The Newtown Community Centre on Newtown Road which is home to the Nuneaton town centre blood clinic, the annual Nuneaton Christmas lunch, Chater Dance Academy and provides a hub for many other weekly sessions, turns 60 on Tuesday, 11th February 2025.
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council formed a committee to develop the facility, with a clear vision to provide activities and services aimed at older residents of the town. They instructed the architect Sir Frederick Gibberd, who was also the architect of Nuneaton Library and Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral. In 1965, Mayor Councillor Harry Rowston officially opened the ‘Old Peoples Centre’ on Newtown Road.
Run for many years by the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, providing lunch clubs and the local ‘meals on wheels’ service, fast forward to 2025, the Newtown Centre, which is now managed by charity Warwickshire & Solihull Community and Voluntary Action (CAVA), is still a thriving community hub, open to all residents, welcoming nearly 2,000 visitors each week, almost 365 days per year. The Centre plays host to daily blood clinics for the NHS, is a space for cooking and learning for Warwickshire County Councils Adult Community Learning team and welcomes numerous community groups and charities to deliver their activities, including Warwickshire Vision’s weekly support centre, Sky Blues in the Community’s Active lifestyle sessions and the Sahil projects’ wellbeing sessions for South Asian women.
The Newtown’s longest running group is the Chater Dance Academy. Established in 1977, the Academy came to the Centre in 1980 and provides dance sessions to over 120 children and young people. Pam Chater, says of her time at the Newtown:
“We’ve grown our Academy from the Newtown Centre to be one of the leading dance schools in the area. Over the years thousands of young people have passed through the doors, and we’ve seen their confidence, talent and ambition thrive through dance. We’re proud to call the Newtown our home and wish the Centre success for the next 60 years!”
Alison Thompson, Area Manager for CAVA said:
“CAVA has proudly managed the Newtown Centre since 2016, and in that time, we’ve seen it grow from strength to strength, now being used 7 days a week year-round. Our charity is based here too, providing advice and guidance to other voluntary organisations and individuals wanting to volunteer; last year alone we worked with nearly 400 organisations and helped them to secure nearly £1.5m in grants, and supported volunteering that had an economic value of over £1.3m in the Borough. The Newtown Centre is a vibrant, busy venue, with lots going on for everyone. We do still have some space available and would welcome new groups; if you are interested then please get in touch with us at newtown@wcava.org.uk.”
“Earlier in the month we hosted a Volunteering and Jobs Fair in partnership with DWP. We had hundreds of attendees and stall holders, it was lovely to see the Centre thriving, and still meeting the needs of local people 60 years on. We were joined by our MP, Jodie Gosling, and Cllr Steve Hey, Cabinet Member for Resources and Customer Service at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, both celebrating the successful event and the Newtown’s 60 years of community service.”
