Meet Toby Birch whose commmunity centre saves won him special recognition at Northamptonshire Male Role Model Awards

On the November 19, 2021 Toby Birch was awarded special recognition in the Male Role Model of the Year Awards, hosted by West Northamptonshire Council.

Chronicle & Echo sat down with him to find out his story.

Having been a graphic designer for many years, and ultimately retiring as deputy head of school for art and design at the University of Northampton, Toby chose to give his later years back to the community.

The now 77-year-old cut his teeth in the community centre field as a trustee and founder member of Alliston Gardens Youth and Community Centre in Semilong, which he helped start decades ago - 26 years ago to be precise.

There began a long and impressive record of protecting and improving buildings that would otherwise have been sold off to developers, keeping them open for youths and the wider community to benefit from.

Toby said: "Initially I saw a need for a space in Semilong to house a youth group and for the community to have a venue where they could meet and have activities, and events and hot meals.

"It seemed to terrible waste to pull down a perfectly good building for a car park. So hence challenging the planning decision of the council.

"An application was made to the regional development agency and lottery to help extend the building and for short term funding for a member of staff to help as it became fully booked 7 days a week."

The call of conscience would come again in 2009, when the council tried to sell off all 21 of its community centres to private developers, and Alliston Gardens was strengthened with closure.

So Toby decided to put a stop to that as well.

As the founder, chair and trustee of Community Spaces Northampton (CSN), he and his team got to work.

Toby said: "I would have built up a successful centre over a number of years only to have enforced closure. I did not want to see all that thrown away.

"So I challenged that on a 'right to challenge' and won that as well.

"That was a first time trying to bring a large transfer from the council to a community trust, so there was a massive learning curve.

"We signed leases, management agreements, sent letters and also transferred some staff from the council, so it was a large operation.

"Imagine signing seven leases all at once."

Under Toby's leadership, CSN amassed many more community centre sites.

As of publication, they are based in Briar Hill, Bellinge, Kingsthorpe, Lodge Farm Goldings, Rectory Farm, Southfields and Vernon Terrace.

These were recently joined by a brand new, purpose-built centre at St Crispin.

This includes a park area with football pitches and a baseball pitch intended for young people.

When asked why he commits so much of his time to jobs he called 'far from easy' and much more intense than 'just meeting once or twice a month', Toby said now is his time to give back.

He said: "Above all I strongly believe that community centres are important to the communities they serve. Many people cannot afford expensive venues for children's parties, educational, health and social activities.

"For me it is a great way to get involved in ones neighbourhood and interact with communities. A sense of purpose.

"I can use my existing skill and knowledge for challenges I enjoy tackling. We undertake a range of projects and their is a sense of achievement when they are successful for the community.

"I believe in the power of community to transform lives. I want to give back to the community and help others. It is all about partnerships and working together for the benefit of the community.

"I am lucky that I have a small dedicated team working with me to deliver all this."

Lately, CSN have also 'properly registered and transformed' a food bank at Briar Hill, as well as transforming a disused barn at one centre as a specialist gym for disabled adults.

With all this and more completed in his nearly 80 years, he says 'there is still life in the old dog yet' and has no plans of stopping any time soon.