The Younghayes Centre in Cranbrook is an excellent venue for groups, meetings, and functions, set over two floors with office space, a large multi-purpose hall for community and sports events and a small meeting room.
It was first open to the public in November 2013, when 150 homes were first occupied, since then it has welcomed residents daily, providing a range of activities and services.
The Younghayes Centre is a community hub, and home to several organisations, essential services or groups including supporting some of the most vulnerable members of the community. Some of the services include, Brownies, Cranbrook Additional Needs, Cornerstone Toddler Group, Cubs, Girl Guides, Grow Eat Do, Heads Up, NHS Health Visitor Clinics, Slimming World, Scouts, Scrumkids, Veterans Support Group and Youth Genesis.
Sadly, the Younghayes Centre was forced to shut its doors to Cranbrook’s residents following the outbreak of the coronavirus last year and this meant some of the groups had to stop operating due to the restrictions. Throughout the pandemic Grow Eat Do was able to continue to produce lovely home cooked meals for the community Food Bank. With the announcement of the roadmap out of Covid, many community groups and residents are eager to restart their activities, with some residents looking ahead to book the hall for party functions. The hall has been very underused due to the restrictions and it will be wonderful to have birthday party bookings again, and see the hall being used to its full potential for functions, community groups and more.
Cranbrook Town Council is incredibly grateful to the residents who have supported it during this time and recognises the importance of the Younghayes Centre within its community.
As well as providing office space to Cranbrook Town Council’s five staff, the building is also the headquarters of Action East Devon; a local charity which works with people, communities and organisations, providing services and support to those who need it.
The Younghayes Centre also houses the Cranbrook Medial Centre, which opened in April 2015 and is currently the only GP practice in the town. With the town continuing to develop the patient numbers are increasing, and it is essential for all residents to have access to GP services and care.
The Town Council is currently working together with the NHS to extend the practice within the Younghayes Centre. The expansion of the Medical Centre is due to commence this year and once finished it will provide the additional clinical and administrative rooms the Medical Centre needs to support its community.
Cranbrook currently has approximately 2,500 homes with approximately 5,500 residents, and with the future development plans in full swing, there have been some discussions as to what lies ahead for the Younghayes Centre. Cranbrook Town Council is investigating new ways of how to make the Centre more functional for the future. The hall is 180m² with a servery hatch through to a fully functioning catering kitchen. Options under consideration are a children’s soft play with a community café, climbing walls, installing a mezzanine floor to create more space, dividing the hall to provide two smaller rooms. As yet, nothing has been finalised or agreed and we would be very excited to hear the views of the residents to see how they would like the Younghayes Centre to evolve to benefit the community.
The Younghayes Centre is set to re-open to the public on June 21 and we look forward to seeing lots of residents and visitors all again soon. If you are interested in hiring the facilities or you have ideas for its future, email bookings@cranbrooktowncouncil.gov.uk or phone 01404 514552 Monday to Friday 10am till 2pm. For further information and contact details visit our website www.cranbrooktowncouncil.gov.uk