Black and Minority Ethnic Community Partnership Community Training And Resource Centre (CTARC) The STORY SO FAR  DECEMBER 2006 edition                ISSUE 6   I am sure you are all keen to have an update on the BMECP Community Training and Resource Centre (CTARC).    We reported in our last issue that we were working with various stakeholders to ensure that we meet all our various deadlines.  We now have some long awaited good news for you. The following is a summary of developments to date. · We informed you in our last Story So Far that SEEDA have released the funding for the purchase of the 160 year lease for the community training and resource centre which is being built as part of the New England Quarter development.   This work is near completion and the developers will hand over the building to us on completion so that we can carry out the fit out of the building with the various facilities that you have requested.  The timescale that BMECP are working to is as follows:  August 2005 - Construction on site begins  May 2006 - Completion of business plan June 2006 - Confirmation of funding from SEEDA  December 2006       -      Confirmation of funding from the Adventure Capital Fund March/April 2007 - Available for fit out  September 2007 - Completion of fit out October  2007 - Opening of the building You will note that there is a slight delay in that the original completion date of July has now shifted to October 2007. · We are pleased to inform you that the Adventure Capital Fund investment panel met in December to consider our application following their previous in principle acceptance of our application.   Following our submission of comprehensive information to support the application, we are pleased to inform you that the panel has formally confirmed their offer of investment to us to enable us to complete the work that is required to fit out the centre.  This is fantastic news indeed for us.  Their offer also includes further support to enable us to finally complete the work that we commenced 6 years ago.    · We have not heard from the Big Lottery Fund BASIS programme regarding our application but the good news is that we have been interviewed by them and we now await their confirmation as to whether we have gone to the second phase of the application.     Funding for continuation of projects We think that we can now say with confidence and relief that we have survived the financial crisis.  Thank you for your continued belief in our efforts and your support.  The following funding has been secured: Big Lottery Fund – Reaching Communities Programme We have some good news for you.  We informed you in our last issue that we had submitted an application to the Big Lottery Fund – Reaching Communities Programme for continuation of BMECP work.  We are pleased to inform you that the Lottery has awarded us 5 years funding which would enable Doris Ndebele’s post to continue and also funding to enable recruitment of another full time post.  Brighton and Hove City Council Discretionary Grant Programme We have good news for you.  Our application to the Council for continuation funding as from April 2007 was successful.  This funding is match funding for the Big Lottery Funding mentioned above. Brighton and Hove City Primary Care NHS Trust (PCT) We of course get little bit of funding from the PCT and this is to continue for another year and again this is match funding for the Big Lottery Funding we have recently been awarded. Change Up – Capacity Builders Funding We have also received some little bit of funding from Capacity Builders to enable participation in the Change Up Agenda.   You will recall that BMECP consulted with BME community groups about the local Infrastructure Development Plans and this funding is to enable continuation of that work.  Doris Ndebele will be contacting groups and organisations in the new year about this work. Next Community Conference As mentioned above, the building is nearly complete and we now need to discuss the fit out phase of the project.  We will be having a conference in January 2007 at Brighthelm Church and Community Centre.  The purpose of this conference is to provide you with an update of the work to date and also the next phase of the development.  The developers will be in attendance to give you a presentation and to answer any questions that you might have. Annual General Meeting Due to pressures from other areas we have not been able to organise our AGM for December.  We hope to have our AGM in March 2007 when we will provide you with further information relating to our projects As stated in our last issue, it has been a long road in relation to the resource centre and thank you for travelling with us to realise our long standing dream of developing a resource centre to cater for the diverse needs of BME communities.  We can now say that we are nearly there but we need to continue working together for that final push during the final phase of the development.  The fun begins – eg we now have to think of a suitable name for the Centre.  Any ideas as to how we can go about this?   Black and Minority Ethnic Community Partnership, Wayland House, 61 Western Road, Hove, BN3 1JD, Tel: 01273 718002, e-mail resourcecentre@bmecp.org.uk   Back to top