Colchester United FCWeston Homes Community Stadium
Bringing benefits for all
Putting the community at the heart of Colchester’s new stadium has always been a vital part of the project. But what does that really mean?
In simple terms the Weston Homes Community Stadium is so much more than a football ground. It offers a unique opportunity for the residents of Colchester to participate in, and benefit from, a rich and diverse range of activities.
This ranges from grassroots sporting opportunities to activities designed to include different groups of people not traditionally associated with a professional sporting venue. There will also be programmes to encourage healthy lifestyles, help people back into education and create a true community in an area of the borough which is fast expanding.
From playing a game of five-a-side on one of the new floodlit pitches to taking part in an adult education course at the EdUc@eUtd Study Support Centre, there will be something for everyone of all ages and areas of the community.
Colchester United Community Sports Trust (CUCST) is leading in the community development of the stadium, working with others to ensure the people of Colchester and the wider community make the most of the exciting opportunities the stadium offers.
Already hundreds of thousands of children, young people and adults in North and Central Essex have benefited from formal and informal sporting opportunities, learning and health activities provided by CUCST since it formed in 2001.
The next phase of the development of the stadium will see the creation of a community café and the Imagine Centre.
This will provide a base for Essex County Council’s Schools, Children and Families directorate Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Team, providing ICT support for children and schools throughout Essex.
A bid for funding is also about to be submitted to provide a much-needed 52 place nursery on the site.
This will be accompanied by a Wellness Centre kitted out with consulting rooms, community physiotherapy facilities and a lecture theatre which will be used for community health programmes among other activities.
As well as providing a physical base for community activity to take place, the stadium will also play a key part in
- community regeneration
- partnership working
- health promotion
- education, training and employment development.
Steve Bradshaw, former CUCST Chief Executive, said: “There is growing recognition that professional sport has a powerful role to play in communities and community regeneration.
“Our aim is to change lives and communities through sport and we have the experience, commitment and passion to ensure that the community itself will become the beating heart of the new Weston Homes Community Stadium.
“Working in partnership with Colchester Borough Council and Colchester United we have created a place that provides so many opportunities for the whole community. Already children from across the borough are seeing the benefits the new EdUc@eUtd Study Support Centre offers, and the five-a-side pitches are also proving to be popular with bookings steadily increasing.
“This is still just the start of things to come in terms of the community aspect of the stadium. Our staff are really passionate about making a difference to people’s lives and with this great new facility there is so much more we can do to improve life opportunities in the borough and help people to be the very best they can be.”
