Community centre to reopen after year of uncertainty
BBCA community centre is set to reopen to the public a year after closing its doors.
Hillfields Park Community Centre, near Fishponds, Bristol, closed in 2024 after the charity that ran the building folded.
It is being brought back into use by the team behind a local community garden, who wanted to do "whatever they could" to get it back open.
They are now aiming to raise £5,000 to prepare the centre for reopening, with the hope of offering activities including sports and arts classes.
The Hillfields Community Garden charity said the area was "lovely" but had become a "forgotten ward" within Bristol.
The garden is based in Hillfields Park, where the community centre is also located.
CEO and co-founder Sarah Rogers said her team knew they had "to do whatever we could" to bring the centre back into use.
It was previously run by the same organisation for more than 22 years, she explained.
"We just knew that we had to make sure that the building didn't languish," she added.
Ms Rogers started the community garden charity five years ago and has seen her team grow from just her to five employees in the past 12 months.
Volunteers said the garden had made them "happy" to be part of the local community.
Mum-of-three Jero said it had given her the chance to "help others".
Maria, a single mum, explained the people she had met during her time at the garden were "her inspiration".
She added that it had given her a chance to say "thank you" to those who supported her.
Now they have taken over the centre, Ms Rogers said her team was asking the public to help them raise enough money to provide a "solid start".
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