Wembley Park’s community centre, The Yellow, is opening on the 1st October, in brand-new, permanent premises, with extensive facilities across two floors, with over 390 square metres of activity space.
From its new home at 1 Humphry Repton Lane, in the heart of the 85-acre Wembley Park regeneration area, The Yellow will build on its legacy and reputation as a treasured social space for local people in Brent to learn new skills and build connections and relationships within the community.
First opened in a temporary location in 2015 by regeneration specialists Quintain, The Yellow is part of a broader engagement and outreach strategy for Wembley Park, which aims to foster a vibrant and integrated community by bringing together existing and new residents, workers, students and local groups through a robust, balanced and accessible programme.
In 2017, The Yellow Pavilion welcomed over 6,500 individuals to classes across a variety of different disciplines –from arts and culture, health and wellbeing, to performance and education which were offered to participants of all ages. This new, permanent, reimagined version of the traditional village hall, will offer the same popular programme in a modern, fully equipped, facility.
Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council, said: “This is great news – I know how important proper community space is, I’m over the moon that this much-loved centre is now even better, and can’t wait for residents to come along and see what’s on offer.”
The new Yellow will include floor-to-ceiling windows, a shared kitchen for cooking classes and community supper clubs, meeting rooms with TVs and media players, performance studios with high-tech PA systems and theatre lighting, fully furnished breakout spaces and fibre optic Wi-Fi throughout. Fitness enthusiasts will benefit from sports vinyl flooring on the main Mezzanine area and over £20,000 worth of brand-new sporting equipment, which includes a mini parkour pop-up gym.
Ash Patel, Community Engagement Manager at The Yellow, said: “This new community space will offer local residents a central hub in which they can be creative, learn and socialise. The Yellow will serve the needs of the emerging Wembley Park community and we are thrilled to unveil such a diverse social space.”
Through its Activity Leaders framework, the new Yellow will also encourage local people to be involved in running skills classes and workshops, enabling them to take a lead, help make things happen and share their ideas, skills and passions with members of the Brent community.
The programme for the new Yellow was conceived following extensive consultation with the local community and includes a broad spectrum of activities: Weekly, monthly and one-off events will range from yoga to drama, cooking to parkour, Open Mic nights, to pensioners’ coffee clubs. To make The Yellow a truly inclusive and accessible space, the majority of the classes will either be free or heavily subsidised by Quintain.
James Saunders, Chief Operating Officer at Quintain, said: “Community engagement at its best is an exchange of culture and ideas and fosters a sense of pride and belonging in a place. We are delighted to be opening a permanent home for the Yellow, which has done so much already to become a welcoming hub for people from across the Borough.