The Wokingham Charity and Community Hub, the first of its kind in the Wokingham Borough, took a step closer this week after planning permission was granted for its new home at Waterford House.
Office space at Waterford House in Wokingham town centre will be reconfigured to be more appropriate for the voluntary, charity and community organisations which will move into the building. Following a robust tendering process, refurbishment work is anticipated to start in June, and it is intended the hub will open its doors in September.
This new hub builds on from the positive partnership developed between Conservative-led Wokingham Borough Council and the voluntary, charity and community sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bringing a number of voluntary, charity and community organisations together under one roof, the new hub will provide a one stop service for residents to offer high quality information, advice and support. This will enable local people to access the right services to meet their individual needs and circumstances at the right time.
There are aspirations to roll out further hubs elsewhere in the borough during the coming years, as identified in the council’s voluntary and community sector strategy agreed in 2020.
During the pandemic it has become clear that our residents have really benefitted from the coordinated way our council and the voluntary, charity and community sector have worked together to ensure people get the help and support they need locally. The hub will build on from this great partnership working and we are delighted that the refurbishment work will start soon.
