Community charity behind garden and youth hub plan seeks extra £100,000 after costs rise

An organisation aiming to strengthen community cohesion, tackle youth problems and boost people’s health with gym, cafe, games and meeting spaces is asking Pendle Council to help tackle a £100,000 shortfall for a new garden and youth centre in Nelson, citing rising costs.

Bodies in Motion, a charity, has its main base at Orchid House in the centre of Brierfield. But it is developing a separate site with a garden and some buildings at Fleet Street in Nelson.

Work on the Nelson site’s reception building and cafe is almost complete, according to a report for Pendle councillors . But a planned two-storey youth hub now face a £100,000 shortfall because of rising costs since the charity submitted a funding bid to the previous government in 2022.

After a two-year process, Bodies in Motion was awarded  around £1.4million from the national Youth Investment Fund early this year.  Just under £1.2million of that is earmarked for works including a new youth games zone and changing facility at its Brierfield site and, separately, development of the Nelson site, called The Garden Zone.

Councillors on Pendle’s Nelson, Brierfield and Reedley Committee will look at the situation at their meeting next week.  Officers say Bodies in Motion should provide extra information, have highlighted the council’s finances and warned against raising unrealistic expectations with community groups.

Bodies In Motion was founded in the 2000s by Shahid Shabbir, from Nelson, and Ben Kelly, who has Merseyside roots but later moved to Lancashire.  It emerged against a backdrop of local concerns and needs, and its early days included dealing with a curfew imposed on Brierfield.

A council report states: “Founded in 2005, Bodies in Motion was created by local, concerned individuals seeking to promote the well-being of people in the area,. Also to provide equality of opportunity for young people and help to tackle rising issues associated with youth crime and violence. Since then, it has sought to work with local people and community groups, to further-improve community well-being.”

Regarding the new Nelson site, the report adds:  “Bodies in Motion says the building must be two-storey to meet engagement targets in the original application. They have assured Pendle Council that a double-storey building was costed in the original application. However, given the increased costs over the two year application period, they now have a shortfall of £98,400.

“According to Bodies in Motion, this shortfall is despite ‘value engineering’ the project to make it as affordable as possible under current funding restrictions. Bodies in Motion approached council officers in September, requesting a contribution of up to £100,000. Should Pendle Council approve a package of support, the Youth Investment Fund may also provide further funding.”

But the report adds: “Councillors should also consider the implications of awarding funding on an ad-hoc basis to community or voluntary groups who approach Pendle Council for grant funding outside any allocation process. This could set a precedent, raising expectations within communities that the council is able to award significant grants for community projects. Although the council fully endorses such projects, unfortunately it is not in a position to offer any financial support.”

Pendle Council understands Bodies in Motion is exploring other funding sources. However, this is a longer process and could impact on current time-scales. The Nelson area committee meets at Nelson Town Hall on Monday. November 4.