Hengistbury Head Outdoors reveals government Community Ownership Fund grant of £650,000 set to rejuvenate outdoor education centre

The outdoor education centre at Hengistbury Head is set for a major revamp as it was revealed a government grant of £650,000 is close to being agreed.

The Community Ownership Fund (COF) cash has been agreed in principle, and must be match funded with a further £200,000. It is hoped that the agreement will be finalised by next week.

The news was unveiled at a packed meeting held by community group Hengistbury Head Outdoors (HHO) which has pledged to save the centre that, due to a lack of investment, has fallen largely into disuse.

Built in the ‘60s, the centre taught thousands of people a year in water-based sports but only six groups currently use the quayside facilities, after the building in 2020 was ruled too dangerous for people to enter.

HHO was formed last January and now has around 20 unpaid volunteer trustees who have worked to find a way to get the once-popular building back into use.

Speaking at the meeting, Bill Howlett, director of finance, revealed that BCP Council has agreed to hand over the centre as a community asset on a 99-year lease, and HHO is now just waiting for the grant to be signed off before building work can start.

The cost of demolishing the existing centre and building a new one had been estimated five years ago at £4-5 million, the meeting heard, so HHO has now decided to repair and improve it instead.

Max Buttinger, director of business development, told the meeting HHO had been selected alongside 80 other projects in the UK to receive COF cash.

He said: “Last year was a pipe dream, we are now at a watershed moment.”

Mr Buttinger said the group still had to raise the £200,000 by Christmas otherwise they will lose the government money and appealed for potential donors to “look deep into your hearts and even deeper into your pockets”.

He revealed that the Sharp family, of motorbike scrambling fame, had donated £60,000 as they had enjoyed sailing at the centre.

The COF and donations will be spent on “repairing, replenishing and renewing” the site, Mr Howlett said.

Mark Merritt, director of build, outlined what needed to be done at the centre and said it would take place in five stages.

He said: “The money will be spent on making the facility the best it can be and give it a positive future.”

Plans include rebuilding a slipway, installing kitchen facilities, repairing the classrooms, improving the sewage system, creating more changing rooms and showers, and making the whole centre “fit for purpose for the next 50 years”.

Once finished, the trustees revealed the centre will operate as a “water and land-based wellbeing” centre. They are appealing for people to raise awareness and help to raise funds.

This includes becoming a member of HHO for £10, and there are plans to launch a community share offer in April.

The group is also appealing for tradesmen and other professionals who may be able to help them to get in touch.

At the end of the meeting, a member of the Pink Champagne Dragon Boat told the trustees: “The centre is so important to us, thank you for your dedication and your enthusiasm. It means so much to us.”

For more information and to donate visit www.hengistbury.org