Six months into the Pat Midgley Community Foundation’s running as a fully independent CIO, we sat down with Felix Dyer (Community Partnerships Manager), who made the transition happen, and our newly appointed Board of the Hub, Georgia O’Donnell, and Centre Co-ordinator, Rebecca Scott-Evans. They reflect on how the CIO has thrived since its debut, and the real value bringing the hub under local control has added to the Wybourn community.
A long time coming for the Pat Midgley Community Hub…
Bringing the Pat Midgley Community Hub under full community control has been a labour of love, and a long time coming over in Wybourn. Built by Great Places and opening in 2022, our colleagues have done a fantastic job to maintain the space and work with partner organisations to deliver activities over the years.
The long-term aim, however, was for the Hub to be an independent, community led organisation, with Great Places as its landlord as well as one of several trustees of this new legal entity. Work began for this to become a reality back in 2024, with the first steps taken towards setting up the Hub as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), this being decided as the legal entity that would best suit its needs following a review and legal consultation. After a fairly lengthy process with a lot of hard work by our Community Investment Team, the Pat Midgley Community Foundation is officially set up.
A trustee recruitment process took place, appointing nine trustees in total. These include a representative from Great Places (Raymond Kinsella), Manor and Castle Development Trust (MCDT), local councillor Laura Moynihan, and the Head of Wybourn Community Primary School. The remaining five are community trustees, all of whom live in Wybourn and bring a range of skills and experiences as well as representing the wider local community. All trustees underwent training with charity governance expert, Jo Boardman, to develop their skills in running a charitable organisation, be it establishing working practices for meetings, understanding individual roles, and creating a detailed action plan.
The ball was then rolling for building the prospective CIO’s constitution and business plan, as well as submitting a CIO application to the Charity Commission, who would then approve the founding of the new CIO entity, titled ‘Pat Midgley Community Hub Foundation’. This would allow for the group to open their own bank account, appoint volunteers and sign a lease with Great Places for use of the building.
The process did not turn out to be as smooth as at first thought, however, and a few roadblocks came along the way – but by the end of 2025, CIO status was finally achieved, and the centre has been running independently since January 2026.
We’re delighted to say that we have a Chair, Georgia O’Donnell, and Centre Co-ordinator, Rebecca Scott-Evans, both recruited from within the community and bringing some fantastic skills and experience. Between them, the other trustees, and with some continued funding and support from Great Places, the community centre is truly in good hands.
