A brief history of our centre
Cortonwood Comeback Community Centre was established in 1986 by members of the local community who recognised the need to tackle the problems of unemployment, exclusion, and disadvantage in Brampton Bierlow and surrounding areas in the aftermath of the miner’s strike. Our Centre has always been run and managed by volunteers. Throughout our history, it has never had a paid manager and many of our groups are run by volunteers who give their time and expertise freely to the Community Centre.
Aims
The Centre aims to help overcome the inequalities and lack of access to services that have a direct impact on the lives of the elderly, young people, and those on low incomes. We aim to advance education and provide facilities for recreation and leisure time, with the objective of improving people’s quality of life.
Warm Welcome Café
Since October, our hub has been open for people to come and eat and drink for a donation, all while accessing the services we provide.
We don’t just provide food and drinks, we also have advisers on hand to help and advise with various issues such as:
Housing, Benefit Applications & Appeals, Jobs & Careers, Energy Advice and much more.
Please see the section on our Activities page for more details.
Volunteering
We are always seeking new volunteers and help in running and managing the building and raising funds. Volunteers are the backbone of our centre so if you are interested in volunteering, please contact us or drop in.
Partnership Working
Providing a community service that’s needs-led, we adapt services to the needs of the community at any given time. We work in partnership with the following organisations: RMBC, South Yorkshire Police, Dearne Valley College, Job Centre Plus, Elected Members, WEA, Cadent Gas, and Serenity Training Academy. We offer a wide range of activities, advice, and support services which are run by qualified staff and volunteers, or delivered by our partners. These include:
- Benefit and Debt Advice
- Support with Employment, Job Search and Training
- CV Writing
- Fun and educational courses and activities
- Senior and Junior Youth Clubs
- Youth Drama Group
- Senior Citizens Group
- Lunch Club
- Meals on Wheels
- Messy Monsters Toddler Group
- Breakfast, Tea & Toast Club
- Fitness Classes
- Coffee Morning
- Room hire for parties, meetings and groups
