Residents on the Cottingley Hall estate are fighting keep their community centre after the Trustees who own the building announced that they plan to sell it.
The Trustees, representatives of the Church of England, Methodist Church and United Reformed Church, maintain that they need to sell the building as it no longer fulfils their charitable aim of providing a place of worship. They further maintain that charity law means it must be sold on the open market at full market price which they have been advised is £400,000.
Local residents in the Friends of Cottingley Community Centre have met with the trustees, but failed to persuade them to keep the centre open. They are now in the process of registering the building as a Community Asset, which would give them first refusal to buy it before it goes on the market and they’ve launched a fundraising drive.
The two storey building houses a GP surgery, church and community centre.
The centre is a crucial hub on the estate which lost its pub years ago and has lost other facilities including a post office more recently. Its railway station is set to shut when White Rose station is completed and now the GP surgery is also under threat. Activities hosted at the centre cover all age groups, providing healthy activities and breaking down social isolation.
Christine Smart from the Friends of Cottingley Community Centre said:
“Every day, our community centre opens its doors to people of all ages, backgrounds, and stories. It’s more than a building—it’s a lifeline.
“It’s where children discover their talents in arts, crafts, and baking. Where young people find safety, friendship, and purpose at youth club. Where families access essential support through our community pantry. And where countless other activities bring hope, connection, and opportunity.
“It’s also where the Eritrean and Zimbabwean communities have found a home for their own Youth Provisions and Church. They describe the centre as their home and they should, having been part of the centre for 8 years.”
Michael the Eritrean leader said
“You cannot build a community when community activities don’t happen where you live, our children have grown up in the building and we want it to stay.”
Commenting on the situation, Pat McGeever, CEO of Health For All explained:
“Health for All was approached for support several years ago by a former Cottingley trustee when the Centre was at risk of closure due to funding constraints. We stepped in to support the local community, building trust and securing small grants to fund the crucial Coordinator post and running costs. Financial support from National Lottery Awards for All and a Wellbeing grant with support from local Councillors has kept the Centre open since that time.
“We at Health for All requested a lease for the community centre in recent years which would have enabled us to apply for both capital grants for building improvements and revenue grants to sustain staff posts for the longer term.
However, the trustees were informed by their legal advisors this solution was not possible which has been unfortunate and difficult to understand.“Christine and the team of local volunteers are truly amazing, keeping the centre running as home for activities and groups for all ages, including a wonderful Community Food Pantry, weekly health enhancing activity groups, church groups. The GP surgery also hosted by the Centre is a vital health resource serving 2,000 residents.
“Our aim now is to support the local volunteers and GP service to work in partnership to secure the future of the centre as a Health and Well-being hub with improved space for both expanded health services and welcoming community activities. The trustees must do everything in their power to ensure that positive outcome.”
Adam Bolton, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Fuller & Forbes Partnership who run
the GP practice in Cottingley said:
“We are just trying to maintain healthcare, we understand that the community needs a community centre and there will always be a need for healthcare on the site at Cottingley. So whatever we can do to support that, whether that’s with community groups, with Health For All we’re here to support it and facilitate that.”
Cllr Andrew Scopes (Labour, Beeston & Holbeck) commented:
“I’ve been working with the amazing Friends of Cottingley Community Centre and Health For All to keep the Cottingley Community Centre open for a number of years and will continue to fight for it to be the active and thriving community centre Cottingley needs. I’m blown away by how much good is done there, whether it is a ‘welcome space’ or a ‘free shop’.
“While I do understand competing priorities (being a Trustee of two charities myself), the Trustees who manage the building, need to take a hard look at themselves before they sell it.”
The Trustees gave South Leeds Life the following comment:
“The Trustees have worked for several years now to maintain the community aspect of the Centre since the Church in Cottingley closed in 2022. They have now recognised that on their own they are unable to sustain the time and resources needed and are looking for others to take on the responsibility for caring for the Centre. They are committed to ensuring that the Centre continues to be a valuable community hub for Cottingley and hope that whoever takes on the responsibilities can do so with the support of the local residents, the Centre’s users and other agencies with an interest in the Cottingley area.”
You can donate to the fundraising here.
Photo: Google
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The community centre in cottingley is so incredibly important. The fact that the trustees have decided to sell the building is absolutely heart breaking to the entire community.
Everybody in and out of the area, at some point have used services are Cottingley community centre.
They offer youth groups, keeping young, vulnerable and impressionable children off the streets and away from potentially dangerous situations. They offer a safe space for them to find themselves, learn about themselves, navigate their emotions. I’m yet to meet a young person who hasn’t attended the community centres youth group. I only hear and witness the joy that the youth group at the centre brings them, seeing them gather around awaiting opening times for the youth group.
Taking away our community centre would without doubt, be detrimental to our young people in our community, pushing them out into the big bad world with not a safe space in sight.
They offer a food pantry of which I used to be part of. With many parents, elderly and everyone in between using this service, it’s again, a safe space. With volunteers around to offer help when asked and reach out when they notice someone’s distress, upset.
Taking away our community centre would cause significant harm to those who use this service. People who rely on their weekly pantry, just to survive the week.
The offer church groups, men’s group, weekly meals for the elderly. Cottingley Community Centre is doing everything they can in order to best support every single person who they cross paths with.
Cottingley community centre offer welcome space/warm space. Allowing those who both need too and want too attend, again, I am one of those individuals. I wouldn’t have made it through the last 18 months without these groups and without the community centre and those who run it.
To take away such a beacon of light in such a dark time within the community, would be detrimental to all those within the community and also those outside of the community who find peace and calm in visiting.
We have lost the post office, we will lose the train station, so much has been taken away from us.
Please don’t let this be the next as I feel this will end the community as we know it.