Community Cafe opens at Tilling Green

The cafe was officially opened on Tuesday by Rye Deputy Mayor Bernardine Fiddimore.

The café will provide a much needed place for people from the local estate to meet, which was one of the identified needs of the community survey, which was led by the Tilling Green Resident’s Association in 2009.

Since April 2011, the Rye Partnership has worked with the local community through the Tilling Green Residents Association and its partner agencies to develop the former Tilling Green Primary School into a thriving community centre.

In her address Cllr. Fiddimore praised the work of the Rye Partnership and all those who have made the Centre possible saying that she thought the centre was much needed by local people. She wished the café and training project luck.

Chrissy Stower, Chief Executive of the Rye Partnership, said, “The opening of the café is a very important milestone in the development of Tilling Green Community Centre. The centre has become a hive of activity with everything from art workshops, keep fit and dance classes and the popular Motiv8 Youth Hub to practical advice and information services, such as the Health Trainer and the Amicus Horizon Housing surgeries. The centre has taken off in a way that we could not have envisaged a year ago.”

Cllr. Keith Glazier, Chairman of the Rye Partnership said, “The Rye Partnership is keen that the centre provides as many opportunities as possible for the local community. Young people are amongst the hardest hit by unemployment at the moment and the café will give young people between the ages of 18 and 24 years the opportunity to gain practical work experience, over an 8 week period as well as gaining a reference.”

The Tilling Green Community Centre will also be rocking Rye with a Jubilee festival on Saturday June 2 from 11am – 4pm.

MP Amber Rudd will open the event, which will see fun activities, live music and side shows throughout the day. The 1066 Rockit Men will be dropping in to perform on the main stage, along with other local acts. There will be demonstrations by local dance groups, a fancy dress competition for children under 12 years and if your pampered pouch fancies strutting his stuff why not enter him in for the best dressed dog (red, white and blue theme) and other fun doggie competitions?

For more information about the Tilling Green Community Centre and its activities, services or events, contact Janet Tiltman or Tina Hall on 01797 229600.