01. before the hub
For almost seven decades, the building on Newton Road was part of life in Lowton.
Built in the 1950s, Lowton Youth and Community Centre became a place where generations of young people spent their evenings. It saw the punk and heavy metal years, the DJs of the 1990s and countless clubs, activities and community events.
But by the beginning of the 21st century, that began to change.
Youth provision declined and the building was used less and less. Years of poor maintenance took their toll. Leaks became part of everyday life. Damp spread through the building as mould and mushrooms appeared on walls. As slowly parts of the building became increasingly difficult to use.
What had once been a busy youth and community centre had become a building in severe disrepair, with very little activity taking place.
Something had to change.
02. Asset transfer
With the building continuing to deteriorate and Wigan Council facing increasing financial pressures, the council opened the opportunity for local organisations to take on the centre through an Asset Transfer.
Leigh Judo Club decided to put forward an application.
What followed was a lengthy process involving business plans, implementation plans, meetings and panel assessments. Eventually, the club was successful and took on the former Lowton Youth and Community Centre.
The condition of the building quickly became clear.
There was a huge amount of work to do, but very little money available to do it. The club began a programme of repairs, funded largely by its members and supported by donations from local people and community groups.
Volunteers gave their time, skills and expertise to tackle the most urgent problems and make the building usable again.
The first stage of the journey had begun.
03. Early renovations
The early repairs were only the beginning.
With funding applications proving unsuccessful, the club continued to rely on its members and the local community to keep the project moving. Volunteers worked around their jobs, families and club commitments, tackling the building room by room.
The dark and unwelcoming entrance was transformed into a bright, accessible space. The old community room became a warm, multifunctional café and meeting space. An unused sports room was turned into a new dojo with clean, warm changing facilities.
Other neglected spaces were given new purposes, including a healthcare clinic and a soundproof media and recording studio.
Where possible, the volunteers found practical ways to reduce costs, using recycled materials and their own skills.
The work was changing more than the appearance of the building.
People were starting to use it again.
04. Beast from the east
For a while, it felt like the centre had turned a corner.
For the first time in years, the building was being used again. Activities were running, people were coming through the doors and the volunteers could finally see what the centre could become.
Then came the Beast from the East.
The extreme weather exposed just how much damage remained beneath the surface. The asbestos roof was badly damaged, leaks worsened and water and damp spread through the building. Mould and fungus appeared, while the condition of the timber, toilets and other parts of the building deteriorated further.
The cost of keeping the centre open was becoming impossible for a volunteer-run club to carry.
Eventually, the decision was made to close the centre.
After everything the volunteers had done to bring it back to life, the future of the building was once again in doubt.
This time, the doors could close for good.
05. The Lowton hub vision
Closing the centre could have been the end of the story. Instead, we went back to the drawing board and began developing plans for a completely new Lowton Community Hub.
We knew the building could not survive through repairs alone. It needed investment and a long-term plan. Business plans, feasibility studies and detailed proposals were developed to establish what the Hub could become and, importantly, whether the vision could actually be delivered.
The aim was no longer simply to save the centre. It was to build something that could last.
Sport England recognised the potential of the project and provided development funding. Over the following two years, we worked with professional consultants, architects and other specialists to test the plans and develop them further.
Then, in 2020, came the breakthrough. Wigan Council awarded the project £150,000 in matched Section 106 funding.
Combined with the Sport England investment, around £300,000 was now behind the project.
After years of trying to save the old centre, we finally had the opportunity to build something new.
The Lowton Community Hub was becoming a reality.
06. Rising together
With the plans in place and funding secured, construction finally began in November 2022.
But the project quickly faced challenges that threatened to derail it. The effects of COVID-19 were still being felt across the construction industry, while the war in Ukraine drove up the cost of materials and construction by more than 30%. With a fixed budget, keeping the project on track became increasingly difficult.
There were also major problems with the mechanical and electrical design, which had pushed costs beyond what the project could afford. The work had to be re-tendered for a more practical and cost-effective solution.
Throughout the build, volunteers continued to work alongside the professional teams, taking on everything from painting and fitting out rooms to building the new sprung dojo floor.
It was a difficult period, with plenty of uncertainty.
But the building was finally taking shape.
07. The doors open
After years of planning, fundraising, setbacks and hard work, the Lowton Community Hub finally opened its doors.
On Sunday 28 April, around 300 people came to celebrate the opening of a building that had been transformed from a neglected youth centre into a modern community facility.
The Hub brought together the different parts of the original vision — sport, health, community activities, youth provision, volunteering and spaces for local organisations to use.
But opening day was not the finish line.
Since then, the Hub has continued to develop. New activities, partnerships and projects have brought more people through the doors, while the building has become home to clubs, businesses, community groups and services supporting people across Lowton and the surrounding area.
The journey from a building in severe disrepair to a busy community hub took years of work and the contribution of hundreds of people.
And there is still more to come.