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Willenhall Youth & Community Centre [The Hagard]. The First
30 Years]
D.G. Thomas 2.12.1993
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks to the following without whom this journal would not
have been possible.
Councillor D. Chater, Mr R. Marsden, Mr F. Brookes, Mrs P.
O'Connor, Mrs J. Maddocks, Mrs B. Ennis
and the following Departments of Coventry City Council:
Records, Planning and Libraries
WILLENHALL YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE
The present Willenhall Youth and
Community Centre, known more fondly as the Hagard Centre, stands
on what was once the site of Manor Farm. The Hagard Centre's
existence is due primarily to a demand by the people of
Willenhall in the late 1950s and early l960's for increased
provision of activities and opportunities for young people. The
post-war years had witnessed a boom in the building of houses
and Willenhall as we now know it was one of the many housing
developments that sprang up around the outskirts of Coventry.
Willenhall was built on land that had previously been used for
agriculture and some light industry.
The earliest Coventry Council
provision for the young people of Willenhall was the Youth Club
based at the old farmhouse at Little Farm. As early as the 6th
June 1960 the Education Committee allocated £170 towards
re-furbishing the building and agreed to appoint a Warden as
from September 1960. A few months later the Willenhall Youth
and Community Association was formed by a group of interested
local people who met at Willenhall Wood Junior School. One of
those committed people was Mr. R.J. Marsden, who was to become
Treasurer of the Association, and it is his memories that have
provided much of the information regarding the very early
years. He remembers that the first Chairman of the Association
was Nr. J. Lowe, the Headmaster of Willenhall Wood Junior School
at that; time. It was in fact Mr. Lowe's suggestion that the
term 'Youth' be included in the title of the Association to
emphasize the commitment it had to young people of the area.
Their commitment was demonstrated by their involvement in
carrying out a lot of do - it - yourself repairs in order to
make the building suitable. Then as now the Youth Club relied
heavily on the efforts of a number of local voluntary workers.
The Youth Club ran on three evenings a week under the leadership
of Mr. Jim Trew, the Warden, who was helped by volunteer Youth
Leaders such as Mrs. Phyllis Sears, Ingar Allen, Sam Taylor and
Phillip Pargetter. Another such volunteer was Mr. Fred Brookes.
The Centre then offered a limited number of Adult Education
classes and Mr. Brookes had turned up for the Art Class. It
turn out that Fred and Jim were old school-chums and this
connection led to Mr. Brooks eventually becoming a volunteer
Youth header. Another couple who were frequently mentioned as
stalwarts of the early years were Mr. & Mrs. Roy Crimble who
gave years of service to the young people of Willenhall. It is
impossible to name all the residents of Willenhall who gave of
their time and effort in the early years but without them and
their sense of community involvement there would not have been a
Youth Centre.
The realization that the
building was limited in terms of a full Youth and Community
programme led to expiatory discussions at Council and local
level on improving this provision. The original intention was to
expand the Little Farm site and it took a great deal of
discussion and heart searching before it was realized that the
development of the Little Farm site was impractical in the light
of the development of the whole of Willenhall. Thus another
solution had to be found and it was decided to go ahead with
plans to build a new centre in Remembrance Road on the site of
what had once been Manor Farm.
Over the years there have been
two Willenhall Youth & Community Associations and a Willenhall
Association all linked to Youth & Community Work. The original
Willenhall Youth & Community Association continued to be
responsible for the Youth Club at Little Farm along with it's
community provision until soon after the opening of the
Willenhall Youth Centre in Remembrance Road when, as Mr. Marsden
puts it 'Little Farm was lost due to further development of the
estate.' The transferal of activities for youth to the new
centre in Remembrance Road heralded the start of what was
eventually to lead to a division in the ranks of those locally
responsible for providing opportunities for the youth of
Willenhall. A new group was formed, the Willenhall Association,
with the first chairperson being Betty Healey, now Councillor
Healey, which at first continued to be responsible for the new
centre and it's programme. Around 1969/70 the negotiation of a
lease on the old Wimpey Site Office in Middle Ride and the
opening of a community centre there extended the provision for
the youth of Willenhall. Some two years later saw the
relinquishment of responsibility for the Willenhall Youth Club
in Remembrance Road by the Willenhall Association resulting in
some still remembered ill-feeling and the formation of a
separate community Association based on the Willenhall Youth
Centre at Remembrance Rd. bearing the title Willenhall Youth &
Community Association.
Work on the centre in
Remembrance Road had begun in 1963.
The Youth Officer of the time,
Mr Eric Hagard is quoted as saying:
"This club is mainly for
experimental work. It is an imaginative piece of architecture,
which will compare in decor and furnishing with any first-class
hotel... "If you give young people a new place, they will be so
interested and so proud of their new surroundings that they will
bring new ideas into the club and new activities"
The new Youth Centre was
officially opened for use on Wednesday 4th March 1964 costing
£9,000 to build. Parents were invited to the centre for the
first two evenings to let them see what excellent facilities
their youngsters could look forward to using and just how the
inside fitted with the remarkable outside Whilst the innovative
and imaginative design gave rise to both compliment and
condemnation from the general public it received approbation
from those involved with the Youth Centre, especially after the
Warden Mr. Jim Trew and his volunteer assistant youth worker Mr.
