RESIDENTS who campaigned to keep the old Frenchay Primary School buildings for community use are turning their dream into reality.
The aim of the Frenchay Residents Education & Community Hub (FRE&CH) is to provide a pre-school, cafe and rooms for hire in the buildings next to Frenchay Common, which were vacated when the school moved to its new home in Alexander Road in 2022.
The site had originally been earmarked for sale to a developer after the school moved out.
A year ago South Gloucestershire Council said it would save the Grade II-listed school, built in 1842, and surrounding buildings for community use following years of campaigning by Frenchay Residents’ Association.
The first phase of the project is a new pre-school, which is now open with an initial 12 places for children aged under five.
Planning got under way in February, with the establishment of a new charity to manage the FRE&CH project.
In June plans for phase one – refurbishing a classroom at the front of the site, known as the Elliott Building, with the surrounding playground and play facilities, were drawn up.
Work got under way in July to make the building ready for Frenchay Common Pre-school to open in September.
FRE&CH trustee, residents association chair and parish councillor Adrian Collins said:
“We were all working non-stop for two months, from a standing start.”
A resident of the new housing at Frenchay Park, artist Jamila Hanan, offered to paint a design on the front of the pre-school.
It is being run by Lucy Foley, the proprietor of the nearby Frenchay Pre-school at the village hall.
The aim is for the pre-school to grow and eventually move into the main school building, taking up 60% of the space.
The rest would be used as a community café with upstairs meeting rooms and hot desk work facilities for hire.
The refurbished Elliott Building could then become a community health building.
Adrian said: “It will be a fantastic place for the community to use and enjoy.”
The initial work is being funded by developers as part of planning deals but FRE&CH will need grants from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund to complete the project.
Adrian said: “Now that we have facilitated the project in record time, with so much community support, we can hopefully impress organisations that are willing to consider offering ‘matched funding’ and grants for community projects.”
Anyone who would like to get involved should contact adriancollins1958@gmail.com.