21/04/2026
Comment from the Houghton Road Community Centre Committee
We would like to provide a brief update and respond to questions raised on Facebook posts over the weekend regarding the situation with Dearne Kids and their room hire at Houghton Rd Community Centre, Thurnscoe
Feb 3rd we had an inspection from Bernslai Homes buildings manager and their Fire Safety Manager and without going into detail, the findings in Dearne Kids storage raised major concerns not only regarding fire hazards but also health and safety.Dearne Kids were made aware of the report and the seriousness of the situation and asked, with help offered to deal with all the issues regarding this storage space.
Due to increasing demand from groups using the Centre, we now require additional storage space to support both current and future users. At present, we are having to turn away potential groups because of limited storage capacity, which impacts the Centre’s long-term sustainability. As a committee, we must ensure fairness and accessibility for all groups.Always our aim.
To clarify, room hire fees cover use of the hall and kitchen facilities only. Larger storage areas have previously been provided on a goodwill basis, but we are no longer able to continue this arrangement in the same way.
We have therefore asked Dearne Kids Youth Club to relocate their stored equipment from the current larger room to a smaller storage space within the building. In addition, the group already has access to a large outdoor building within the Centre grounds for further equipment storage. From previous comments posted the offered space is not a
“cupboard “ as stated, it actually holds 60 stacked chairs, 10 stacked foldable tables and 3 table tennis tables amongst other items stored in there.
We would like to make it clear that we are not asking Dearne Kids to leave the Centre or stop their activities. This request is solely regarding the reallocation of storage space so that we can better support all groups fairly.
Again help was offered to make this transition happen with assistance by a team of volunteers from both the community centre volunteers and Barnsley Council Dearne Area Team.
In addition also for the community centre to hire a skip and dispose of any unwanted items or debris that may have accumulated.
No further communication was fed back regarding the above.
We remain committed to working positively with all Centre users and appreciate your understanding.
Thank you on behalf of
Houghton Road community Centre Committee