A centre at the heart of the community has had a £127,000 refurbishment to give it a fresh new look and to meet modern day needs.

The Willows Centre in Deane has seen no shortage of visitors throughout its 20 year history and remains as popular as ever today.

Bolton at Home back in December thought it was the perfect time to close it for improvement works to ensure it could continue to serve the community for many years to come.

The housing association not only did this to address general wear and tear issues that had accumulated from its usage over the years, but to make it an even more effective, accessible space for community groups to use.

A large chunk of the renovations were made possible thanks to a £98,699 grant that the Bolton at Home’s Community Engagement Team had successfully applied for and received from Valencia Communities Fund.

Local elected members also contributed £10,000, and Bolton at Home added further funds to bring the total to £127,000.

Using the funds, the housing association spent the funds on new flooring, internal decorating, a brand new state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, electrical rewiring, a new storage room and upgrades to the external fencing, storage containers, entrance door and ramp, and soffits.

Chris Wood, Bolton at Home’s Community Engagement ManagerChris Wood, Bolton at Home’s Community Engagement Manager (Image: Bolton at Home) Read more top stories here:

Bolton at Home has also made plans to refurbish the garden areas of the centre in the coming weeks.

The Willows Centre re-opened in April and has already welcomed back community groups including several ladies groups, ESOL classes, homework clubs – one for SEN schoolchildren, Scouts, church drop-ins, a foster carers support group, and others.

Bolton at Home brought together colleagues, partners, community groups, and local residents to celebrate the re-launch of the vibrant community hub in Deane.

Chris Wood, Bolton at Home’s Community Engagement Manager, said: “The centre is quite old now, it was only meant to be up for 20 years, so it was in quite a dilapidated state.

“It was really well used, seven days and seven nights a week, so we felt it needed a complete re-haul.

“My colleague Nazira put in for a Valencia credits grant, and we managed to secure just short of £100,000 external funding.

Inside the centreInside the centre (Image: Bolton at Home) “We went to elected members in the local community and they have contributed and Bolton at Home as well, so it has enabled the full renovation of the main community centre.

“And now we are back open, and all of the great groups can come back together.

“It is just creating a space where people come in to get a warm welcome, to get all that additional support and the community has got all the skills, gifts and answers, you have just got to create the spaces where they can come together.

“So that is at the heart of what we do at Bolton at Home.”

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.