Fred Brookes had suggested some small alterations to the
original plans. It would appear that whilst the planners had
been imaginative they did not realize that youngsters had even
more imagination and several features of 'architectural
interest' were modified ever so slightly to ensure there was no
risk of youngsters causing harm to themselves or others. The
facilities included a craft area on the first floor which was
especially good for Fred Brookes to teach art, as daylight was
allowed to flood in through the huge angled windows. Other
facilities were a 400 sq ft lounge, a soft drinks and coffee bar
and a 7OOsq.ft. area for indoor games such as table tennis and
snooker. It was originally thought that there would be a
nightly attendance of around 100 youngsters Within a month there
were 450 youngsters taking advantage of the facilities and a
waiting list for membership was introduced. Due to a city-wide
demand for membership it was decided that priority should be
given to those youngsters that lived in Willenhall. There was a
Junior Club for those between 11 1/2 and 14 and a Senior Club
for those between 14 and 21. It was staffed by the Warden, Jim
Trew and volunteer workers such as Fred Brookes and Betty
Ennis. The centre was opened every evening from Monday to
Friday with a variety of sporting, craft and social activities.
In the Coventry Evening
Telegraph of March 6th 1964, there is a mention of future hopes
of the site being extended to turn what was a Youth Centre into
a Community Centre. It took time but eventually in 1973 most of
the work on an extension had been completed though the Hagard as
we know it was not 'officially' opened until much later.
The Centre was named after the
then Youth Officer for Coventry, Mr. Eric Hagard. The name was
chosen by young members of the Centre and whilst it was not
thought politic to name a Centre after an officer of the L:E.A.
the name was quickly accepted by all. Though the construction
of the building had been successfully completed there was still
a need to add some of the more basic things. Youngsters
collected cutlery and china from friends and neighbors.
Paintings were donated by local artists Pan Morgan, Paul
Schofield and Paul Maddocks. Lynch's Demolition firm supplied a
great deal of things like tables and chairs. Local clubs,
especially Willenhall CIU, gave glasses, optics and even a small
bar materialized from somewhere. Opening Lay was a huge success
with a Scottish Piper in full ceremonial dress heralding in the
Lord Mayor, other local politicians and members. Mr. P.
O’Connor still has a photograph of herself and the plaque
commemorating the event signed by Mr. Eric Hagard thanking her
for her efforts for the people of Willenhall. The plaque caused
some problems however as it arrived with a double 'r' in
Hagard! But everything turned out alright on the night.
Based on the information given
by present and past members and additional information gleaned
from official sources there is no doubt about the huge influence
the Hagard Centre has had over the lives of the people of
Willenhal1. During the early years of enthusiasm and
involvement every avenue was explored in an attempt to provide
resources. At one time there was more than an tentative
suggestion to purchase a large, mainly glass, building for £500
from Baginton Airport and use it as a Centre. American
Servicemen based at Lakenheath were apparently will jug lo lend
their expertise and indeed helicopters to the cause. Anglo
American co-operation was not necessary however: as Coventry
City
A Word from our namesake..
I recall re day when the centre
was opened in1973.
At that time effort was required
by the existing staff to prove to the city fathers that the
centre would become a hive of interest for one benefit of all
age groups in Willenhall.
Very little money was available
but with the enthusiasm of the Warden Pat O'Connor, Deputy
Chairman Charles Wardle, Pete Symonds and other loyal leaders
within a short time many activities were created. Since that
time the Hagard Centre has gone from strength to strength being
an excellent example to other Local Education Organizations and
'Voluntary Organizations in the City.
The Hagard Centre can be called
the 'other open door’, because nobody is ever turned away that
needs help. Although I no longer have any authority in the
Hagard Youth and Community at times I
do drop in to the centre where I
get a very warm
and generous welcome.
On each occasion I notice
the variety or activities. This centre and it's
activities have proved 'without
doubt that volunteers with the right leadership can do a
wonderful job in the community.
Good luck to the workers of the
Hagard Centre and Happy New Year to everyone in Willenhall.
COUNCILLOR ERIC HAGARD - Former
Coventry City Education Advisor and Youth Leader at the
Hagard Centre.
Eric Hagard with hard working
volunteer Joyce Maddocks. She was one or the leaders who worked
for the community and the Hagard for the past twenty five years.
Council eventually gave their
full support to the building of an extension to make it into a
Youth and Community Centre.
Since the centre has been opened
so much has gone on that events, dates and times seem to become
mixed up and there is often great difficulty in identifying who
did what, where and when! Every year brought it's regular crop
of activities which involved the young, the old, the un-employed
and very often, whole families, if not whole streets at times.
