balance of funding for the project before the end of this year so there is still plenty of work to be done. However, huge thanks must go to those who have worked so hard on these and other bids over a long period of time to get us where we are today.

“With the support of the National Lottery Community Fund and Derbyshire County Council behind us, we are confident that we can get this project over the line and deliver a modern, sustainable building for our community, for both current and future generations to use and enjoy.”

The project partners are looking for people to fundraise on their behalf, donate prizes or rewards to their crowdfunding campaign and to make financial contributions.To get involved, contact Georgina via [email protected] or Sam Green on [email protected].

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