Exciting new future for Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre as transfer is agreed

The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre (SHDC) and neighbouring Onny Meadows in Craven Arms are to be transferred from Shropshire Council to South Shropshire Housing Association (SSHA), and run by their partner Grow Cook Learn.

The plans were formally approved by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet in January 2014, having first been agreed by the SHDC Advisory Board in 2013.

Grow Cook Learn plan to start managing and developing the centre in spring 2014.

Grow Cook Learn’s vision for the Discovery Centre is: “to create a training centre for food-related employment, a leisure resource for local people, and a vibrant visitor attraction demonstrating the link between food production and the landscape of the Shropshire Hills”.

They plan to run the Centre as a ‘hub’ enhancing visitors’ experience of the local area, providing training in the food-related industries, creating and supporting local jobs, supporting local businesses, and supporting spend in the local area.

The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, which was substantially funded by the Millennium Commission, was opened in 2001 as a major visitor centre for the Shropshire Hills.

The Centre currently includes a library, education room, craft room, art gallery, exhibition space, Shropshire Council customer service point, a café, a shop and more.

The plans for the centre mean that the library will move to the Craven Arms Community Centre (CasCA) and will be managed by The Furniture Scheme as a ‘community library’.  A ‘community library’ means the library is transferred from council ownership to a community organisation with support from the council.  It will be the first wholly-run community library in Shropshire.

The Customer Service Point will move to the nearby Gateway, and continue to be managed by Shropshire Council.

Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for asset transfer, said:

“Grow Cook Learn’s plans to run the centre as a ‘hub’, enhancing visitors’ experience to the local area, providing training in the food-related industries, creating and supporting local jobs, supporting local businesses, and supporting spend in the local area, is a really exciting one.  We all agree that it will be a great way to position the centre as a vibrant visitor destination and secure its future.”

Tim Ralphs, Chair of South Shropshire Housing Association, said:

“The Discovery Centre will provide both a focal point for the area’s natural history, and for food that will be produced in the locality by local people.  This is a resource that will be both informative and practical for both the community and visitors alike.  This is an exciting opportunity and we look forward to working with local people and partners to develop this project further.”

Kate Norman, Chair of the Grow Cook Share steering group, said:

“In the final year of the Grow Cook Share project we are committed to establishing a social enterprise to carry on the work and to focus on training and job creation in the local food-related industries – hence Grow Cook Learn.  The Discovery Centre and Onny Meadows provide an ideal location for the enterprise and will enable us to link the visitor experience of local food to the superb landscape which food production creates – enabling people to ‘eat the view’.”

Jean Jarvis MBE, Chief Executive of The Furniture Scheme, said:

“The Furniture Scheme took over the management of the community centre last April with the aim of building it into a vibrant community hub, and there is now a real buzz to the centre.  We are very much looking forward to welcoming the library service and are confident that we can deliver a great service for local people.  The community centre staff are really excited about the prospect of learning new skills and providing our friendly service to library customers.”

Lee Chapman, Chairman of the SHDC Advisory Board, and a Shropshire Councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, said:

“This decision will enable Grow Cook Learn to establish the Centre and Onny Meadows as a vibrant visitor destination that promotes all that Craven Arms and the surrounding area have to offer.”

Further information

Grow Cook Learn is the successor to Grow Cook Share, a local food project working in the Ludlow and Craven Arms areas to support people to grow and cook their own food and to share their skills, knowledge and excess produce within the local community.

For more information about The Furniture Scheme, go to: www.furniturescheme.co.uk.