New community centre, Bellfield Community House, opens in High Wycombe

On Tuesday 7th July 2015 a new community centre, Bellfield Community House, located off Garratts Way in High Wycombe opened its doors to local residents for the first time.

Built on the site of the former Bellfield School the community centre has been created with the help of £78,000 from Wycombe District Council and the charity Action for Children.

Wycombe District Council have leased Bellfield Community House to Action for Children who will run a children’s centre on behalf of Buckinghamshire County Council., The charity will also take bookings from other community groups for community use.

The Chairman of Wycombe District Council, Cllr Ian McEnnis was joined by Chairman of the High Wycombe Town Committee, Cllr Tony Green and Kim Hinves and Claire Knox from Action for Children to cut the ribbon to officially open the centre.

Cllr Tony Green, commented: ‘I have no doubt that Bellfield Community House will be a very welcome addition to community life in this part of the town.There was a known lack of community facilities in this area, which is why High Wycombe Town Committee were so pleased to offer financial support to finish the building, through the funds that we get as a result of local development.‘

Kim Hinves, children’s services manager for Bucks Short Breaks, added: “We are pleased to be managing Bellfield Community House on behalf of Wycombe District Council and Buckinghamshire County Council. We look forward to developing vital local community services and building upon the work of our Bucks Activity Project providing play-schemes, youth clubs and short breaks for disabled children and young people aged five to 19 years old. These services make a real difference to local families, children and young people who need it most.

We already run a number of children’s services in Buckinghamshire and this local knowledge combined with our national expertise and resources will deliver excellent services to families and the wider community in this area.“

Wycombe District Council’s Community Facility Strategy identifies the Disraeli ward as an area with a deficiency in community facilities and also one of the district’s areas of deprivation. All age groups will be able to make use of Bellfield Community House.