Highwood hands over the Park’s community centre to Eastleigh Borough Council and YMCA

Highwood has handed over the new North Stoneham Park local centre that will serve as the heart of the Park community to Eastleigh Borough Council when the current Covid restrictions allow. Home to a day nursery, café and a community centre offering a community hall, youth room, health space and meeting rooms, the local centre will be managed and operated by YMCA.

‘It is with great pleasure that Highwood has reached practical completion of this unique building,’ revealed Phil Prosser, Business Development Director at Highwood. ‘It will undoubtedly become a valuable community asset, functioning as a community centre and nursery for up to 95 children and the residents and wider Eastleigh community will benefit greatly from it.

‘The centre will be operated by the renowned YMCA on behalf of Eastleigh Borough Council. The YMCA has been a community leader since 1844 and is now a global organisation serving 120 countries; naturally we’re very proud to be working with its team who are already making a difference at North Stoneham Park.’

Construction of the local centre continued through the pandemic

Phil Prosser, Highwood's Business Development Director

The YMCA nursery will open it's doors in early May, subject to Covid

Remaining on track through Covid

The handover has taken place during hugely challenging times since the pandemic effectively closed all construction sites from late March to May 2020. Project teams have worked tirelessly to ensure all schemes have remained on track whilst remaining compliant with the safety guidelines that are still in place.

Harry Lee, Corporate Project Manager at Eastleigh Borough Council said: ‘We’re delighted to have recently received the community building, day nursery and Café within the North Stoneham Park local centre, following its construction by Highwood Homes. We have worked closely with the team at Highwood throughout the design and build process to provide a high-quality, multi-purpose community facility.

Doors are set to open early May

‘This collaborative and innovative approach has helped to provide a high quality and sustainable community hub for the benefit of the local community, offering early years childcare provision, a large community hall, meeting rooms, a health room and a café. We look forward to the facility opening in the near future when Covid restrictions are eased, so that it can become a thriving hub for the local community to enjoy.’

The YMCA has said the new nursery and community centre will open in early May – until now, the nursery has been based in two of the classrooms at the neighbouring Stoneham Park Academy, where high quality care has been provided to children from five months to five years.

A new café will form part of the new centre

Doors will open in early May, subject to Covid restrictions

"Magical spaces to enjoy"

A health space will also be set in the new centre

A welcoming place for all ages

Sally Arscott, YMCA Development Director, said: ‘We are delighted with the new centre; every space is purpose built to a really high standard and it will be a welcoming place for people of all ages to enjoy. As Covid restrictions ease, we are looking forward to working with the community to create a fantastic programme of activity in the building. Whether you want to meet new friends, gain support, relax over lunch or enjoy a special party, the centre will have something for you. Plus, we can build on our high-quality nursery provision to give our youngest children some very magical spaces to enjoy!’

For enquiries about the nursery or centre bookings, please contact eastleigh@ymca-fg.org or call 023 8235 1520.