REALISING A HIGH AMBITION
CARLETON COMMUNITY CENTRE
PONTEFRACT
One more section has now been added to the new Community Centre at Carleton,
Pontefract, as was reported in ‘The Express’ on Friday. It marks
another step in the consolidation of a big project, which arises from
some enterprising action within the village, coupled with help from
outside, and sets a notable example in the area.
The need for facilities in Carleton for social, cultural, recreational and
educational activities has been felt for a long time, and investigations
and discussions led to the conclusion that only a Community Centre would
meet the need. But it was both inspiration and high ambition that
prompted purchase of ‘The Grange’, a country house of spacious
dimensions, with equally spacious grounds. Formerly the home of Mr. T.
W. Tew, the Pontefract banker, it was built by the late Mrs S. A.
Driver, who built the Alexandra Theatre, Tanshelf (now the Alexandra
Cinema). It was notable for a greenhouse and conservatory, which was an
exact replica of the Crystal Palace, London. Like many other country
houses it had not been tenanted for many years. Anonymous residents
associated with the move at Carleton bought the house privately, and it
was placed at the disposal of the village committee, formed to pursue
the project for a Community Centre. With its indoor accommodation and
its grounds, it provided all that was needed to cater for the community
as a whole. In a very short time, a ladies section of the centre was
formed, which in the first week of existence enrolled over sixty
members, and a committee of twelve was elected to administer the section
under the chairmanship of Mrs G. Barker, M.B.E. Then, youth activities
were undertaken and a second section was organised with more than one
hundred and fifty members. That section is now busily arranging its own
affairs, including provision of equipment of various kinds. In addition,
Carleton Cricket Club and Cycle Club have joined forces with the centre,
forming the new men’s section as indicated.
During last winter, an entertainment’s sub committee raised over £200 to
meet the cost of repairs and maintenance to the house and grounds, and
the cost of equipment. Other committees set to work to devise a
constitution for the centre, to make temporary renovations, and to
prepare a final plan for the adaptation of the house and grounds to
indoor and outdoor events. Architect’s plans propose a large hall on
the ground floor for dances, concerts and large gatherings, with a stage
and artists rooms adaptable to many purposes, such as study circles, as
well as cloakrooms. The owners of the house have given the committee the
option to buy it at the price originally paid, and if enough interest is
shown, it is intended to apply for an official grant of up to 50% of the
capital expenditure, equipment and maintenance costs. Such a grant will
not be forthcoming, however, unless it can be shown that the community
is prepared to take its share of the responsibility.
The centre is intended to meet the needs of all classes of the community, of
both sexes and all ages, nor is it confined to the village of Carleton.
Anyone interested is eligible for membership and it is hoped to organise
the undertaking in such a way that a modest subscription only will be
necessary. The complete scheme, covering purchase of the property,
renovations, alterations and the provision of equipment, is estimated to
cost about £4000, so that at least £2000 is needed from local sources.
Pursuing the methodical progress of registered organisation, the
committee is organising a house to house canvas to ascertain the
response to the project. That response will play a large part in
securing the grant mentioned, and inevitably deciding the future of the
centre.
The
above article was originally published in the
Pontefract and Castleford
Express on 17th April 1946.
RECENT VISIT
It is Tuesday 9th May 2006, a warm and pleasant evening and I am sharing it
with Jeffrey Fox, set in a scene of peace and tranquility that is known
locally as the Carleton Community Centre, Carleton, Pontefract.
Jeff is a long time serving member of the Centre and he has clocked up an
impressive sixty years attendance record. My arranged meeting with Jeff
came about through my research duties for the Pontefract Digest. I had
discovered an article from an archive newspaper search concerning the
foundation of the Community Centre in 1946 and quickly realised that
2006 would be its 60th anniversary. I was interested to know how the
Centre had developed over the years and if it was still perceived
locally as a benefit to the community.
Jeff is a native of Pontefract and has lived here all his life. He was born
in a house in the Willow Park area and lived there until the family
moved to Reams Terrace in 1935. He continued to live with his parents
until his marriage to Margery Stones in 1955. In company with his newly
acquired wife, Jeff returned to Willow Park to take up temporary
residence with Margery’s mother and lived there for some twelve months
before making their final move back into the town centre, to occupy a
house in Elm Terrace, where they have lived throughout their married
life.
Jeff’s first contact with the Centre was through the cricket team of which he
was a player/member. The team became part of the youth section in 1946.
Many of the youth section’s activities at this time revolved around
playing cricket, table tennis and billiards. The men’s section’s
interests were card games, a separate bridge club, dominoes, football
and social conversation. They were also the main fundraisers for the
Centre and to this end organised a variety of fundraising events –
football sweeps, bring and buy sales, raffles etc. The ladies section
were also to play an important role in the success of the Community
Centre – their duties were to ensure the tea and sandwich refreshment
bar ran smoothly. They also organised the annual Summer Fair, which had
handicraft goods for sale, with various other stalls selling a variety
of bric-a-brac and other household items. Another responsibility was to
organise and arrange day trip excursions for the enjoyment of the
members.
Over the last sixty years Jeff has witnessed a number of changes at the
Centre. He remembers during the war when our lads were returning from
Dunkirk in 1940 and were billeted at the Centre to rest and recover from
their terrible ordeal. He recalls the first extension to the existing
building was in the 1960’s when, with funds raised by the men’s
section, they were able to build a ballroom. This was followed some time
later with the creation of a licensed bar. The Centre did not hold a
license and was therefore unable to serve alcoholic beverages. However,
prior to eventually obtaining a license, the Centre would invite a local
licensee to provide drinks at the many popular dance evenings held in
the Centre’s ballroom. Many years later, in the 1990’s in fact, the
Centre managed to fund a further extension to the side of the ballroom,
which provided the dancers with a seating area and extra bar facilities.
The Centre was also the first home for the small children who attended
the newly formed Inglebrook Nursery School, prior to the school moving
to its present location, the previously closed and disused Back
Northgate Primary School.
The Centre continues to provide a social meeting place for its members and
still manages to provide many interesting activities which cater for
most tastes. These include ballroom and line dancing, camera club,
astronomical society which is thriving, snooker, drama group and bridge
club. The membership is still holding at a respectable level, although
not, it would be fair to say, in the numbers of its early halcyon days,
but if you are an individual or a couple who enjoy a quiet evening in
excellent surroundings, with a choice of pleasant activities, then the
Carleton Community Centre (Grange House) is the place for you to visit.
To sum up my own visit, I would say that the continued success of the
Carleton Community Centre of today is assured. It stands as a testament
to the memory of its past founding members, who had a vision to provide
a social community meeting place which would benefit all interested
parties, residing within the local area – a meeting place of which
members had a choice to partake in the many activities on offer, or just
to meet with your fellow members for a social evening.
A sample of youth activities taken from a committee meeting held in 1951
lists the following:
- Puppet Group
- Mother and Toddler Group
- Classes in Drama and Musical Appreciation
- Girls P. E.
- Weight Lifting
- Needlework
- Handicraft Class
- Ballroom Dancing
- Discussion Group
One can only really sigh, think of today, and wonder when did it all go
wrong!
Maurice Haigh.
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