Firstly, thank you so much to everyone who responded to our community consultation. 178 people took part. Here’s what we found out: 

 

1. The community has felt a deep sense of loss and wants The Bridge re-opened as soon as possible. You wrote with huge passion and detail about the capacity for The Bridge to improve the lives of local people - we wholeheartedly share this passion and cannot wait for the day we can open the doors 
    

2. Essential facilities include a cafe; space for clubs and groups; internet and a community garden. 
    

3. Important points: Affordable; Inclusive; diverse activities for all ages including older people, children, parents and teens - a place where everyone can come together, feel welcome and a part of this community. There were some brilliant ideas, we’ve read them all and are using this insight to make plans, thank you. 
    

4. 30 organisations expressed an interest to use or provide services, and 52 people said they would like to work or volunteer at The Bridge.  Thank you - we are delighted at this interest. Please be assured that we have added your details to our database and will be in touch when we get to a later stage and can start having these conversations. 

 

Whilst the consultation has been going on, we’ve used this time to finish audits of the building, to see what is needed in terms of works before we can re-open. We estimate that we’ll need to raise around £350k to make it safe and operational as the site is in a state of disrepair and most of the equipment has been condemned. Then we’ll need to spend time doing the works before we can get a team in there to prepare it for an opening. 

​

In support of this, we have been writing a bid in the hopes that we’d be able to raise funds by the autumn. However, we’ve just been informed that this particular bid has been put on hold until after the election, so we are now looking for alternatives. This has created an unexpected and possibly significant delay. So sorry - but this is something we cannot control. 

​

So, the big message is - thank you very much for your input, we’re using it to make plans… but it’s going to take a while to raise the funds to be able to do the works. We are looking into various ways to fundraise for The Bridge. If you know of anyone who would like to donate or raise funds for The Bridge, we have started a Justgiving page especially, see link below:

 

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/thebridgecc

 

We will write again when we have any further news. Until then, please be assured that we are doing everything we can to move as quickly as possible and we are extremely grateful for your patience and support. 

 

 

Warmest regards 

The Parchment Trust Team