Kentish Town Community Centre

The Building Project

The purpose-built Community Centre was opened in July 2004 and KTCC now has ambitious plans to increase the size of the building by 50%. The development will include a dedicated youth space, improved IT & kitchen facilities and increased project office and meeting space.

The development

A major new youth space
This will be the only specifically designed youth facility in the geographical area and will create facilities to provide face-to-face youth work up to 7 days per week. KTCC plans to build an entirely new space for young people above the existing main hall.

Additional youth activities

36 hours of provision for 13 – 19 year olds, including provision for daytime alternative education for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). (currently 8.5 hours of generic youth provision)
15 hours of provision for 5 – 13 year olds (currently 6 hours of provision)

Additional community facilities

Improved IT facilities to allow provision of accredited IT training courses for all ages
an expanded kitchen to provide improved facilities for courses in healthy cooking and eating
additional project office & meeting space to accommodate the increased number of youth workers, volunteers & greater partnership working

With this additional space, KTCC will become the hub for youth activity with a full range of activities on week-nights and weekends and throughout the school holidays. This will include one-to-one advice sessions, group work, sociable drop-in sessions and structured accredited courses. As a result, it is hoped that young people will achieve more, be happier and experience much better support within their community.

The need for a youth space
There has however, been a documented campaign by local residents for a dedicated youth space in Kentish Town since 1994. An escalation in youth violence in the local area in 2006, which culminated in a fatal stabbing, brought the need for youth facilities to the top of the local community agenda once more. KTCC’s youth project opened in 2007, and now provides the only open-access, building-based activities for 13 – 19 year olds in the area.

KTCC is now providing after school opportunities for 5 – 19 year olds 3 days a week, however, it is limited in what it can offer. The multi-purpose usage of the Centre means that it is a real challenge to meet the demand for youth and play services alongside the demand for health activities, ESOL classes, activities for older people, support for families and space for community meetings. It also means that everything must be packed away between activities, making it difficult for the young people to feel ownership of the building.

Consultation with over 500 people in the local community, 294 of whom were aged 12 – 19, has shown overwhelming support for the increased provision of youth services at the Community Centre.

Congratulations to the winners of our prize draw……

In traditional “reverse” order:

The case of fine wines was won by ticket number 00837, held by Mr R Skeaping of Kentish Town; the motorised scooter goes to ticket number 00887, Mr M Corricelli of Ealing; the bread making machine to ticket number 00143, Mr J Williams of Swanley in Kent, and finally ……. a big dramatic drum roll here …… the 3-night holiday for two in a fabulous traditional guesthouse in South Portugal, including flights goes to ticket number 00639, Mr D Guberina, of Kentish Town.

Well done to the winners and a huge thank you to everyone who bought tickets, near and far.

Promoter: Catherine Crawford, Kentish Town Community Centre. 020 7482 3212. Registered with LB Camden under the Gambling Act 2005.

Latest Update

Builders are now on site and work is well underway. The project is due to be completed in Autumn 2011.

Meanwhile activities are continuing at a number of sites in Kentish Town. If you would like to visit us in our temporary accommodation to find out more or to use the computers, we would love to see you!

KTCC headquarters are now at 25 Greenwood Place, NW5 1LB, just behind the HMV Forum. For directions and a map please click here.

‘The show will go on!’

KTCC will continue to deliver most of its services and activities from other local venues during the building period.

(September 2010 – Summer 2011). To see where your activity has been relocated please click here.

Building Expansion Supporters

* £475,000 Big Lottery Community Buildings Fund
* £93,000 from a Section 106 agreement from a local property development.
* £10,000 from the Kentish Town Healthy Living Centre to support the extension of the kitchen
* £2,000 from local fundraising
* £35,000 from Garfield Weston Foundation
* £50,000 from the City Bridge Trust
* £50,000 from the Tudor Trust
* £50,000 from the John Lyon’s Charity
* £100,000 from Camden Council
* £5,000 from the Mercers’ Charitable Foundation
* £1,350 donations