New Northampton community centre for isolated people opens this week

Community Court Yard is set to throw open their community centre doors to the public this week, which will be known as The Yard.

They have been given a National Lottery grant for three years to the tune of £220,000 to help bring isolated communities together.

But there's work to be done to get the Gold Street hub renovated. Bosses there want to reach out to the community for help so they can save their grant cash for helping Northamptonians instead.

Founder Bianca Todd said: "We need some practical people who have practical skills. If you can lift a paint brush or if you're a tradesperson or a gardener and can help us out then please get in touch."

The centre is set to open on Wednesday (February 19) from 12 noon, a week after they collected the keys, where Bianca will be leading a talk at the Conversation Cafe.

"I will be holding a conversation about what people want from the building and asking how can we help them," she added. "This is a community space, not my space.

"This is an amazing opportunity for Community Court Yard, young people and Northampton. We have been blown away by the scheme - it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, it's something we have been talking about for years.

"We hope that people make the most of it and that this enables other organisations to work in collaboration."

When it opens the idea is it will be a warm hub for people to get involved in activities such as arts and crafts, workshops, free English lessons, and Conversation Cafes on a Wednesday.

Community Court Yard was first set up in 2011 as a not-for-profit social enterprise that seeks to 'create a better world'.

It started as a 'social education project' at grassroots level, targeting young people and ex-offenders and their families.