A new ultra-low carbon £950,000 community building has opened its doors in Little Hulton, as it aims to bring people together.
The regenerated Peel Park Pavilion has been hailed as one of the greenest buildings in Salford, offering an incredible new space in the local community.
Constructed by Community Little Hulton who teamed up with Architecture Unknown, the building will offer a vibrant new community space with a park café, offices, meeting rooms and a BMX pump track.
The new facility has seen nearly one million pounds invested into the community – and has seen charities such as Albert Gubay get involved.
To mark the opening a golden buzzer was released by the young people from Little Hulton and after dusk the park was lit up by a fire animation by Walk the Plank.
Charlie Butterwick, Director of Architecture Unknown, said: “To see the doors open on this project is a huge achievement for all involved. Well over 1000 hours of donated sweat equity has gone into making this building, and tonight (Saturday) really celebrates that hard work and the start of a new chapter for the centre.
“For Architecture Unknown, The Peel Park Pavilion is truly the heart of what we do; community lead architecture that creates amazing, artistic spaces that will enrich an area for many years to come. We are proud to see the doors finally open to the public.”
And this was emphasised by Francesca Ganz, local resident and CommUNITY Little Hulton Trustee said: “It was amazing, the community came together and everyone loved it.”
The opening of the new community centre was a huge moment for the people of Little Hulton, with over 200 people coming together to help build the Pavilion brick by brick.
Families in the area also had the choice of buying a brick with their family name on as a souvenir for £10.
Young people from the Lowry Academy, Walkden Co-op Academy and St Edmunds Primary School, have all volunteered their help during the construction of the Pavilion.
They have also built a brand-new bike track, which gives youths the chance to have more fun that will be open to the public every Tuesday from 4pm -5pm, as well as sessions on Saturdays from 11:30am to 1:30pm.
The opening of the new facility saw Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett in attendance, who said: “I was really pleased to attend formal opening of Community Little Hulton Pavillion this weekend.
“Amazing to see what the local community, volunteers, The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation, Salford City Council, Salford CVS and partners have achieved for residents & families in Little Hulton.”
The facility will be used to achieve change in Little Hulton, as development manager for the project, Alison Jones, added: “It has taken 7 years in planning and development.
But in terms of building, it started in April of last year, it is like turning a dream into reality.”
Little Hulton has often been considered as the area that is forgotten in Salford, but with this new Pavilion and the positive response from the community, they hope to change that narrative.
“Because of the way Salford is shaped, Little Hulton is on the outside. We are the last bit of Salford, but as my boss would say we are the first bit of Salford,” Alison continued.
Alison added that this building is a tribute for local people who want to achieve change in Little Hulton and will be a home for the community to enjoy for many years.
And this was futhered by Peter Heberlet from the The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation (AGCF) who said: “The design has given children and young people in the community a bigger stake in the building. From being involved in its construction to seeing the different roles of within the industry.
“We hope the project may have sparked an interest in the construction industry which needs to attract more skilled people in the future.”
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