onionbagblog

Here’s a rather decent project to look forward to in the New Year - the fine folk at Transition Town Wivenhoe have ambitious plans to use the empty space of the Station Master’s House as a community hub.

TTW has been working successfully around the station throughout the year, taking the initiative to tend to the Station Master’s garden, and then offering free veg to surprised commuters.

This next step at the station proposes to take the project to the next level, allowing the house to become a community owned facility, and to offer training and activities to suit local needs:

“Since developing the station house garden with Off the Rails this year, TTW has submitted a proposal to National Express and Network Rail outlining an idea to create a community hub under the Community Rail Partnership Stations Initiatives Scheme. The station house has been empty for two years.

Our initial idea is to set up a social enterprise to offer skills and training courses and activities related to building local resilience, e.g. food growing, crafts skills, renewable energy, energy advice, cycling related activities such as cycle training and bike trailer hire, local skills exchange and share schemes. Also to make hirable space including desk space with internet available to others.

We met with National Express in November and they have offered to set up a meeting early in the New Year with Network Rail in late January when we can present our ideas to them. In the meantime we have secured a [significant] grant from Community Builders to support the development of the necessary skills, training and new organisational structures/business planning involved.

We believe this is a fantastic opportunity to rejuvenate a heritage building and create a buzz in Wivenhoe whilst at the same time giving space to expand our activities and have a permanent base to help create sustainable change.

We now need folk who might get involved in shaping the ideas and developing the project. Interested TTW supporters and friends should come and find out more on Thursday January 6th at 7pm, William Loveless Hall.”

How wonderful. There is already a strong ethos within Wivenhoe of utilising empty space for public use. *cough* @asset_transfer has a hyperlocal Wivenhoe base. TTW would do well to take on the advice and skills that are on offer here.

So yeah - the Loveless Hall on the 6th is the location if you want to help shape this hub. From small projects, grand ideas grow. Who knows - from the Station Master’s House to… the old Engine Shed?