October 2019
Cragievar House, Aberdeen
Unfortunately charity rate relief was refused on one of our occupations in Aberdeen. More details can be found here.
September 2017
The Laindon Centre
Centric collaborated with Swan Housing in May this year to house seven non-profit organisations across three empty shops. The following articles have been published about our work:
Basildon, Canvey and Southend Echo
May 2016
Collaborating with Voluntary Action in Oldham to find a suitable charity for a retail outlet in Shaw.
January 2016
New Town Centre space for the Princess Project
We provided the Princess Project with a refreshing new town centre free work space in Maidstone to call their lovely new home!
December 2015
Recently we have had to serve notice to charities that occupy space from us in PeterLee.
To do this it has deeply saddened us, but unfortunately this is the nature of the free workspace that we provide.
Read the full article on:
Collaborating with Warwickshire County council to find charity tenants that would benefit from our free office space in Rugby. Please click here to read the article.
November 2015
Centric goes international with DyNAMC!
NAMCO, an American based Diversity organisation featured the Equality Exhibition in their November newsletter. Please see the article below.
We are featured on pages 26/27 & 28.
A multimedia journalism student from Southampton Solent University; Emily Reason, has written a fantastic article on Solent Journalism website.
The article includes video footage and talks about our equality exhibition in Southampton.
View the full article here.
Another multimedia student from Southampton Solent University; Salma Ammar, has written an article about raising awareness on equality and our equality exhibition in Southampton.
View the full article here.
We stumbled across something in a local paper that we didn’t previously know about our Founder and Director;
Lance Haggith performed a brave and heroic act in 2010 rescuing a woman from a blazing car fire. His actions were considered so brave that he received a top Royal Humane Society Award.
Read the full story on Luton News Herald and Post.
Non-Profit organisation Empowering a Woman who occupy space from us in Maidstone, which is also shared with The Princess Project, recently celebrated a one year anniversary!
Read the full article here where they give us a little mention, thanks guys!
Mencap’s charity shop in Farnworth had to close down after just 6 months.
Bolton Mencap Project manager Amy Wilding said: It has been a bit of a short run but it was enjoyable while we was there and very successful.
We are working with Mencap to find them suitable space.
Read the article here on Herald Scotland
After several month with out an office, we found Empathy Action a new home to operate from on Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells.
Striking a collaboration with Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council to find charity tenants for shops and an office in Rhyl. Click here to read the article.
![2015-01-27-Rochdale-Online[1]](https://p8v554.n3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2015-01-27-Rochdale-Online1.jpg)
Friends of Parents Carers open first shop in Rochdale!
Friends of Parent Carers, a charity that offers support to parents who look after a disabled child/children, has opened its first charity shop in Rochdale Town Centre.
Located on Yorkshire Street, the shop has opened as a way of raising money to pay for treats and respite breaks for parents.
Speaking to Rochdale Online, Elly Johnston, who founded the charity, said: “We have only been open two weeks and it has gone really well so far, I am really chuffed. In our first week we raised £500. If we could raise a couple of hundred pound every week, then I could save that up and take about 40 parents away.”
Friends of Parent Carers was set up seven years ago after Elly realised that Rochdale needed something that offered help and support to parent carers.
“I was working at a support centre in Manchester and I just thought that Rochdale could do with something similar,” said Elly. “I was really lucky that the council gave me the contract and seven years later, we are still here.”
Centric Community Projects, the charity that provides free office space to charities, around the country has some office space available for charities and voluntary groups in Colchester.
We’ve featured Centric before and don’t usually share their office space updates, but this space happens to be just round the corner from Fundraising UK Ltd.
The space is at: Wellington House, 90-92 Butt Road, Colchester, CO3 3DG. It’s a small tower block – or rather, a large one given Colchester has so few, and the upper floors afford a fabulous view across Colchester and over the Colne Valley. If you’re facing the other way, then you have a view of the new housing development being built on the former Colchester Garrison.
Centric say that the office space could be used for:
The selected charity “will not have to pay any rent, rates or utility bills as the service we provide is free of charge”.
This is on a Tenancy at Will with no end date and a 30 days’ notice period.
New tenants are wanted for this former café in Chorley town centre – free of charge.
It is being offered to charities and not-for-profit groups, who could benefit from the empty building on Market Street until a permanent tenant is found.
