Exciting new future begins for Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre and Onny Meadows
Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre (SHDC) and neighbouring Onny Meadows start an exciting new future today (Tuesday 1 April 2014), as it transfers to new management and ultimately ownership.
The transfer was celebrated with the handing over of centre keys from Shropshire Council to Shropshire Housing Group (SHG) and their partner Grow Cook Learn, marking an exciting new chapter for the centre, the town’s residents and visitors to the area.
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”.
The centre will be run 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.
Shropshire Hills Discover Centre will continue to offer school visits, local information and training, as well as maintaining the Secret Hills exhibition. Sunday lunches will still be available, and work will begin in the autumn to grow the winter vegetables to be used in the café.
Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for asset transfer, said:
“We are delighted that Shropshire Housing Group and their partner Grow Cook Learn is taking on the management of the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre and Onny Meadows. We have been working very closely together for some months, and the local community can be assured that these important facilities will be carefully managed and available to enjoy for many years to come.”
Councillor Lee Chapman, Chairman of the SHDC Advisory Board, and a Shropshire Councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, added:
“Attractions like Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre and Onny Meadows are at the heart of our local community, and this transfer is about ensuring that they stay that way – run by local people, for local people and visitors. This is an exciting development and an arrangement that will benefit local communities and visitors alike.”
Jake Berriman, Chief Executive at Shropshire Housing Group, added:
“We at Shropshire Housing Group are all really excited about this new stage in our relationship with Grow Cook Learn. We have been a keen supporter of their work for several years now, and this move to the fantastic Discovery Centre is a brilliant opportunity for a new social enterprise to show just what it can do in partnership, not only with ourselves, but the wider community.
“I hope that through this move we will be able to secure the future of the Discovery Centre and Onny Meadows for local people and visitors for many years to come. I am delighted that we have been able to respond positively to the request from the council and Grow Cook Learn to help find a lasting solution for the Discovery Centre and Craven Arms. “
For now, only small changes will be made to the centre, with plans to refurbish it fully early next year.
The library and customer service point, which have now moved from SHDC to Craven Arms Community Centre, reopened today as a community library at the community centre, under the management of the South Shropshire Furniture Scheme.
