The refurbishment work at Crafton Green House and the former Day Centre is now well under way. We are thrilled that our fundraising has allowed us to begin this initial phase of the renovations of these community-owned buildings that are so desperately needed.
The TouchPoint team have raised over £110,000 towards this phase of the refurbishment, and in addition Stansted Parish Council have also been able to support this work with some of the Day Centre grant funding from Uttlesford District Council.
We wanted to share a little more detail and have a quick look behind the scenes at the work that is being done:
Linking the two buildings
We are creating an opening between Crafton Green House and the former Day Centre, linking the two buildings. This will allow us to extend the TouchPoint Café, and it also gives us more space for the ever-increasing range of activities and services offered by TouchPoint. It will also give us a more flexible space and a greater capacity for local community interest groups to make use of.
Improvements to Grafton Green House
In Crafton Green House, we are removing an internal wall to make a larger space for community use. At the same time, we’re upgrading the lighting and heating in this building.
The toilet facilities are also getting a complete rebuild! The will be much more accessible for visitors with a disability, and will also include baby changing facilities.
The Community Café kitchen
The café kitchen is having a major overhaul, including replacing many of the appliances, which will make a real difference to our Community Café.
Other finishing touches
Once the main building work is complete, we will be replacing much of the flooring in both buildings. We’re also excited that we will have ultrafast broadband throughout thanks to the Communities team at Gigaclear.
Reopening plans
The buildings remain closed for the time being so please check our Events page for the latest news on which activities are taking place and where. We’re hoping to re-open in mid April, but – in true Grand Designs style! – there is a chance it may be later. Please keep checking our social media and our website for the latest news. We can’t wait to open our doors up again!