Milton Keynes-based charity Centric Community Projects is working with the landlord to find an organization that could use the building.
It works closely with landlords to find temporary tenants for vacant buildings, including shops, offices and industrial properties, and means charities can benefit from the free premises.
The charity looks for tenants for properties around the country and says this is the first time they have had one in Chorley.
Charlotte-Valentine Stone, charity coordinator team leader, said: “While the landlord is looking for a paying tenant, we are able to help a charity to gain from it.”
Centric Community Projects does work with many different organizations, from large charities like British Heart Foundation and Age UK to smaller local charities.
Several Chorley charities have been approached but so far none have taken up the offer of the free building previously used by Porky’s.
It can be used by either a charity or by a not-for-profit organization sharing with another not-for-profit or a charity.
They do not have to pay rent, rates or utility bills for the building.
Ideally, Centric Community Projects wants the organization to use the building as a café or shop, but it could also be for storage, meetings, workshops, training, conferences or other uses.
It is not known how long the property will be empty – though some are available for years – and the notice period is just 14 days.
If the charity or not-for-profit organization is asked to leave within a year, the landlord will give £500 towards the initial clean-up.
Charlotte-Valentine said: “The only catch is you never know how long you have got it for. That’s the only risk.”
Equal Sights!
The Stockport Express newspaper released an article on our racial equality exhibition held in Stockport.
The article was published in the local newspaper on Wednesday 29th July 2015.
Here is what the Stockport Express newspaper said:
An exhibition about racial equality is being held in Stockport town centre.
The aim of the exhibition, which features more than 70 banners, is to help to inform, educate, and provide visitors with valuable insight into the determination and perseverance displayed by equality champions.
It is open from 10am to 2pm this Thursday and Friday, @ Archer House on John Street.
Contact: info@centricprojects.org.
At Centric Community Projects through out the year we hold exhibitions on the history of racial equality and women’s equality. These exhibitions are held in the UK at locations such as Reading, Romford, Croydon, Newport and Shrewsbury. Permanent exhibitions are held in Coventry and Southampton every Thursday and Friday. Follow this link to be forwarded to our exhibitions page for more information on our exhibitions.
We was delighted when a newspaper from Reading published an article on our exhibition we hold in Reading.
Centric Projects to host exhibition on history of equality – Click to be forwarded to the ‘Get Reading’ news page and read the full article.
Centric on BBC Radio Shropshire
On the 4th June Trustee of Centric Community Projects; Navrita Atwal was interviewed by Jim Hawkins in the morning, from BBC Radio Shropshire.
Navrita spoke about our exhibition we hold in Shrewsbury and gave it some airtime.
To listen to the full interview please click this link. The interview starts about 1 hour and 15 minutes into the radio show.
And a massive thank you to BBC Radio Shropshire for giving us some airtime.
A big welcome to SAFE who now occupy one of our free spaces in Dukes Keep, Southampton. On 13th May SAFE moved into the new office and now use this space as their main office.
SAFE started out in 1994. They reached out to people in South Hampshire facing needs as a result of high unemployment and recession. Since starting out SAFE have helped thousands of people move forward and develop new innovative programmes.
SAFE deliver programmes in job searching and career guidance. They have developed a network of over 50 referral agencies providing health and social support. SAFE also offer cognitive STEPS courses, building confidence and self efficiency. They work closely with young people in school from as young as 10 year olds right up to 25+ year olds.
The office space is very useful to the charity as they now have space for training facilities, which allows them for the first time to be flexible and reach the needs of their candidates.
Centric are very pleased to be working with such a positive organisation and would like to thank SAFE for making great use of our space.
SAFE updated their webpage news a few weeks ago now with the news of moving into the new office. Keep an eye out on the SAFE webpage for pictures of how they have transformed their new working space.
May 2015
The newly formed Southampton Chamber of Arts continues to go from strength to strength after securing work spaces for the city’s artists.
A large, open-plan, floor space area in the Dukes Keep building has been made available for studio use for its members.
The chamber’s community liaison officer Leo Deville brokered the deal with Hannah Brown, who is the charity coordinator for Centric Community Projects, who offer space in empty commercial buildings in the UK to charities, nonprofit organizations and community groups.
