Village Halls Week – Pilands Wood Community Centre

Village Halls Week (March 16-22) is a national celebration of the vital role village halls and community centres play in bringing people together. Providing coffee mornings, youth clubs, sports, fitness classes, advice services and more, these spaces are often the heart of their neighbourhoods – somewhere people can connect, join clubs, access support and feel part of something close to home.

Across Hampshire, we support a wide network of village halls and community centres. That includes help with governance, funding applications, training, policies and day-to-day operations, giving volunteers and committees the confidence and knowledge to run sustainable, welcoming spaces for their communities.

One of those centres is Pilands Wood Community Centre in Bursledon, Eastleigh.

Belinda Murray is Chair of Trustees at Pilands Wood. She shares how the centre supports local residents, and how Community First has helped along the way.

For those who don’t know Pilands Wood, what does the centre offer?

“We’re a real community hub. We host regular activities like bowls, yoga, a youth club and a Citizens Advice drop-in. The main hall can also be hired for parties and events – it’s £25 an hour, which keeps it affordable for local people.

We try to respond to what the community needs and wants. If there’s demand for something, we’ll always look at how we can make it happen.”

The centre also runs a charity shop and pantry – can you tell us about those?

“The pantry started two years ago and it’s been incredibly successful. With the cost of living being so high, more and more people are relying on it. We have around 100 members and support about 40 families, couples or individuals each week.

“People pay £5 and receive groceries worth around £15 to £20. They can choose six grocery items, two personal items, one freezer item, one fridge item, three portions of fresh fruit and veg, plus pasta or rice, tea, coffee or sugar. It’s open every Monday from 10am to 12pm.

“We did consider a foodbank, but people are often too proud and don’t want to receive things for free. Paying a small amount gives them dignity and choice.

“A lot of our stock is donated by Tesco in Bursledon and the Netley Co-op, which makes a huge difference.

“We also have our own charity shop onsite. It runs like any other shop – clothes, shoes, bric-a-brac – and all the proceeds go straight back into the centre to fund projects. It’s very well used by the community and probably one of the cheapest charity shops in the area!”

The estate is one of the more deprived areas in the Eastleigh Borough. How important is the centre here?

“Pilands Estate is the second most deprived area in Eastleigh Borough, so there’s a lot of need. We’re passionate about helping the community – all our volunteers and staff are. There’s always more that could be done.

“We’ve used funding from Eastleigh Borough Council to improve the centre over the years – we’ve had a new kitchen fitted, upgraded the ladies’ toilets and we’re about to start work on the men’s toilets on March 16. We also hope to get funding for soft play equipment so families can use it for children’s parties.

“Previously, we helped improve facilities for the nursery, building dedicated toilets for the children and fencing the outdoor play area to make it safer.”

You mentioned when you joined the centre was at risk of closing. What happened?

“When I joined four years ago, the centre was in a difficult position and at risk of closing down. I jumped in at the deep end, it felt like a bit of a minefield. There’s so much involved in running a charity that people don’t always see.

“My role as Chair was quite unusual at the beginning because I was doing far more than a typical Chair would, the lines were blurred and I just mucked in wherever I was needed. I’m happy to do that.

“Now we have a great Centre Manager, Mandy Briggs, who handles the day-to-day running and an Office Manager, Jackie Mogg, who deals with bookings, accounting and grant bidding, which means I can focus more on oversight and making sure everything is done properly.”

How has Community First supported Pilands Wood?

“Community First has been a huge help. Jo Proctor is brilliant – she has a wealth of knowledge and resources and is always sending us information about funding opportunities and supporting us with applications.

“They’ve helped with governance, which was invaluable when I first started. They supported us in getting the charity back on track and helped advertise for new trustees and volunteers.

“We’ve also had training through them – health and safety, food hygiene and trustee training. Our Office Manager is about to do a bid writing course, which will really strengthen our funding applications.

“Recently they helped us develop a Code of Conduct for volunteers and staff, and Jo is always there as a sounding board. Sometimes it’s small things, like checking whether we need a music licence, but it’s reassuring to have that expert advice.

“Community First is a great resource. I honestly don’t think we’d be where we are now without that support.”

If you’re doing good in your community, whether you run a village hall, lead a local group, manage a charity, or something in between, we’d love to support you. Email us at support@cfirst.org.uk so we can explore how we can help you keep making a difference and making life better for everyone.