£1.5m redevelopment of Newbury's Waterside Centre set to be completed by summer

A £1.5M PROJECT to transform Newbury’s Waterside Centre into a state-of-the-art youth facility that will provide a safe space for young people is on track to be completed by the summer.

Berkshire Youth – a charity that has helped thousands of young people – has spent the last 15 months carrying out a complete refurbishment to bring the run-down building back into use.

Once complete, the community and youth centre will provide a range of activities and sports for local young people to get involved in, including rock climbing, dancing and canoeing.

The new-look centre will feature a 14.5m climbing tower, an outdoor seating area and a two-storey public viewing gallery and café with views over the canal.

The refurbishment includes the creation of a large informal social area that can be hired out for birthday parties and other events, an upgrade to the gym hall and a meeting room.

In addition, it will also have a dedicated space where young people will have access to counselling and support.

Last week, the charity invited the NWN exclusive behind-the-scenes access to see the progress that has been made.

The old rotting timber roof has been completely replaced, while new grey cladding has been installed on the outside of the building,

There have been a number of internal alterations – a new lift will make the centre more accessible, while a new kitchen, lighting and toilets have also been fitted.

The Waterside Centre building was built in the 1960s and acquired by West Berkshire Council in 1998 after Berkshire County Council was dissolved.

Until recently, it was used by some community groups including the YMCA and sports clubs, but the building has been empty since 2018 and subsequently fell into a state of disrepair.

Berkshire Youth purchased 50 per cent of the building from West Berkshire Council for £375,000 in 2019 and had originally budgeted to spend £400,000 on the refurbishment – a total cost of £775,000.

However, the building was in such poor condition that the costs ended up virtually doubling, meaning it will now cost around £1.5m to complete.

So far, almost £1.1m has been raised, but a further £400,000 is needed to finish the project.

Despite buying half the building and taking on all the refurbishment costs, Berkshire Youth president Roger Smee said the charity had yet to receive a contribution from West Berkshire Council.

Mr Smee said he was hopeful that the local authority would see the benefit of the project to the town and provide some financial support going forward.

If you would like to make a donation, visit the fundraising page on The Good Exchange at https://app.thegoodexchange.com/project/18390/berkshire-youth/waterside-centre-newbury-inspiring-young-people-in-and-around-newbury

Your donation will be doubled when you give via this link thanks to match-funding from Greenham Trust, meaning every £1 you donate will become a £2 donation.

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, contact Berkshire Youth CEO David Seward on (0118) 909 0926 or email David.seward@berkshireyouth.co.uk

Alternatively, email Mr Smee at rsmee@rockco-int.com to find out more.