Leo said: “It is a big milestone for us in the chamber and we are very grateful to Centric. We hope to have the first chamber artists in the building within weeks. Dukes Keep is in a prime location and we have also secured a lock up facility in the building which we can utilize as a store room.”
To read more please click the link below:
Southampton Chamber of Arts goes from strength to strength
April 2015
A business that aims to unlock the potential of young people through entrepreneur training, have moved into one of our building spaces in Marsh Lane, Southampton.
Entrepreneurs For Good Founder Nina Kelly said; ”Having a base from which to work, meet people, run our training programme and network with other like minded people will transform our ability to grow and move forward.
Read the full article in the Hampshire Chronicle just click here.
January 2015
Wigan charities could be in line for free premises of their own after a number of empty units were donated for good causes. Seven empty retail units and an unused office on the precinct in Scholes have been given to Centric Community Projects for use by charities and other not-for-profit organisations.
The properties located between 93 and 113 Scholes, vary in size from 385 sqft to 4500 sqft and are available to any good cause which is interested in an open licence basis.
Centric takes empty buildings which have been donated and makes them available for free to groups including charities, community interest companies, sports clubs, community groups etc.
The Milton Keynes based company is keen to hear from anyone who would be interested in making use of the Scholes units and will arrange to travel to the borough for viewings as soon as there is enough interest.
Centric Chief Executive Julie Ion said: “We take empty buildings off Landlord’s hands so they don’t have problems with graffiti or disuse and then pass them on to charities for free space. It is also a feel good factor for the the businesses which shows their corporate and social responsibility by helping charities out”
November 2014
On Wednesday, a group of us attended Centric Community Project’s Equality Exhibition in Croydon. This event forms one of a series of Exhibitions that will cover each strand of Equality as defined by the Equality Act 2010 (To read more please click on the link below)
The Lake Project visit The Equality Exhibition in Croydon
Charities in Bradford are being offered more free space in the City. An organisation which specialises in creating Charity hubs in empty commercial buildings has been given three more floors in Arndale House (To read more please click on the link below)
Article on Arndale House – Telegraph & Argus (Bradford)
A long vacant call centre has been put to good use after local charities and worthy causes have moved in. Swan House, the former Aviva insurance office at Dundee Technology Park , has been given a new lease of life by becoming a bustling charity hub (To read more please click on the link below)
Charity hub created in Dundee – The Courier
Free office accommodation for Charities and other groups in Peterlee. Charities and other qualifying groups have been invited to take up office space in an East Durham building for free (To read more please click on the link below)
Free office accommodation in Peterlee – The Northern Echo
Thanks to the support of Centric Community Projects we’ve recently taken up a second office in Bradford City Centre with a bird’s eye view of the long awaited Westfield Shopping centre (To read more please click on the link below)
TecAid take up free space in Bradford
Charities in St Albans are being encouraged to snap up free space in the City centre. There is room in the Ziggurat building in Grosvenor Road thanks to Centric Community Projects (To read more please click on the link below)
Article on Ziggurat, St Albans – St Albans & Harpenden Review
Charities looking for offices and storage space can now access a growing number of workspaces for free, thanks to Centric Community Projects who are a charity themselves based in Milton Keynes (To read more please click on the link below)
The Charity that offers free space – Fundraising UK
Centric Community Projects is offering free office space and storage at Bridge House in Twickenham for a limited time and with restrictions (To read more please click on the link below)
Free space for charities in Twickenham – Richmond CVS
New life is being breathed into the offices in Dundee’s Technology Park. Swan House has been lying empty since 2008 (To read more click on the link below)
Transformation of Swan House – The Courier
There are few things worse for the morale of the City than empty retail shops or office blocks. When a City such as Bradford is trying its level best to drive forward regeneration and create a thriving centre (To read more please click on the link below)
Article on Centrics use of empty buildings – Telegraph & Argus (Bradford)
Charities in Bradford are being urged to snap up free City centre space. There is room in Arndale House, Charles Street, thanks to an organisation that specialises in creating Charity hubs in empty commercial buildings (To read more click on the link below)
Thank you Centric, landlords, and everyone who’s played a part in establishing this fantastic community resource in Brighton. You’ve made a crucial difference to the development of our charity and the health and well-being of a large number of people in need
Gary Pargeter
Project Manager Lunch Positive
