Blisland Community Association Ltd

Opening hours
Shop
7.30am - 7.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
9am - 4pm Wednesday and Saturday
9am - 1pm Sunday
Post Office
9am - 1pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
9am - 12pm Wednesday and Saturday
 
Blisland Community Association, in Bodmin Moor, opened 29th March 2006, when the villagers celebrated the opening of a £573,000 multi-use community facility that includes a post office, village shop, GP consulting room, access to computers and three small business units.
Background
For the seven years running up to the opening of the new sustainable site, since the original post office and shop closed, villagers ran  their own community facilities from a donated shipping container.
 
An investment of £230,000 from the South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA), £157,000 from the Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and more than £50,000 raised by villagers themselves, enabled Blisland to fund the design and construction of the brand new multi-purpose centre.
 
The new centre, built on the site of a former bus garage by local builders Rok, has been designed to a high standard in line with the latest sustainability guidelines. It includes ground source heating, photo-voltaic panels, rainwater recycling and high levels of insulation.
 
Stephen Bohane, head of operations in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for the South West RDA, said: "This project highlights the South West RDA''s increased focus on making rural services more accessible to local communities. We backed the project through our Rural Renaissance Initiative, which invests in projects that support and develop the rural economy in innovative ways. It''s a great testament to the determination of the local people that this centre is opening, and I''m sure it will play a valuable role in the local community for years to come." 
 
The RDA''s Rural Renaissance Initiative is administered in the area by the Rural Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Partnership (RCP) and is part of a £20 million investment in the South West rural economy planned by the RDA in 2006.
 
Bill Holiday, RCP manager, said: "The residents of Blisland have shown great determination in making this project happen. The RCP has been assisting the community in the development of the project for the past four years and it is gratifying to see the centre completed. We hope that this project will be a catalyst for economic regeneration for years to come in a village that was once a centre of activity on Bodmin Moor.
 
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership, said: "Community-led regeneration initiatives are an important part of supporting wealth creation in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The residents of Blisland are 100 per cent behind this scheme and have worked for years to see it come to fruition. I am delighted that the realisation of their dedication has arrived."
 
Funding for the project has also come from Cornwall County Council, North Cornwall District Council, Blisland Parish Council, the Countryside Agency, the Post Office and Triodos Bank.
 
Case Study

The project
This project has created a new multi-purpose centre in place of a rusting shipping container that was used for years by the villagers.  It includes a post office, village shop, GP consulting room, internet café and three small business units.
The Programme has invested £156,171 of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) monies in the project which has a total cost of £565,000.
This is a community-led project to build an amenity centre in the village of Blisland.  It will boost the economy of the village and surrounding parishes through the provision of local workspace, community services and facilities.  The centre provides a consultation suite, reception area, ICT access, Post Office and shop and 90 sqm of workspace, all of which is available to local individuals, groups and businesses.  The villagers themselves raised tens of thousands of pounds towards the project.
Measures of equal opportunities adopted
The design for the project was drawn up with the help of architects experienced in not only meeting but exceeding the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.  As a result this building meets the needs of all residents in Blisland.  The centre provides shopping, a post office, a doctor’s surgery and alternative therapies for people in Blisland, some of whom are no longer able to easily leave the village for services elsewhere.
Three disabled car paring spaces have been provided out of a total of nine.  In addition there is a specific drop off point in front of the shop.  A lay-by has been provided on the ramped road from the car park for those who are mobile but need to rest.  An automatic opening door is fitted and, for safety, all glass door panels have been fitted with stick-on transfer panels.  The post office area has two low level counters.  The café provides flexible seating and tables as does the internet café.  There are also three separate office suites, each with level access and toilet and kitchen facilities.  The main shop caters for all needs and there is an area set aside for locally made crafts to be sold.  The consultation suite is fitted out with full disabled and baby changing facilities.
The facilities in the centre are widely used and owned by the whole community, including young people who are happy to use it as a meeting place.  In addition, two elderly residents want to provide cream teas at the centre during the summer months.  “It keeps us active,” said one.
The centre has an equal opportunities policy which all users are expected to comply with.
Benefits of equal opportunities
The project helps elderly people and those with disabilities retain a sense of independence by providing shop, post office, medical facilities and a café in the village.  It has provided employment in a rural area and the installation of three new computers means easy access to the Internet.
The economic benefits of the project are shown in the numbers of people using the shop and effectively recycling local money.  Profit, after expenses, is put back into the Blisland Foundation for the benefit of the community.
Stephen Bohane, head of operations in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for the South West Regional Development Agency, said: “This project highlights the South West RDA’s increased focus on making rural services more accessible to local communities.”
Lessons learnt
Arthur Ludgate of Blisland Community Amenity Centre Management Committee said: “We tried to think of everything that the community wanted.  We consulted with all groups young and old and we employed architects who understood not only our needs but also the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.  By exceeding these requirements we have catered for the whole community.”
To other communities planning similar ventures he said, “Come and talk to us and make sure you budget your cash flow carefully, try to have an accountant on your committee but, most importantly, consult the end users.”
From http://www.objectiveone.com/client/cases/equal_cases/equal_pdfs/Blisland.pdf