Almost three hundred people gathered for Brighthelm’s Exhibition and re-launch event held at the Brighthelm Centre on Friday 20th September to celebrate the projects based at Brighthelm and to attend this event that starts the beginning of a new era at the community centre.
To mark the occasion, Brighthelm invited the Mayor, local councillors, representatives from Visit Brighton, the Tourism Alliance, the North Laine Community Association, thebestof Brighton and Hove and other people from charity, business, sustainability and church groups across the city.
The event highlighted Brighthelm’s connections with a particularly wide range of organisations in Brighton & Hove.
Tea and cakes were served to guests and two people won a bottle of bubbly kindly donated by the Brighton & Hove Food Festival. Brighthelm’s own catering team provided the refreshments with coffee and bread from Brighton - based Roasted and Real Patisserie.
Brighthelm’s new look is a result of an investment by the Brighthelm Church and Community Trust to update and expand on the vision set down in 1987 when Brighthelm originally opened.
The United Reformed Church congregation then had a vision to live out its faith in the community providing space for youth work and community services, making offices available to tenants to seeking similar goals while also providing rooms for community groups to for meetings.
Director, Rik Child, welcomed guests and confirmed that the new-look Brighthelm is ‘open for business’. During his speech he emphasised that the refurbishments will continue throughout the building from the 300 square metre space available on the ground floor to the rooms on the other four floors and that Brighthelm was expanding its vision to take on the challenge of environmental sustainability.
Many of Brighthelm’s current tenants and building users will work with Brighthelm to lower its own carbon footprint and will be undertaking similar work to improve life for residents of Brighton & Hove.
In the Auditorium organisations connected with Brighthelm exhibited their work.
Those present were Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, Brighthelm United Reformed Church, Street Diner, Alternatives, Brighton & Hove Energy Service Co- operative, City Gate Church, National Energy Audit, Freegle, Brighton Vineyard Church, Square Lemon Training, Bujinkan Brighton Dojo, Brighthelm Pre- School and the Brighthelm Garden Group
The Brighthelm Trust has now completely reorganised its staff and volunteer structure over the past two years and, along with many others in the charity sector, it is now one of the city’s Living Wage employers.
Brighthelm is also looking for new volunteers. Contact details below.
The Brighthelm Centre is located at the top of North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD.
Contact: Rik Child, Director
Tel: 01273 964225
Email: director@brighthelm.org.uk
Website: www.brighthelm.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrighthelmURC
Twitter: @BrighthelmURC
