The Gresley Church Community Centre has received a grant of £27,000 from the Severn Trent Community Fund to renovate its toilet and disabled facilities.

The Community Centre, at St George and St Mary’s Church in Church Gresley, will be adding £3,000 from its own funds for the project which will see the current toilets remodeled, creating four accessible, unisex toilets.

The Community Centre is used by a range of different groups, including St John’s Ambulance, youth groups, a mother and toddlers group, and exercise classes.

Since 2017, the centre has also been used to hold weekly church services after the adjoining St George and St Mary’s church was closed due to problems with the building. 

Access will also be changed as the current toilets are only accessible via the main hall creating access and safeguarding issues that mean only one group can use the building at a time.

Melissa Martin , Church Warden at Gresley Church Community Centre, said: “This grant from the Severn Trent Community Fund will allow us to make genuinely transformational changes to the centre, enabling us to use the full space and allowing for multiple bookings at once.

“We know that attendance at these kind of groups encourages friendships, inclusivity and community spirit, as well as improving mental health and boosting skills development. While we want as many people as possible to be able to use our space and the current limitations may put off other users.

“For instance, there is currently only one accessible toilet, which is within the ladies toilet area and is no longer fit for purpose. It’s location as part of the female toilets and limited space mean that one user is unable to get her wheelchair into the cubicle.”

Alongside boosting accessibility and enabling as many people as possible to use the centre, the project will also see the installation of more water efficient sanitaryware, replacement of leaking taps and removal of urinals in the men's toilet, which continually flush.

Sue Heyes, Severn Trent Community Fund Officer said: “Community centres like this can be a genuine lifeline for people, helping to alleviate loneliness, support people in learning new skills, and having a really positive impact on mental health.

“By improving the accessibility of the toilets, the team will ensure that their whole community can participate in group activities, which will have a wonderful positive impact on the local society as a whole.”  

To find out more about the Severn Trent Community Fund, visit stwater.co.uk and search for Community Fund.