A look inside Swindon Hub

By Jessica Durston | jessica@positive-media.co.uk

Swindon Link paid a visit to Swindon Hub and met with the team to learn more about the town centre-based community hotspot and why its volunteers are so important.

The History of the Hub:

Swindon Hub was set up back in 2021, by a group of local volunteers who wanted to create something for the community.

It can be found in the Parade in the town centre - next door to Wilko (SN1 1BA), and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10am - 5pm.

Last November saw the Hub celebrate its first birthday and it has become a multi-purpose community space, that offers free activities and services to members of the public.

One of the longstanding shift leaders at the Hub, Pearl, spoke a little about how the space grew from a small idea shared by a group of people, to the

What’s on offer:

The Hub has grown over time to accommodate different sectors in its top and bottom floors.

There is a community notice board and display space on entering, along with a reception desk. Local organisations can drop off literature or other information resources to be placed there. Further inside the space, the bottom floor has a ‘jamming corner’ complete with musical instruments, a more thriving community space it is today.

She said: “I signed up to volunteer the week it first opened. I saw things about a community hub space popping up on social media and wanted to get involved. Initially I think, there was the idea to create a climate emergency centre of sorts – but then over time the Hub gradually evolved into what it is today.

“It’s been like an evolution of different people from the community coming together and I suppose it’s like a really good social experiment in many ways. We have all been muddling along and it’s been great to have hit that play area for children, a space for displaying and selling local makers’ work, an exhibition space, and an affordable cafe.

The cafe sells a range of hot drinks and other refreshments, and receives donations of sandwiches and cakes to sell to visitors. The play area is adjacent to the cafe’s seating space, so children can play while their parents or guardians can sit and enjoy their refreshments. one-year milestone recently, become bigger, and have regular things in place. People that come here on a weekly basis, are now coming for a specific reason.

“It has been amazing to see people giving their time up since the Hub’s formation, helping to create what we have here now. It just goes to show that a lot of what we do, is obviously needed and valued by people within the community.”

The Hub’s exhibition space changes every six weeks, and local artists or organisations can get in touch if they wish to show some artwork.

Pearl said: “For such a small corner space for our display, we have had some really gorgeous artwork and exhibitions – and it just goes to show how creative Swindon is.”

Similarly, the Hub’s retail area that sells local makers’ handmade wares works on a three-month rotational basis. Local creators can get in touch with the Hub if they are interested in displaying and selling their items. The Hub also has some regular classes running each week now.

These include writing club and Qigong classes on Wednesdays, arts and crafts, table tennis on Thursdays, and more.

A call for volunteers

Swindon Hub’s volunteer team range from people in their 20s to their 70s, and all of them come from different backgrounds - with two of the staff members originally from Hong Kong.

The Hub team say they are still however, in need of more help to keep the community space running.

Volunteer shifts can take place in the morning or afternoon, and the Hub team say they offer flexible schedules. Even if people can only offer a couple of hours every so often, they are encouraged to apply.

Shift leader Pearl recognises how important volunteers are in this stage

A place for collaboration:

Swindon Hub aims to be a place for all to use.

While it hosts its own free classes and activity groups, some events are also hosted by people outside of the Hub staff body, and cost a small fee.

Other regular groups that use the Hub include Hope Street (a peer-led support group for people in recovery or for families dealing with addiction), MIND, Coffee and Conversation (a group for refugees and non-English speakers to learn the language), and Tea and Chat (a group for individuals with learning difficulties).

of the Hub’s evolvement.

She said: “It’s impressive to look back on how far the Hub has come, and it’s obviously something that is needed within the Swindon community. It’s like that quote from Field of Dreams... ‘If you build it – they will come.’ We really want to keep going now, and to do that we do need volunteers.”

With the current cost-of-living crisis, the Hub team say they are pleased to help provide a community space that offers free activities. At the same time, the team say they will graciously accept any donations from the Swindon public.

Pearl said: “We welcome donations if

Businesses and organisations also have the opportunity to utilise the Hub’s space and resources. The upstairs space can be booked, as well as the downstairs cafe area.

The Hub also has links with many of Swindon’s other community groups including Artsite, Urban Sketchers, the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Big Breakfast, Plastic-Free Swindon, Swindon City of Sanctuary and more.

Additionally, the community notice board area within the Hub can be used by organisations to place literature and posters, signposting members of the public towards useful services.

The Swindon

Upcoming Events

• The Swindon Vegan Fair will be held at the Hub on 4 February. More information on this event can be found online at swindonlink.com/lifestyle/vegan-fair-swindonhub

• Local theatre company The Scullions will also be performing a new debut show on Saturday 11 February at the Hub. More information about this event can be found online at swindonlink.com/lifestyle/ scullions-at-swindon-hub people feel they can or that they want to. “Basically everything we have has been donated - furniture, books, food, musical instruments, artwork, our sports equipment. We invest where we can, but we’re always doing shout outs for donations. It’s amazing what people have gifted to us to help make things happen.”

Hub team has also been working closely with the inSwindon BID team.

Shift leader Pearl said: “It’s easy to be negative about Swindon’s town centre, but I think it would surprise a lot of people to see the effort that is being made to revive it. We have worked with inSwindon BID, and try and facilitate events and promote each other’s work and activities.”

Contact & Important Links:

More information about Swindon Hub can be found on its social media pages at:

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/hubswindon

• Twitter: twitter.com/hubswindon

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/hubswindon/?hl=en

Those wishing to get in touch with Swindon Hub can do so by emailing the following:

• General and volunteering enquiries - info@ swindonhub.org.uk

• Booking enquiries - booking@swindonhub.org.uk

• Retail enquiries - retail@swindonhub.org.uk

• Individuals can also pop into the Hub and speak to the team about volunteering, or any other queries they may have.

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