You may have heard about the plans for a new centre at The Rides. Finchampstead Baptist Church (FBC), in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) and Finchampstead Parish Council, is planning to build a new community facility that will provide a much needed boost to the amenities in Finchampstead. This web page is designed to provide you with information on the planned look of the new centre and what will hopefully take place there. Naturally, all these plans are subject to availability of sufficient funds. The building will be owned by Finchampstead Baptist Church and is designed for the community of Finchampstead. It will be open to the public from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday the main building will be used by FBC.

Plans are to incorporate:

• A sports hall
• A café
• A library
• A Children’s Centre (in conjunction with Gorse Ride schools)
• Various meeting/committee rooms including a “youth loft” and a hall with stage area
• An outdoor Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) (Planning from FBC approved, but now the responsibility of Wokingham Borough Council)
• Sports Pavilion Office space for community agencies (Planning from FBC approved, but now the responsibility of Wokingham Borough Council)

Sports hall

A sports hall large enough for badminton, 5-a-side football, netball, basketball and various other sports and fitness classes will be available for rent by clubs, organisations or individuals.

Café

It is often said that there isn’t a centre or a heart to Finchampstead where people can meet. There will be a new café where you can meet over a cappuccino or a latte or just a cup of tea and chat. Light lunches will also be served.

Library

It is hoped that a new library for Finchampstead will be located in the FBC Centre. This will provide the local area with a much needed resource for adults and children, including internet access. It is important to stress that this is subject to sufficient funds being available.

Children’s centre

As part of the Government’s SURESTART programme the Children’s Centre will provide a range of easily accessible and tailored services for children under 6 years old and their families. This will include health services, educational support and social care. As part of this and in conjunction with the library, adult education will be offered on a variety of topics.

Various Meeting/committee rooms

Within the building, there will be different sizes of rooms for rent. These vary from 12m2 to 175m2 and it is hoped that these will be used by various groups across Finchampstead and the surrounding area who do not use other halls at the moment. It is hoped that existing users of the Rides Community Centre will continue their activities in the new centre.

N.B. All drawings & information are illustrative and may change