Benchill Community Centre

General information

The aim of Benchill Community Centre as an organisation is to promote the benefit of residents within the Benchill ward of the Manchester City Council areas, and the neighbourhood. Without distinctions of sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, race, or political, religious or other opinions/preferences by the bringing together of residents, community, voluntary and other organisations to improve education, relieve poverty and sickness, to provide facilities for social welfare, leisure and recreational interests with the aim of improving conditions of life for residents.
The original Benchill Community Centre was built in 1994. Consultants originally managed the Centre whilst local residents were recruited to run it on a day-to-day to basis. However, this management was unsuccessful and the Centre remained unused for two years.
In 1999, a large scale housing transfer took place with Willow Park Housing Trust taking control of over 6000 tenanted homes and substantial areas of council-owned land in the Benchill and Sharston wards of Wythenshawe. This included Benchill Community Centre.
The commitment of local residents, Willow Park Housing Trust, and the belief of Wythenshawe Regeneration Team that a Community Centre was an initiative essential to the regeneration of the area, meant that the redeveloping and reopening of the Centre was achieved.

Playscheme
The centre runs an open access playscheme on most school holidays, open to children aged 6-14. The days start at 9:30am and finish at 3:00pm and include various fun activities and trips out. Children are required to bring a packed lunch.
50p per day

After school club
Open to children aged 6 to 11, every weekday after school from 3:15pm to 5:30pm. Various activities are on offer for children, including a supervised computer session every week for children. The scheme is open-access. 50p per session

ECDL Computer Classes
The centre has a fully furnished, purpose built IT suite, with over 15 state of the art computers. We have various sessions running throughout the week, with a number of courses available. The cost varies with these classes, but they are open to everyone on a rolling programme. A timetable of the IT opening times can be found on the poster in the photos section of this page.

Morris Dancing
‘Sarelles’ Morris dancing for children and young people is run by local residents. The troupe operates from the centre every Tuesday evening, from 6:00pm onwards, has over 90 members and continues to grow, with sessions available for ‘babies, dinkies, juniors and seniors’.

Parents and Tots group
This group runs every Wednesday and Friday morning, from 9:30am – 12:00pm. It is open to parents and toddlers who wish to meet other parents and give their children a chance to play with others. Cost is a small donation of 50p towards refreshments and a snack for your child.

Astro pitch
The community centre has a full sized, floodlit astro pitch, with the ‘new’ style playing surface (3G). This can be hired out at a cost of £25 per hour throughout the week and block bookings are available for groups. Weekend bookings are available with an extra cost of £12 per hour for security; these bookings are limited to 2 hours or more.

After School Community Sports Provision
Every Monday – Friday evening from 4pm – 6pm and Saturday 9:30am-1:30pm we have a professional sports coach and assistants who work on the Astro Pitch and MUGA with children and youths aged 8 – 18 providing lots of different sports activities. The sessions are free and all equipment is provided

Exercise classes
Manchester City Council’s Active Lifestyles is providing exercise classes to everyone on Monday evenings. The session is ‘ZUMBA’ 7:30pm to 8:30pm. £1 per session

Art Club
Come along every Friday at 1:30pm – 3:30pm to our new workshops and try interesting Art and Craft techniques like printmaking, animation, illusion and more. Be part of exciting future projects in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.
FREE TO ALL!

Sensory Room
The room can be enjoyed by all ages for relaxation and therapeutic purposes and can be booked directly through the community centre for either one-off or recurring sessions.
Cost £1 for 30 minutes per child

Homeopathic Clinic
This takes place at the Community Centre on the first and third Friday of the month. This provision is provided free qualified homeopathic practitioners. It means that many people can enjoy alternative therapies that they would not otherwise have been able to afford. Call 0780 862 3934 to book an appointment.

Benchill Tenants and Residents Meetings
These meetings take place every second Tuesday of the month and give people the opportunity to speak out about the service, share information and gain knowledge of the local area as well as meet other local residents and members of the board.

FREE Functional Skills
English and Maths from absolute beginners to Level 2.
Drop in classes every week
Monday 9:30am-12:30pm
Wednesday 6pm-9pm
Gain job skills, help your children do their homework, gain confidence with everyday Maths and English.
Free, friendly and fun!

Minibuses
We have two minibuses available for use by the community; one has 17 seats and the other has 15 (both including the driver).
The driver must have a ‘MIDAS’ certificate in order to drive the bus and we can provide MIDAS training here at the Centre, details and dates of these sessions can be provided upon request.

Local Groups
If you have any ideas or suggestions for activities you would like to put into place at the centre then please speak to a member of staff and we will give you any further information you may need.

Fun Days/Parties
Keep an eye out for the various fun days and festive parties we have organised throughout the year at the centre!
There is always plenty going on and activities include free rides for children, bouncy castles, barbeques, music, art/craft stalls, games and much more

Room Hire/ Conferencing facilities
There are a number of rooms available for hire at the community centre, ranging from a full professional conference suite, holding up to 60 people, with video projector facilities, to a community room with attached kitchen that could be used for children’s birthday parties and a number of offices and training rooms.
There is a cost per hour for all room hire at the centre. See below for a full breakdown of costs.
If you are interested in booking any of the rooms please contact the Centre and we will find a suitable room to accommodate you’re needs.

Room Hire (prices per hour)

Community Room (10x7m) £20
Conference Room (10x10m) £20
Half conference room (5x10m) £15
Art room (5.2x8m) £20
Small offices/Training Rooms (3x2m) £15
Astro pitch (full size) £25
Sensory Room (3x3m) £1 per 30 minutes, per child

Larger offices are available to rent on a yearly basis – get in touch with the centre for more information!

Other costs

Tea/coffee/Biscuits £1 per head
WEEKEND ROOM HIRE Room hire plus £12 security costs per hour.