Faith in Community
A community centre established on the vision of church members in Levenshulme, South Manchester, will open this autumn following investment by a local mosque.
Since making the headlines back in 2008 for being Manchester's first eco-mosque, with a £52,000 stake the Woodfold Avenue Bohra community has become one of the largest investors in the Levenshulme Inspire community hub.
The project will see a stunning church building on Stockport road saved from neglect and transformed into a bustling multi-use centre for the local community. Facilities will include a community cafe, meeting rooms for hire, a media enterprise centre, a range of business and enterprise support, a church, and a wing of social housing apartments.
The team behind Levenshulme Inspire said the project is committed to serving some of the most disadvantaged citizens of the area and will remain at the heart of the community by hosting a hosting a regular forum.
Centre director, Kate Chappell said: “It's wonderful to see the community pulling together to make Levenshulme a better place for us all.” She added: “Levenshulme Inspire exists to celebrate the diversity of the area and bring people together. We look forward to working further with all members of the community in shaping the activities of our vibrant community hub.”
A fundraising campaign has drawn support from a range of sources including Manchester City Council and The Big Lottery Fund to cover the complete renovation and refurbishment of the building, which is over a century old. Development partner Great Places Housing Group also secured £2m, including funding from the Homes and Communities Agency.
Kate was thrilled by the investment of the Bohra mosque, she said: “The level of support has by far exceeded our expectations.” The money came from the faith community's international leader, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, who granted it to the Manchester City Council for use in a worthy project, when he visited Manchester to open the mosque on Woodfold Avenue two years ago. It had remained unused until now.
“Upliftment of the neighbourhood was always considered to be a part of the building of the mosque,” said Dr. Mustafa Abdulhussein, trustee at the Bohra mosque. “Levenshulme Inspire promises to be the most beneficial project in decades for the youth of the area and certainly deserves the support it has got. I am sure it will be a huge asset to Levenshulme and the mosque is pleased to contribute to it.”
Ed Cox, church leader, commented: “The mosque's investment symbolises the strength of inter-faith relationships in our community. The relationship between the church and the mosque began with plans to develop a joint youth club, which we hope will now come to fruition when the centre opens later this year.”
The City Council formally signed off its £125,000 contribution ensuring that the funding package for the building's refurbishment is now complete. “With the squeeze on public sector funding and the government's emphasis on the role of social enterprise and Big Society to take some of the strain, this is a very wise and strategic investment by Manchester council,” said Ed.