Foundry Street Community Centre: December 2025 Newsletter

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December at Foundry Street Community Centre

A busy, festive, and record-breaking month!

December may have been cold outside, but inside the Centre it was full of warmth, mince pies, and community spirit.

Trustees & Management

There was no formal Trustee meeting this month; instead, Trustees and volunteers enjoyed a well-earned meal at a local Indian restaurant to celebrate a fantastic year 

The Management Meeting took place on Monday, 8th December, focusing mainly on preparations for the Christmas Fayre.

A Very Busy Festive Weekend

The Christmas Fayre was a huge success.

Over the weekend of 13th–14th December, our amazing Trustees and Volunteers put in a massive 63.5 hours, moving furniture, setting up, and packing away 

Marketing & Publicity

This month we sent out over 50 specially designed Christmas cards, created for us by Trinkette in Sowerby Bridge.

The cards featured our iconic front door, painted red for a festive feel and were sent to:

  • Members
  • Volunteers
  • Key suppliers
  • Supporters from the past year

One card even made its way to Westminster, reaching Kate Dearden MP!

Maintenance & Upgrades

Boiler House Update

  • Floor drain and ventilation shaft covered with chicken wire
  • Hole behind the boiler sealed
  • Additional bait laid

There has been no sign of activity for two weeks, the area is clean, and the smell has gone.

Inside the Centre

A Volunteer Saturday (6th December) saw lots of jobs ticked off:

  • Skirting boards fitted near the kitchen
  • Painting around new lounge lights
  • Touch-ups to scuffed walls
  • Protective film removed from kitchen tiles
  • Brass corner pieces fitted to the pool table

Christmas Decorations

  • Large tree in the Hall
  • Smaller trees in the LG Lounge and Eric Taylor Lounge
  • Decorations sorted and checked

Some donated lights sadly didn’t work, but we now have a shopping list ready for the January sales!

Plumbing Issue
A small leak was discovered under the ladies’ sink on 24th December.
With no plumbers available over the holidays, the area was safely managed and fully repaired on 5th January.

Outside the Building

  • Weather limited outdoor work
  • Frank Page carried out a litter pick, thank you, Frank!
  • Car park cleared of leaves and rubbish

Ring Camera Update

  • Battery fully recharged
  • Motion zones adjusted to avoid traffic alerts
  • Briefly used in boiler house (no rats spotted!)
  • Now back outside and performing well

Centre Users & Attendance

December is usually a quieter time, but not this year!

Thanks to the Gymnastricks Party and Christmas Fayre, numbers actually increased.

Christmas Fayre Highlights

  • Aimed at local craft makers
  • Expected 12 tables… sold 22!
  • Used both the Hall and Leslie Godfrey Lounge

Refreshments
Trustee Mark Baxendale ran the kitchen, serving:

  • Tea & coffee
  • Mince pies
  • Mulled wine
  • Prosecco
    (all for donations)

Special Guests

  • Kate Dearden MP officially opened the new kitchen
  • Sowerby Bridge Rotary joined the celebrations
  • Dominic Brunt (Paddy from Emmerdale) visited, toured the Centre, and spent an hour supporting stallholders

Funds Raised

  • £220 from table hire
  • £197 on the day
  • Girl Guides stall raised £55 selling jigsaws and badges

Footfall on the Day

  • 228 visitors
  • 48 stallholders/helpers
  • 14 Trustees & volunteers

Total: 290 people through the doors

Festive Gatherings

It was lovely to see regular groups celebrating together:

  • Table Tennis enjoyed a meal out
  • Chat Lounge shared food at the Centre

Regular Groups This Month

We hosted 24 regular groups, including:
Boxing, Karate, Table Tennis, Yoga, Tai Chi, Mental Health groups, Youth Justice, Rainbows & Guides, Rugby Tots, Fitness sessions, language classes, and many more.

One-Off & Special Events

  • Grief Café
  • Gymnastricks Christmas Party (180 visitors)
  • Christmas Fayre
  • Children’s Clothes Swap

Looking Ahead

Confirmed Bookings

  • Rugby Tots continuing
  • Grief Café (9th Jan)
  • History Talk (23rd Jan)

Possible New Activities

  • British Sign Language classes
  • Italian lessons

By the Numbers

1,550 people through the doors in December
The highest monthly total since reopening 
We’ll happily take that festive boost!

Community Connections

  • Andrew attended the We Are Active Calderdale Winter Celebration
  • Rotary, MP visits, and local partnerships continue to grow

Plans for January

  • Deep clean and tidy after Christmas
  • Pack away decorations
  • Start tidying and decorating the Cage and office
  • Organise Volunteer Saturdays
  • Prepare business support packs
  • AGM, annual review, and updated spreadsheets

Thank you to every volunteer, user, supporter, and visitor who made December such a success.
Here’s to an exciting and busy New Year at Foundry Street Community Centre!