It has been a long 15 months for many but, after a few months of closure during the initial national lockdown, the management team at the Community Centre were able to put safety measures in place. These include social distance markings, reduced room capacities, hand sanitiser dispensers and new terms of hire. This means they could initially reopen to support groups, followed by junior activities and most recently adult activities, which have all resumed in line with government guidance.
Instructor of Leadership Martial Arts, Michael Hardy, was one of the first to resume classes at the Community Centre at Christ Church saying “As soon as lockdown hit, we began teaching our martial arts classes online, but we knew we needed to resume classes in person as soon as it was safe to do so – for the mental wellbeing of our students if nothing else. At the time we were unable to resume using school halls as they were rightly prioritising getting children back to school safely. So for a while, we faced not being able to resume indoor classes at all in 2020. Chris & Jenny at the Community Centre @ Christ Church to the rescue!
“The team at the Community Centre @ Christ Church could not have been more supportive. We worked together to ensure we could comply with the continuously changing Covid-safe rules, and they were flexible and adaptable to our needs. As a result, our students felt as safe as possible to return to classes.
“Since being back our classes have been a huge success and our students have loved the confidence of the location at the heart of Old Town and the atmosphere of the Community Centre. I’m proud of how we’ve worked together over such a challenging year and excited for our continuing partnership into the future!”
The Community Centre has been successful in several grant applications, including an emergency covid fund grant from the National Lottery Community fund which helped cover running costs during lockdown. Two further grants from Wiltshire and Swindon Sport (WASP) as well as Green Square, will help the centre provide gentle physical activity for people in the area who are otherwise socially isolated. These sessions will be run, during the regular afternoon tea, every Tuesday from 1:30-3:30 pm
The final grant the community centre received enabled a Mindfulness course to be offered, entirely online, at a reduced cost during a time when people needed mindfulness most. Helen Parker-Drabble who attended the online course said “The more mindful I am, the more choices I’m aware of, and the better decisions I make. Zoom is perfect for mindfulness. It makes it easier to build practice into my life. I can also sit, stand, or lie down according to my health needs. I focus better in my own environment and I can turn the video on and off as I choose. Mindfulness sessions help me stay life aware, rather than coasting along on autopilot” After the success of the course the community centre are currently looking to schedule another.
The community centre is now accepting bookings for social events in the hope that the governments step out of lockdown will allow these types of gatherings from 19th July onwards. The Old Town Beer Festival is also returning to Christ Church on Saturday 21st August from 12noon-10pm. Tickets will be available from 1st July 2021.
If you would like more information or to make a booking you can do so on their website www.ccccswindon.co.uk or for more information contact the management team via email ccoperations@christchurchswindon.co.uk or call 01793 617237
