In the heart of Ferryhill, surrounded by football pitches, stands an unassuming building that quietly supports an entire community, writes volunteer community reporter, Mona Schulze. The Ferryhill Sports and Education Centre has been at the centre of local life for years, offering a wide range of activities and services for people of all ages.
Everything under one roof
Being the biggest building in the town, the Ferryhill Sports and Education Centre has space for everything and everyone: In total, around 600 people pass through the centre each week – making it one of the busiest community spaces in the area, where sport and social life all come together under one roof.
“Obviously, we are here for everybody”, states Colette Trimmer, Finance and Admin Officer at the Centre. Making activities affordable is an important part of that: Most offers are low-cost – starting under 5 pounds.
The centre not only brings together the community of Ferryhill: “We have people coming from all over. The other day, we had somebody come from Bourbon, which is Durham way,“ Colette adds.
Throughout the week, the centre is filled with activity – from children attending playgroups to teenagers gathering in the sports hall for football, boxing or badminton. A number of local clubs and childcare programmes are based at the site, while events like karaoke nights transform the centre’s bar into a lively social space that reaches far beyond sport.
At the heart of the building is the café, which only opened last year. “Within a week, we had it turned around. We had a massive team of volunteers that day,” says centre manager Paula Bihari.
Today, the café is open to everyone, serving breakfasts, lunches and Sunday meals, while the adjoining garden has become a popular meeting place for families.
Pointing towards a young girl playing outside, Paula smiles: “She’s been out there playing with her granddad all day. They’ve had a cup of tea, some toast, and she’s as happy as can be.”
“Places like this bring the community spirit back.”
Ferryhill is home to around 10,000 residents, ranging from young families to older generations. One of the community’s biggest challenges is creating a sense of togetherness across all age groups. While anti-social behaviour among teenagers remains an issue, many older residents are at risk of becoming isolated.
The Ferryhill Sports and Education Centre sees itself as a meeting point and social anchor for the community. Its aim is to create a place that is open to everyone and helps bring people closer together.
“I think we’d be missed if we weren’t here. It’s all about social inclusion,” said Colette.
With affordable sports offers and youth clubs such as Bright Futures, the goal is to give youngsters a place to meet, stay active and feel part of the community.
At the same time, coffee mornings offer older residents a chance to connect with others. “It’s for those people that couldn’t normally get out so they can access that social interaction here,” Colette explains.
And the value of all that work and commitment to the community, according to Colette, is reflected in the faces of people as they head out of the centre:
“They always leave with a smile and good positive thoughts of the building. Nobody’s ever left and had a bad review.”
How a leisure centre became a community hub
The centre was not always the vibrant community hotspot it is today. The sign outside still reflects its earlier life, when it operated under Durham County Council as the Ferryhill Leisure Centre. After the council closed the facility, it later reopened under the management of the Ferryhill Community Partnership.
Paula Bihari, now the Sports and Education Centre manager, has worked at the site for 11 years and has seen the transformation first-hand:
“They didn’t use it to its full potential. Nothing was looked after – so it is quite a different place now,” she says.
With a great deal of dedication and a strong team of staff and volunteers, the centre stands as a positive example of what a community can achieve when there is willpower.
“If you speak to anybody round about, they’ll say the centre’s never, it’s never looked as good and been as good.”
For the staff, it’s not a job – it’s a family
The passion of the staff is not only visible in the work they do but also in the way they speak about the centre: “I know we come to work and we get paid for a job, but it’s not like a job. We love it. I always think it’s like our baby,” says Colette.
Above all, it is this sense of togetherness that defines the community centre. A small team of around 10 staff members works closely together, supported by volunteers, forming what many describe as a family-like environment.
“We do say it’s like a family. It wouldn’t work otherwise, because it’s extremely hard sometimes, but we all pull together and make it work,” Paula adds.
Mona Schulze
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
