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Message from the Trustees of the Lostwithiel Community Centre dated 20th December 2023:-

"The Lostwithiel Community Centre is 40 years old this year and for all that time has been at the very heart of this town and surrounding area, providing activities and services which have aimed to meet local needs.

The Centre’s reason for existing has always been to:

    - Support community projects, bringing local people together to work collaboratively and in friendship
    - Act as a community hub, providing important services such as the post office and library
    - Provide an accessible, welcoming venue and focal point for the local community
   -  Provide a wide range of social, sporting and cultural activities which meet local needs and interests
    - Combat loneliness and social isolation as well as support for older or more vulnerable residents
   -  Have a positive impact on our younger residents by providing activities which encourage them to develop their talents, sense of worth and confidence

For a considerable number of years, however, the charity which manages the centre has faced a daily uphill struggle just to balance the books. Time has not been kind to our building and the Centre has been forced to spend more and more on urgent repairs and basic maintenance. The building is also very energy inefficient and with soaring energy costs we have been forced into using our rapidly diminishing reserves in order to keep open. The fact that we still remain open and vibrant, even after the pandemic, is largely down to our Centre Manager and her team of local volunteers. We have also good reason to be grateful to the Rotary Club of Lostwithiel as well as other local organisations and individuals for their generous support.

The first priority for the trustees must be to find the ongoing funding to balance the books. Then we need to look ahead to refurbishing and upgrading the building, including new roof and windows as well as energy efficient heating and lighting. We need to upgrade and adapt our current facilities to ensure they better meet the needs of our growing community. We have now gained a government grant to begin developing the necessary plans for our future and we will be looking for opportunities to involve the whole town in developing these.

Time is not on our side, so In order to secure the Centre’s future we are going to need your active support. Over the next few months please look out for opportunities to help keep your Centre open. If you feel that you have the skills to contribute a little time to volunteer or to become one of our charity trustees we would be delighted to hear from you. We are all going to need to work together if we are to save one of this town’s most valuable assets."

Please compete  this survey and attend the Public Meeting on 11th Janury 2024 at 7pm.