A community centre in Nuneaton is rising again thanks to a group of committed volunteers.
The Bermuda Phoenix Centre was opened ten years ago after being unveiled as part of the regeneration work by Midlands-based Deeley Group, which has invested millions in the area over several decades.
The running of the centre, which includes a bar area, a football pitch and a bowling green, has been taken on by members of the local community looking to regenerate the centre and who have gone on to form the new committee.
Nicola Paul, Jan Wara, Laura Rand and Matt Cowdrill have taken on the roles of trustees of the centre while a number of other community members are volunteering to support it.
The new committee has already started to redecorate the Bermuda Phoenix Centre as they look to attract the local community as well as other groups from further afield to make use of the centre and its facilities, which includes three rooms and a sports hall for hire.
Peter Deeley, joint managing director of the Deeley Group, and former Deeley Group director Pat Moroney have stepped back from their roles.
Peter said: “This is what we envisaged from day one when we opened the Bermuda Phoenix Centre back in 2013.
“We didn’t want to tell local people what to do here, we wanted the community to come in and make it their own. Now, with the effort of the new trustees and volunteers, that can happen – but they will still need more help from other local people to get involved.”
With the rising costs along with the impact of Covid, the Bermuda Phoenix Centre had been struggling during recent years but it has now started to flourish again.
Rise Dance Academy is a very popular family run dance school, which is based at the centre with many different classes and groups available.
Football club, Athletic Sparta, also utilise the centre as a home ground, with the Saturday team being very well supported by the local community. They have seen success in recent seasons and is now looking to expand into junior and women’s football over the next couple of years.
Nuneaton Men and Women in Sheds is a local group that also calls the centre home. It offers a safe place with a friendly environment for the local community to come together and create items, mainly through woodwork.
Many other groups and clubs from the local community use the centre including a computer group, art group, baby and toddler classes and a Sunday church service. Outdoors, the centre is also home of Phoenix Foxes bowling who play on numerous days throughout the week and is also home ground to Bermuda Park FC who play on Sundays.
The centre has also seen rooms be used for other community purposes such as blood donation and also hosting a food bank.
On top of that, the bar offers the local community a great place to meet friends for a drink and a game of pool, while the new volunteers have also started to fit a new kitchen for locals to grab a bite to eat.
Nicola, a local resident of the Bermuda Village for 11 years and a nurse at the George Eliot Hospital, said: “Everyone involved has their own day job but we are all committed to making it a success because we believe it is a great asset for local people.
“We are open to community groups and individuals who want to hire out the centre because while it is increasingly busy, there are still plenty of slots available for people to make use of it.
“The Bermuda Phoenix Centre really can be at the heart of the community and have that local village hall feel to it. We had a meeting a few weeks ago and have had a few offers of help but the more we can get people involved, the better it will be for everyone!”
For more information on how to get involved with Bermuda Phoenix Centre visit the website www.bermudaphoenix.org.uk or email on bermudacentre@gmail.com alternatively call on 02477051967 or find the club on Facebook.
Pictured (left to right): Pat Moroney, Simon Bartliff, Matt Cowdrill, Laura Rand, Nicola Paul, Jan Wara, Peter Deeley