PEOPLE’S HUB OPENED ITS DOORS NEAR GOODISON PARK

PEOPLE’S HUB OPENED ITS DOORS NEAR GOODISON PARK

Everton Football Club’s official charity has opened the doors to its new Community Hub for the first time, offering residents the chance to see the facility in action, before completing the build in Spring 2017.

The EitC Community Hub, which is also known as ‘The People’s Hub’, is placed in the shadows of Goodison Park. It is meant to be an innovative ‘community campus’, which meets the needs of all members of the local community and it will be a place for the charity to call home. Elderly, disabled and disadvantaged people will reap the benefits of a café, family area, computer rooms, free space to organise activities, as well as a ‘Cruyff Court’ – a football pitch due to open in April 2017.
Everton’s community staff members began moving into the site earlier this month and it has already become a hive of activity, housing many of the charity’s award-winning projects during the day. By evening, it provides specific community interventions in a more intimate environment allowing community groups to feel they have a connection to, and ownership of, the space.

Phil Duffy, Executive Director of EitC, led the tour and said: “We’re delighted to open the doors and start using our new Community Hub, helping us to further strengthen our work within the local area.

“This facility allows us to offer members of our community a safe-haven where they can socialise safely; access employment, training, education and volunteering opportunities; as well as receiving support around physical health, dietary and provide access for isolated members of our community to engage with us via our programmes.”
“We want everyone in the area to know that we are always here for them, should they ever want to visit the Hub or require support.”

A STEP FORWARD FOR THE COMMUNITY

Everton Ambassador Graeme Sharp, also received his first look around the new facility. He said: “It’s been a pleasure to meet so many engaged and inspiring participants today and it’s great to see them enjoying the Hub so much!

“During my time as an Ambassador at Everton, I’ve been lucky enough to see some amazing work by the charity – today marks another step forward for our football family and the community we represent, we can’t wait to open the completed campus next year.”

Like many inner-city areas across the UK, L4 is an area with acute social issues to consider. EitC has conducted research and consultations to establish the needs of the local community, highlighting the challenges people face as well as exploring the solutions that may bring a significant impact to local people’s lives.

Throughout the consultation process various themes were identified and thus the EitC Community Hub provides a diverse range of activities that will address the extensive areas of need within the L4 community while also fitting into a range of local, regional and national plans including addressing a number of key indicators in Liverpool City Council’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.