London Road Community Centre

The London Road Community Centre opened in November 2006, after many years’ hard work and dedication from residents of all ages within the Morawelon and London Road Wards. After a former chapel had been identified as an ideal location for a Community Resource Centre the Morlo Communities First Partnership secured £739,106 funding from the following sources Welsh European Funding Office, Isle of Anglesey County Council, WDA and Communities Facilities and Activities.  

This funding enabled Morlo to purchase and renovate the building into a Community Facility. Having overcome major obstacles including the tenders coming in much higher than estimated, the original contractor going into liquidation and many unforeseen problems with the building work, because of these problems and unforeseen costs the original revenue funding for running costs and to employ the staff was cut from 36 months to 18 months. A further grant of £8,000 was also secured towards the employment of a full time cook for the centre. All the activities incorporated into the centre stemmed from ideas taken from the community through various consultation events held in various venues such as the local church, community centre and schools. 

When the project initially started a steering group was established by Morlo to work on the project development. This group also had advice from numerous organisations and the project received a huge amount of support from Cymdeithias Tai Eryri Housing Association who purchased the centre and sold it back to the partnership when funding was confirmed and also the owner of the building who held on for more than 12 months despite receiving higher offers. The steering group is now a constituted committee that manages the day to day running of the centre reporting back to the Morlo Partnership on a regular basis.

Some time after the London Road Community Centre opened the property adjacent to the centre became available for purchase. Users and committee members regularly commented on the idea of purchasing the property in order to extend the centre facility and in November 2008, a further £200,000 funding was secured through WEFO and the NAW Town Centre Improvement Grant to purchase and renovate the property. The second phase is now complete and London Road Community Centre has completely exceeded the original expectations of residents in the area.

London Road Community Centre has been self sustaining for over 2 years. It employs 3 full time staff and 2 part time staff and its income is generated through areas such as the community café, rent from office leases, meals on wheels for area and hire for meetings. Although the management group have adopted the “We cant stand still” philosophy and we are striving to ensure that the centre truly meets the bottoms up approach of communities first whereby we try and give the community what they ask for and want, we are also very much aware that the project must be treated as a business to safeguard the employment that it has generated.

The partnership feel that the project truly demonstrates how a community that works together, volunteers that give their time, residents that use the centre, committed staff and management group who bring it all together can make a real difference to the locality, and despite facing real challenges and barriers along the way, the determination and dedication of each and everyone involved in the project has resulted in the centre providing a vital asset for the residents across Holyhead and indeed further a field.

The London Road community Centre now boasts the following facilities: Fitness Room, Offices, Community Café, Multi Purpose Rooms and a Sound Proof Music Room.