I remember the first time I went into the building which is now Caistor Heritage Centre. I went to my aunt's wedding there around 1960 when it was Caistor Primitive Methodist Chapel.
A few years later the chapel closed and the congregation joined up with the Wesleyan congregation as Caistor Methodists. The building then became Caistor Youth Centre but eventually it became very little used and a local group applied for (and got) lottery funding to create a wonderful centre including a cafe, an exhibition room and our local library.
That was around 2012 (I think) and the centre is still well used today. There is a paid manager but most of the work is done by volunteers. There's a charity shop in Caistor which raises the necessary funding and the coffee shop does a very nice line in tea, coffee and cakes.
The centre is really important to our community. The library is a lovely place to go and books are supplied by the county library service but the library is staffed by volunteers. Volunteers do most of the work in the cafe too and I can vouch for the deliciousness of the cakes!
Today I went to see an exhibition and sale of artwork by a local artist. Charles Blake is autistic and non-verbal but his artwork is stunning. He does all sorts of crafts as well and I was delighted that he has accepted my commision to decorate a very tatty old table of mine with decopatch. I'll show you when it's done.
Having a community center is a wonderful thing for a town. From what I can see of the art work, Charles Blake is a wonderful artist.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
He's great!
DeleteThe modern version of community centres are an absolute blessing to villages and towns, we have one with a thriving volunteer force. Not only do the residents benefit from the library and shop but the actual 'community' part of running it fills the void of so many folk that it is just a delight.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the art exhibition and local artist especially one who has so many challenges and has still managed to create some lovely lovely work.
We're quite proud of our community spirit around here.
DeleteIt sounds like a really lovely place with a lot of benefits to the community. How wonderful that the artist has accepted your commision to decorate one of your tables!
ReplyDeleteSmall secret: I was visiting the exhibition with his mum when he came in so I was bold enough to ask.
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