Hucclecote Community Centre

In this edition we focus on the Hucclecote Community Centre which is considered, by many, to be the hub of the Community. This well established and conveniently located Centre offers something for everyone and is always trying to promote new ideas and initiatives.

Enthusiastic Chairman Rob Barker is keen to promote the Centre in order to generate more Community interest. Rob and his team work very hard behind the scenes creating activity and entertainment programmes for all members of the family.

In keeping with the family approach, there are regular Family Fun afternoons with Magic Fillipo due to appear at the next one on November 30th and the Quiz nights which are held on alternate Sunday evenings are a nice way to round off the week end.

With Halloween and Christmas already looming there are specific events scheduled which include: Halloween Discos on the 1st November where Children will be “strutting their stuff” in the early evening, followed with the version for Adults later in the evening. The Annual Christmas Party for the Children is already planned for Sunday December 22nd and more details of this will appear in the next issue along with the entertainment details for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

Social Club Entertainment includes Cabaret nights featuring top entertainers; watch out for the popular Ian Oliver who is due to appear on November 23rd. Organised Trips to a variety of places is a regular and always enjoyed feature; there is a shopping & sight-seeing trip to London planned for November 16th; this excursion is open to everyone so please contact the Community Centre Office on 01452 616289 for more details.

The new BT Sports channel has recently been installed and is already proving a popular addition with the Centre’s many sports enthusiasts. This supplements a variety of on-going sports & leisure activities including Martial Arts, Keep Fit classes, Badminton, Ladies’ and Men’s darts teams and games of Solo and Whist, and Bridge, for the playing card enthusiasts.

As a Community Centre, it is often used for demonstrations or shows by different organisations. On October 26th Adult Education in Gloucestershire is hosting a “Taster” day where people can come along and try a range of activities to stimulate their interest, or take the opportunity to indicate the activities they feel should be promoted within Gloucester.

The Community Centre Hall is available for Friday night and weekend bookings for private functions. The facilities are first class for Anniversary or Birthday parties and can include use of both the Bar and the fully equipped Kitchen. The Community Centre can also provide its own disco equipment and DJ if needed.

Small businesses and Local Groups are always welcome and it is with this in mind that a Staff Christmas Party is being planned for those Groups and Businesses in early December. Invitations will be circulated very soon but any business interested in attending a “Staff Party” should contact Rob directly at the Centre.

Whilst on the subject of Small Businesses there are several examples of businesses which have been utilising the Centre’s facilities for some time. These include:

The Teapots Coffee shop, run by Tara Carr, who has been an integral part of the surroundings for several years; Tara promotes the Coffee shop as a place to “Sit, relax and meet your friends” and it’s open to everyone on all week-day mornings.

The Step n Style Junior Dance Group always attracts lots of interest particularly from potential X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent contestants! The Centre also has Art Classes available through the skills of the talented local artist and Art Tutor, David Ochiltree.

As you may be aware, the Hucclecote Playgroup, after using the Centre as a base for almost 40 years, has now transferred to new premises at Dinglewell School. However, the Parent and Toddler Group remains really popular and hold sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and again everyone is welcome.

The Community Centre can be found in Hucclecote Road between the Library and the Police Station and can be contacted on 01452 616289 or via email to hca@care4free.net. A website for the Centre is being developed and will be available shortly.

With so much happening at the Centre, we as a Community, should be making every effort to support this sociable outlet and help the Community Centre to maintain its reputation as a place to enjoy both day and night throughout the year.