Some of the activities that Pat
O'Connor,
Joyce Maddocks and Betty Ennis were involved in are
outlined in 4 computers were kindly donated by the American
Forces for use by the youngsters. The computers were actually
linked to a network that included Germany and provided hours of
entertainment as well as education.
The use of the premises by the
Youth Training Scheme or as it was better known - the YTS, which
was housed in a port-a-cabin in the grounds. As part of the
programme just under five acres of the grounds surrounding the
centre were cultivated.
A report in the Coventry Evening
Telegraph of the 12th October 1985 refers to the successful
growing of beefeater tomatoes and Betty Ennis still treasures
the photographs taken of her and some of the youngsters in the
flourishing allotment surrounded by a wealth of vegetables and
flowers. The produce from the allotment went to help supplement
the diet of local Old Age Pensioners and patients at Whitley
Hospital.
Opening the centre on Christmas
Day and providing a turkey dinner for those that couldn't afford
their own, whilst welcoming the beat bobby in for a festive 'cup
of cheer' and all sitting down to watch the Queens Speech on the
telly. Another successful venture which helped local pensioners
was the Lunch Club that at one time served 40 pensioners a day.
Breakfasts were provided which proved so popular that the local
police almost made the Hagard their early morning base! There
were also classes in toy making and sewing as well as
hairdressing. The programme of activities was not just linked to
what went on in and around the building. There were regular
trips out, especially to the seaside at Hunstanton, Margate and
Blackpool.
Long before shopping-trips to
France became so popular the Hagard Centre had arranged a
successful 'char banc' trip to
Boulogne under the supervision
of Carmel Bourne, Joyce Webber and Connie Manning. It's success
was however somewhat marred when some high-spirited youngsters
offended the French Police and were subsequently entertained by
the gendarmes for a few hours until rescued in time to catch the
coach home.
The original youth programme had
been added to and the centre was open every night of the week
with Youth activities and Bingo taking up the evenings during
the week and Dances, Weddings and Anniversaries filling the
weekends. Willenhall Carnival was a regular engagement for all
members, young and not-so-young. There is in existence a
coloured photograph of the now famous singing star Mark Rattray
as a youngster taking part on a float in the carnival. He also
was responsible for painting a mural on the wall of the club,
which is still there today.
Other ventures in an attempt to
improve the quality of life for the members, especially the
youngsters, involved having shares in a boat, buying a caravan
on a holiday site and even having a pony called Muffin. The
pony was stabled at Berkswell where the youngsters would go and
work in order to pay towards the stabling fees. Another
'Centre' animal was Hobie the Alsatian who was found wandering
the streets in a terrible state. He was taken in and cared for
and eventually adopted by the youngsters.
Notable visitors include Sir Keith Joseph but
perhaps the most notable occasion was that of the visit by
H.R.H.
PRINCESS MARGARET VISITS
THE HAGARD
25th anniversary of St John the
Divine Church but the reception was held in the Centre where the
members were suitably impressed with the royal personage so much
so that a photograph taken at the time still adorns the wall in
the office.
The present day programme
includes a wide variety of activities that cater for all ages -
see Appendix A. Included in that programme is the Local
Councillor's Surgery. One of the local councillors is Councillor
Dave Chater who has personal memories of the Hagard. As a
youth living in the Whitley area he visited the centre shortly
after the opening with friends from the Whitley/Stonehouse
area. Though the Stonehouse area is just the other side of the
London Road it was far enough away to be recognized as 'alien'
territory and Councillor Chater himself was aware of the
'rivalry between groups of youngster~ such as myself and groups
from Willenhall...'. His memories are actually rather vague on
specific incidents or characters though he does seem to
recollect a rumour going around at that time of a relationship
between a certain royal personage and a resident of Ivy Walk
(Targuin Close)! As he appears to be the sole source of such a
rumour!
This brief account of the Hagard
Centre would not be complete if it omitted mentioning the work
of the last Warden, Mr. Dave Sutherland and of course Mr. Eric
Hagard who unfortunately passed away this year. Without the
support of people like these the Hagard would have been
immensely poorer in many ways. Another stalwart over the years
was Alma McDonald who is remembered fondly for all the work she
put in to the Centre. Again this account in no way reflects the
amount; of work that has gone on over the past 30 years. It
does not include all the personal relationships that were built
up It does not include all the help arid support given by
members to those that were in need of it. It does not include
all the worries and the frustrations felt by those trying to
improve the quality of life. Neither does it include all the
laughter and fun that has been experience over the years and of
course it could never reflect just how much a part this Centre
has played in the lives of those who live and work in
Willenhall.
Perhaps this account can be
looked upon as a start of a regular recording of events that
will give a more accurate picture of all the good that is to be
found in a ‘Community Centre'.
D. G. Thomas 2.12.93 |