Kiveton Park Youth and Community Centre under threat of closure
After mounting an online campaign, Green Party activist and Wales Parish Councillor Paul Martin was surprised to find himself at the forefront of the fight to keep Kiveton Park Youth and Community Centre open. It was previously registered as a community asset at the request of Rotherham Council. However, just last month, Wales Council received a letter from Rotherham Council, giving them only 6 weeks to put forward a plan to keep the centre open.
Because the centre is a safe space for our children and young adults, as well as being a base for the disability group, Cllr Martin was desperate to do something to save it from closure. “I put out an appeal on my councillor Facebook page, asking people to sign an e-petition to keep
the centre open,” he said. “My initial hope was that we could at least get a stay of execution on the building because we thought we only had a few weeks to put forward a viable plan to keep it open. I was astounded by the response I received, with over 100 shares, 17,500 views and dozens of offers of help. So I called a public meeting and we agreed to form a working group to come up with a strategy to save the centre.”
During the meeting, it transpired that they would be given 6 more months to come up with a plan, as long as the Parish Council wrote to RMBC to express an interest in the building. Cllr Martin said, “This came as a wonderful surprise, though of course we all know the hard work starts now.” Some incredibly talented members of the community who are committed to finding a way to save the centre are now working on this with Cllr Martin and he is very hopeful that together they will succeed.
Former Green Party Leader and Member of the House of Lords, Natalie Bennett, visited Kiveton Park on Saturday, 8th February to give support to Cllr Martin’s campaign. “It’s really great to see how when a community asset like this centre is under threat of closure, the community gathers together to find a way to save it,” Natalie said. “I know how passionately Paul feels about this and how he’ll leave no stone unturned in his effort to keep the centre open.”