New premises for Community Link in Cradley Heath will enable the church-run charity to better serve their local community.
Community Link moved premises earlier in the year. They are still on Cradley Heath high street, but over the road from where they were before. Whilst it was a move to larger premises, it was just one large empty room when they first moved in. This provided a great opportunity to design the space to suit their needs but also meant it needed a lot of work. However with a large kitchen and new boiler recently installed, they are now bringing their service expansion plans to fruition.
Community Link was initially set up in partnership with St John’s Church in Dudley Wood, but after the pandemic was developed into a deanery project, led by Paul Latham, a member of Christ Church in Quarry Bank. The centre is very overt about its Christian background but welcomes anyone who needs help or support.
Community Link’s services developed organically responding whenever a need was identified in the local community. Before the move, the centre
had a small café serving hot drinks and training volunteers looking to get back into work. There was a small food bank operating on Thursdays and Paul Latham had developed links with Sandwell Council and through this had set up a uniform bank, handing out uniform for local schools for free. The centre also offered café style Wednesday Worship as well as a women’s group on Tuesday mornings and a men’s group on Wednesday afternoons.
Paul and his team wanted to continue to respond to the needs of the local community but felt they were outgrowing their premises as a result, although they agreed it was a ‘nice problem to have’. In the new space they have been able to expand their offering and build on the services they already had in place.
Centre Manager Tim has built two small 'pods' off the main room, repurposing wood that wasn’t needed elsewhere in the building. This has created a private room for the CAB advisors that visit on Thursdays and the second room is a designated breast-feeding space, in part for the baby group they now host on Tuesdays.
Community Link now have a small yard at their new premises, due to this and some extra funding as part of the Big Bike Revival scheme, they have been able to expand their bike project and are able to lend out bikes including disability bikes for their cycling club that meets on Mondays.
Tim has transformed the space upstairs with the help of local partners assisting with replacing the boiler and old windows. This means they are now able to run a job search and PC support group too.
There is now a small shop at the front of their new building selling pre-loved items and a small seating area with children’s toys. The installation of the kitchen means they can now serve food as well as drinks and the café is open for extended periods too, creating a warm and welcoming space for members of the community. They are also joining the Renew Wellbeing scheme as they feel this is a good fit.
During the renovation where possible, Paul and Tim have relied on grants, partnerships and donations of items to keep outlay to a minimum. Tim has also received some funding to install a stair lift up to the first floor and this will be going in soon. Tim hopes that through the shop and café they will soon be self-sufficient and plans to spend more time promoting the project and defining their vision next year.
Community Link is held very dear to those who attend on a regular basis and the feedback consistently talks of the special atmosphere the place has
because of the care and kindness shown to anyone who drops in.
Pat said: “It’s lovely here, so welcoming. They’re happy to help people or else refer people to help elsewhere. It’s like church on the street, which is how it should be.”
Bill said: “It’s very welcoming here. They’re lovely people from all walks of life. I look forward to coming.”
Victor said: “I just love the Christian fellowship and how happy they are to help others. I found this place after my wife passed away. I came to the door and found a space of healing. They were happy to just listen to me talk, even though it was a tale of sadness. After a while I started helping in the kitchen and food bank. It’s like an oasis.”
Community Link’s new address is: 135-142 high street, Cradley Heath, B64 5HJ.
