In the immediate post-war period, in a resolve to preserve the camaraderie born during those years of hardship, groups of people met to organise activities or merely have a cup of tea and a chat. Abington had grown enormously pre-war with the building of a huge council estate but had little in the way of facilities. A few brave souls, led by the indefatigable Mr. J.L.Grant felt that this could be remedied by the setting up of a community centre, the town version of the village hall if you like. A public meeting was called to assess support. This was held on 21st February 1949 and attended by around 120 people. Suitable premises were conveniently at hand in the middle of the area. Buildings attached to the old Brittens Farm in Wheatfield Road South, the original farmhouse when the area was just fields, had been utilised during the war as an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) and Civil Defence post and an emergency operating theatre. Now they were taken over by the Education Committee and converted to a Community Hall. The grand opening of Abington Community Centre, the very first such centre in Northampton, took place on Monday April 14th 1949, presided over by Mr. W.G.Harris. During its first year the centre blossomed, with a membership that shot up from the original 72 to 270 members. One of the first groups to be formed was the Camera Club, which was set up on April 22nd 1949 with Fred Sansum as Secretary and 'Dusty' Miller as Treasurer. It initially boasted fourteen members and is still meets on Friday evenings. The centre is still going strong today and getting even stronger after fifty glorious years. Members still enjoy outings to a variety of places and also the extra activities that are laid on by the volunteers that run the centre on a daily basis.
