Building Southwick: Bringing Southwick Community Centre Back to Life
It has been a long road to get here.
For more than a year, Southwick Community Centre has been at the heart of something much bigger than a building.
It has been about community, fairness and making sure local people have a welcoming place where they can meet, connect and access the support and activities they need.
After months of uncertainty, campaigning and incredible support from people across Southwick and Sunderland, we’re finally ready to start looking forward.
This August, we’re inviting the community to roll up their sleeves and help us begin transforming Southwick Community Centre into the welcoming, accessible space local people deserve.
We’re calling it Building Southwick – Sunderland’s Biggest Community Makeover.
And we’d love you to be part of it.
A Long Road to Southwick Community Centre
Getting to this point hasn’t been straightforward.
In April 2025, Active Families North East was told it had been successful through the tender process for Southwick Community Centre.
We had plans, funding and a clear vision for what the building could become. Most importantly, those plans had been shaped around what people in the local community told us they wanted and needed.
Then things stalled.
What followed was a long period of uncertainty as we continued asking questions and pushing for the project to move forward.
We launched the Stand with Southwick campaign, spoke publicly about what was happening and published an open letter after repeated attempts to get clarity.
The response from the community was something we’ll never forget.
People signed the petition, shared our posts and spoke up for the centre. That support showed just how much Southwick Community Centre matters to the people who live here.
Now, after everything it has taken to reach this point, we can focus on what comes next.
Building Southwick Starts Here
Before programmes can run, people can meet and the building can properly become a community hub again, it needs some TLC.
Quite a lot of it, actually.
So, we’re bringing together our team, residents, volunteers, businesses and tradespeople for three big community makeover days.
Southwick Community Makeover Dates
| Date | Time | Location |
| Wednesday 5 August 2026 | 7am – 7pm | Southwick Community Hub, Southwick Road, Sunderland, SR5 2AB |
| Saturday 22 August 2026 | 7am – 7pm | Southwick Community Hub, Southwick Road, Sunderland, SR5 2AB |
| Sunday 23 August 2026 | 7am – 3pm | Southwick Community Hub, Southwick Road, Sunderland, SR5 2AB |
You don’t need to commit to a full day.
Come for an hour. Give us a morning or Stay all day.
Every pair of hands will make a difference.
What Needs Doing?
The first day is all about clearing out, cleaning up and preparing the building for its transformation.
We’ll be tackling jobs including:
- Clearing unwanted furniture and rubbish
- Emptying storage rooms
- Deep cleaning rooms and communal areas
- Cleaning windows
- Removing old signage and stickers
- Weeding and litter picking outside
- Preparing and painting railings
- Painting the social space and one-to-one room
- Preparing floors and other areas of the building
Electrical safety checks and lighting upgrades will also take place as part of the wider work.
During days two and three, the focus will move towards repairing, painting and transforming the centre.
That includes work on the main hall, hallways, toilets and Well-Being Hub, alongside joinery repairs, flooring, new doors, accessibility improvements, security work and preparing the cafe area.
We’re also hoping to bring some colour and personality back into the building with new artwork around the entrance.
Some jobs need skilled hands.
Plenty don’t.
Looking for Volunteering Opportunities in Sunderland?
You don’t need to be a decorator, builder or DIY expert to get involved.
There will be lots of ways to help, including:
- Painting and decorating
- Cleaning and clearing spaces
- Preparing and masking rooms
- Litter picking
- Helping with finishing touches
- Supporting tradespeople
- Making teas and coffees
- Helping with refreshments
- Welcoming volunteers and visitors
No experience is needed for most jobs, and food and refreshments will be provided.
So, if you’ve been looking for a volunteering opportunity in Sunderland where you can make a real, visible difference in your local community, come and join us.
Local Trades & Sunderland Businesses – Can You Help?
We’re also asking local businesses and tradespeople to get behind Building Southwick.
Professional skills, materials and equipment could make a huge difference to what we’re able to achieve over the three days.
We’re looking for support through:
- Trade skills and volunteer time
- Decorating and building materials
- Furniture and equipment
- Tools and supplies
- Sponsorship towards items needed for the centre
- Teams from local businesses who would like to volunteer together
Whether you can spare a few hours, donate materials or support the project as a business, we’d love to hear from you.
More Than a Community Centre
The makeover is only the beginning.
Our goal is to make Southwick Community Centre somewhere local people genuinely want to use: a safe, welcoming and accessible place for families and residents to meet, take part and feel connected.
Plans for the building include community and social spaces, a Well-Being Hub and café facilities, creating more opportunities for people in Southwick to come together and access activities closer to home.
That fits with what Active Families North East has always been about:
Movement. Connection. Community.
Through our programmes, we work with children, families, older adults and communities to make health and wellbeing more accessible, reduce isolation and help people feel healthier, happier and more connected.
Southwick Community Centre allows us to bring that approach into a permanent space at the heart of the community.
And we want local people involved from the very beginning.
Be Part of Building Southwick
When the doors properly open, we want people across Southwick to be able to walk in and know they helped make it happen.
Maybe you painted a wall.
Maybe your business donated materials.
Maybe you helped clear a room.
Maybe you made the teas.
Maybe you simply gave us an hour of your time.
However you get involved, you’ll be helping us begin the next chapter for Southwick Community Centre.
To register your interest, offer your skills, donate materials or find out how your business can support Building Southwick:
Call: 0191 516 6083
Email: kelly@activefamiliesne.co.uk
Follow Southwick Community Hub on Facebook for updates as the transformation gets underway.
Many hands. One community. One incredible transformation.