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Secrets in the Stones

Tags: Ambassadors | inspiratin and sponsorship | St Mary

St Mary-in-the-Castle a myplace centre for Hastings

It could almost have been a scene from The Da Vinci Code. myplace Ambassador Lord Mawson paced backwards and forwards as he breathed in the atmosphere of the magnificent circular auditorium of St Mary-in-the-Castle.

pelham_crescent_hastings

Marvelling at the classical architecture borrowed from ancient Greece and Rome by Georgian visionaries, he stopped his pacing for a moment. "The secrets are in the stones" he said. "To make this place a success in the future, you have to understand the thinking of the people who laid these stones - the secrets of success lie in these stones".

Hmmm. Could the secrets be in the stones? What was going through the minds of the people who built this amazing structure way back in 1823? How could it possibly have any relevance to today?

Well today, St Mary-the-castle is a Grade II* listed church at the centre of a magnificent Georgian terrace and with a subterranean connection to Britain's first ever shopping mall. It sits in a magnificent position built up into the cliff face overlooking the sea.

When it was built this was a remarkable vision for a place that was little more than a cliff face jutting out towards the sea. It was a ‘nowhere' place which became a ‘somewhere' place because of a bold and, at the time, futuristic scheme. Its architects embraced change - cutting back a substantial tract of the cliffs in order to create the space. They also understood the importance of connectedness and sustainability.

Connectedness - because the whole development provided a place to live, worship and be entertained, with public rooms, leisure and shopping areas in the arcade below. The mix of uses brought a range of income sources making the whole thing financially sustainable. Even the church was not a drain on resources. Of the 1500 pews, only 200 were available free. The rest were on an annual rental or available by buying a ticket.

So, back to Lord Mawson "They created something amazing here out of a ‘nowhere' place by thinking big and looking to the future. It became a magnet because of its boldness, the geography was irrelevant. Their awareness of how things were connected enabled them to create a sustainable business model for well over 100 years" he said. "If you were able to speak to the people who laid these stones, they would tell you that those were the secrets of their success. They are just as relevant today for myplace centres as they were then".

St Mary-in-the-Castle is about to be reborn as a stunning arts & cultural hub for young people. This will feature a live performance space to give young people unique insights into culture and creativity; spaces for music, digital arts, live arts and enterprise; a café with work and training opportunities; a base for youth focused organisations; and a place for young people to hang out and access support.

Mel Bonney-Kane of Hastings Trust is leading the project. She said "With our young people, we have created a new and exciting vision for St Mary-in-the-Castle. It's one that we believe would resonate nicely with those who had the original vision of an exciting place which met a range of needs. Ours is a vision which looks to the future whilst respecting the past". She is adamant that this is more than just a place to go. She adds "Young people will get the opportunities that they have been demanding for a long time - access to services, opportunities to learn new skills and pathways into the new college and university centre, which in the past they may not have had the confidence to follow".

Just like the original scheme this amazing myplace centre will have a mix of income sources, including opening up the venue for public performances of all kinds which will also help to build a greater connection with the wider community.

This stunning building, the futuristic vision and an empathy with the past, will surely make this an iconic myplace centre. One which can unlock the secrets of success, because they are there - in the stones.

Contact

Mel Bonney-Kane
Executive Director
Hastings Trust

Direct line: 01424 452523

Hastings myplace Inspirational (102.97 kB 2010-07-22 15:10:41)

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Case Studies

Southpoint- Blackpool
Using social enterprise to make a project sustainable

Background

Blackpool is in the throes of regeneration. Major physical changes are taking place throughout the town. An example of these changes is the headlands development on the seafront, recently highlighted as the celebration point for the homecoming of the successful football team. Thousands of people gathered to celebrate the promotion to the premiership. The combination of the people and the backdrop made for such a memorable event.

Wallasey Youth Hub - Wirral
Locating a youth hub in a fire station

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When the young people of Wirral heard they were going to get a new and exciting youth hub they could hardly have guessed just how innovative it would be. Wirral certainly has a contender for most unusual place to build a youth hub - it was launched in a fire station!

Councillor Sheila Clarke, Wirral's Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Lifelong Learning said: "This really is a breakthrough for all residents in the area. No more bored teenagers hanging around corners with nothing to do. The hubs have been designed with a high degree of input from young people themselves who have worked with enthusiasm and passion to help establish these new facilities."

Toxteth Youth and Sports Centre - Liverpool
Engaging young people from different backgrounds

Toxteth Youth

In the aftermath of the 1981 race riots in Liverpool, Toxteth Centre was built as part of an effort to increase services for the city's racial minority residents. In this it was successful, but the centre now wants to develop and expand to become predominantly a youth facility and bring people of all races together at a refurbished and expanded facility. They envision a centre where young people of all backgrounds and from all over the city have fun and get support together. In March 2009 it was awarded ?2.3 million of myplace funding to achieve this goal. With the funding, Toxteth Youth and Sports Centre has embarked on an ambitious plan to expand and improve its facilities, activities and outreach to bring together young people from a wide variety of ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds.

Culture Fusion - Bradford
Partnership and co-locations of service

Culture Fusion

One of the challenges many communities face is overcoming deeply entrenched territorial and racial divides. At the aptly named Culture Fusion, in Bradford, young people are leading the charge in overcoming this challenge in their community. Jenny Bass, Bradford Council Youth Participation Worker, points out that there are lots of young people that are proud of the area's diversity and who want to celebrate it rather than perpetuate the tensions and divides that exist. So what does it take to create a myplace centre that provides a place for these young people to tackle these challenges, get the services they need, and of course, have fun? Read more...

