The Bridge: a Personal Reminiscence
ED BOXALL, local artist, writer, storyteller, and musician, recalls the days when he used to take his two sons to The Bridge
The Bridge Community Centre Today
The Bridge Community Centre has been closed for so long that many people will barely remember – if at all – that it was once a bustling local hub for playgroups, gardening projects, job clubs, and elderly support. The building may have fallen silent but for many local people the memories and the impact it had on their lives will never be forgotten.
Under Julie’s stewardship, The Bridge became a rare thing: a place that genuinely covered every generation. Downstairs, a Sure Start-funded playgroup looked after the youngest children. On Friday mornings, a café gave parents of toddlers a chance to breathe. There were adult education classes, a youth club, quiz nights, and specialist support for children with special needs. And there was the gardening project – a small patch of green where children played, long-term unemployed people were helped back into work and all generations were offered a connection to nature.
When the centre closed in the early 2010s, few doubted that it was the result of Tory austerity. They cut Sure Start, they cut youth services, and a whole lot more.
When the Parchment Trust took it over, there was hope that a local charity would revive its beating heart but as the years passed by the realisation dawned that perhaps The Bridge would never reopen.
When the trust quietly tried to sell the building last October local outrage erupted. There was anger among locals that a charity, which had been gifted this wonderful public asset, would try to sell it for £650,000. The idea that someone could just cash in on a place that meant so much to so many felt like a betrayal.
I contacted local MP Helena Dollimore and along with other parents and former volunteers attended a meeting organised by her in February. He recalls it was like getting the old band back together. Among those who attended were many former volunteers, staff, managers, councillors and many who had staffed the café, run the playgroup, or just made the tea. There was a lot of reminiscing and a few tears.
This week’s announcement that the Parchment Trust had agreed to step aside shows that communities working together can make a real difference. The news that Little Gate Farm, a charity offering gardening, animal care and employment programs for people with learning disabilities and autism, will take a leading role in the Bridge’s future brings him particular joy.
The thought that the Bridge could host something similar, that it could become the same place of hope for other families – that means everything.
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