Flagship Teesdale community complex is changing with the times

The Hub youth centre opened in Barnard Castle to great fanfare six years ago this month. It’s battled back from a

financial abyss and reinvented itself as a community venue. Editor Trevor Brookes finds out what is has to offer

THINGS have come a full circle for Laura Tallentire. The deputy manager of The Hub remembers the “big green bus” which was run by youth group TCR. The vehicle toured villages to give young people something to do.
“I was about 11 and thought it was cool place to hang out,” she says.
By the time she was 16, Ms Tallentire was a regular at TCR’s building in Birch Road and recalls the legendary youth worker, ‘Joe’ Jones, with fondness.
So when the job came up at The Hub, she jumped at it.
“I feel I’ve come a full circle. The building is very different to the days of Birch Road but it’s a progression,” Ms Tallentire says.
Just how much things have changed at The Hub has meant that many people haven’t yet caught up.
Youth opportunities still remains a core value – The Hub has just taken on a 16-year-old apprentice, Halle Dixon, and plenty of young people still come through the doors to use the state-of-the-art music studio.
But funding for youth work is running dry and The Hub has taken a new role in the community.
There are dance sessions, three kinds of yoga, meditation classes, pilates, kickboxing, tai chi, taekwondo and a fitness class. The Alzeihemer’s Society hosts a regular “games for the brain” session and The Hub’s dance studio has classes through the age range including tots in tutus for ballet classes.
Sue Smith has been a volunteer at The Hub for a number of years and has now joined the board. She says: “The place is really buzzing now. It’s such a big beautiful building and is a blank canvas in terms of what we can offer.”
An example is how The Hub is bringing in new music teachers so it can cover different kinds of music and age groups.
“We still have lots of young people but it’s not just about them any more,” says Ms Tallentire.
Like the drama and dance studio, the music recording suite is up for hire.
Outdoor activities, from high ropes to pizza ovens, are all available for hire outside.
Ms Tallentire adds: “The centre is changing – we are much more open to the whole community now. With cuts and changes at county level to youth work, we have had to diversify. But there’s still a myth about The Hub that we’re a youth centre. We’re a community building open to everybody during working hours – whether that’s to pop into our café for a coffee or to book a room for a function or class.
“We’re bringing it all together under one roof.”
The use of The Hub’s accommodation block has “skyrocketed” with users ranging from African musicians to jugglers.
Several wedding and christening parties have been held there too, along with summer balls.
These are an important source of income.
“We get a small youth work grant from Durham County Council but that may end in December. Most of our income is from the building itself,” explains Ms Tallentire.
The Hub is working towards becoming self-sufficient. The centre is managed by Laura along with Jonny Elliott and Rachel Tweddle. The venue is reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
Among those who help is Graham Moore, who has been looking after the grounds since January after the apprentice finished his post. More volunteers are sought at The Hub. People considering helping out are reminded that it can be a great way of gaining skills in roles such as admin to customer service. Board members are also needed.
A new website is being created to show The Hub’s commitment to community.
It’s not all about making ends meet, Ms Tallentire points out. The Hub runs a community transport project, which is still not widely known. For £17 a day and a charge per mile after that, community groups can hire a mini bus and if needed The Hub can try to arrange a volunteer driver.
Perhaps one of the greatest assets of The Hub is its space and views to the rear. The Hub is looking at the possibility of one day building camping pods in those grounds, which also feature adventure equipment and pizza ovens – a legacy of when young people helped designed the building with the developers.
Just as the Mercury left the Hub last week, The University of the Third Age (U3A) turned up for its monthly meeting – just one example of the breadth of community groups now making The Hub their home.