United Teens Equality Centre (UTEC) - Lowell, Massachusetts
Innovative funding ideas

These days, teenagers often feel their potential is ignored by judgemental communities, but across the Atlantic, the residents of Lowell, in Massachusetts, have been celebrating the achievements of its young people and their involvement in the United Teen Equality Centre.

UTEC website

UTEC has an active youth membership of about 1000, nine full-time paid staff, and runs 18 different classes and programmes every week, and will soon be expanding their facilities and making them fully accessible and energy efficient.

Director of Development Jessica Wilson said: "It's the place you go if you want to talk to teens."

myplace Chesterfield - Derbyshire
Involving young people with a disability

Myplace Chesterfield

Involving young people in the planning of myplace centres can mean a lot of different things, but at myplace Chesterfield, it means making sure young people who are often left out of the process are included.Making Chesterfield myplace somewhere that young people with disabilities can hang out and get support alongside other young people has been a key part of their design plans.It seems obvious in theory, but when it comes to practical considerations, what makes a youth centre friendly to a mix of disabled and non-disabled young people?

Westfield Folk House - Mansfield, Notts
Partnership and co-locations of service

Objectives

A scheme to transform Westfield Folk House Young People's Centre in Mansfield has won a £5 million myplace grant. This case study shows how the project developed from a logical and well structured plan to boost youth provision following years of under-investment. Successfully involving young people in planning and decision making has played a major role in this.

Bolton Lads & Girls Club -Lancashire

A renowned youth social club it was set up in 1889 to provide a safe place for young lads, particularly those working in the mills, to enjoy leisure activities. boltonbuilding

Over the next century the club grew and grew and began letting girls in from 1991. After further development it was decided that the original 19^th century building could be stretched no more and needed updating.

Hornsey Road Baths - Islington
Creating a compelling case for change

Hornsey Road Baths This case study highlights the work done by Islington Council in securing local buy-in and agreement to a forward strategy for youth facilities. This allowed them to engage over 3500 stakeholders and create a compelling case for change that resulted in an overarching strategy for young people aged 11-19.

Boclair Academy - BearsdenGlasgow
Involving young people through film

Boclair Academy is a secondary school in Bearsden; a small commuting town three miles north of Glasgow. In 2005 the school got funding from the Scottish Arts Council through a bid by the local authority (East Dunbartonshire Council) to develop a purpose-built digital film studio on the school campus.

Inspirationals

myplace Chesterfield

Heather Fawbert didn't have to go far to find the perfect spot for myplace Chesterfield. She discovered the site - an expanse of open space: tennis courts and overgrown, disused allotments that hadn't been dug for over fifteen years - on her way to work.

myplace Mansfield

On his first visit to Westfield Folk House, the Grade II listed building which is currently being transformed into a myplace for Mansfield, architect Rudi Marecki spotted some graffiti.

vine_lane_newcastle_1

myplace Newcastle-upon-Tyne

The thing about myplace, and all new buildings in fact, is that the really good ones tend not to spring up overnight. World-class buildings need time. You just have to be patient.

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myplace Havering

"It's like that music venue in Australia," says Charlotte, as she pours over a book on architecture, with page after page of beautifully photographed buildings. It turns out that she's referring to the Sydney Opera House.

nicoleburke When Nicole Burke addressed the Blackpool business community at the Pleasure Beach at the end of the Knowsley and Blackpool ambassadors event, her audience was gripped. Nicole talked about what myplace meant for the young people of Blackpool, and people immediately wanted to get involved. Nicole made it sound like fun. People started to think of offering help in ways they hadn't thought of before. Good communication sparks creativity in all of us.

jenna_ambassadors

myplace Knowsley
"Bring a buddy for a bacon butty"

It's not your run-of-the-mill recruitment ad, is it? But then, working with the Ourplace Forum in Knowsley isn't your run-of-the-mill kind of job.

myplace Leicester
Miracles do still happen

There's a newspaper cutting stuck on the wall outside one of the dressing rooms in the Leicester Haymarket Theatre. Written by Sheridan Morley in August 2004, and published in the Daily Express, it talks about the Haymarket's performance starring Ronni Ancona. "Singin' In The Rain that reigns supreme," is how the glowing review begins. It was just one of many glowing reviews for the myriad musicals staged in this theatre.

carlisle_youth_zone1 As part of my role as a young consultant I visit myplace projects to see how they are involving young people. There have been a number that have stood out and impressed me for a variety of different reasons, however one in particular that I found stood out was the myplace project in Carlisle. This project has involved young people from the beginning, sending them to leading youth centres in and around London to find out what they want in their centre and involving them in the design process.

myplace Hartlepool
Hartlepool's Got Talent

Hartlepool's got talent. Loads of it. So much talent in fact, that the town recently held not one talent contest, but two: Hartlepool's Got Talent and Hartlepool Has Talent.

Beth Marshall, a key young person in the myplace team, who has a big talent for guitar playing, singing, and doing cover versions of Jack Johnson and The Beatles, lights up when she talks about the excitement behind the scenes at Hartlepool Has Talent.

myplace Bristol
No Height Restrictions

"Do you have to be a certain age?" The question comes from the audience, from a six-year-old boy called Adam. We're in a dramatically lit, makeshift auditorium in Bristol's former Bridewell Fire Station, in the heart of the city. It's not a question that anyone else has thought of. But Adam has a point. It's a good question to ask. Because at the moment, he's too young for myplace. When he gets his answer, "13-19", he realises that he will have to wait a few years - seven, to be precise.