A York community hub and café is celebrating its 50th anniversary – and has big changes in store.
The St Sampson’s Centre was opened in 1974 by the then Queen Mother, and will be celebrating its big birthday on Tuesday 1 October.
It hosts weekly and monthly events and aims to ‘combat social isolation and loneliness’.
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Some of the regular events include games afternoons, live music, and hosting charities.
“We’re trying to encourage people to come here and make friends,” said Richard Whittaker, manager at St Sampson’s Centre.
From Saturday 27 July, the centre will be extending their opening hours to include Saturdays, as well as changing their charity status so they now welcome everyone of all ages, not just those over 60.
“We’ll always retain the traditional edge,” said Richard, “but we want to make it open for everybody and to help bridge the gap between generations.”
The centre will be starting a ‘Grandparents Café’, that is specifically for grandparents and kids to come along to, but would be open for anybody with younger children. It will take place in the annex at the centre, and will include a soft play area and a special kids menu.
Waiting on the royals
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Though the motivation for a Saturday opening is partly financial – after the pandemic, the centre has “noticed fewer people coming” – it has been planned for a while “as it’s another day we can offer our service to the community.
“What we’re doing here is amazing, we’re just going through a bit of a trough at the moment.”
The centre has invited local dignitaries to help celebrate the anniversary in October, including the Loyd Mayor and the Sheriff of York.
“We were hoping to get somebody royal,” said Richard, as the Queen Mother opened the centre in 1974, “but we’ve not heard anything.”
Anniversary celebrations at the centre will also include live music, activities, and a tombola and bingo, as well as photographs of the centre’s history and boards with information.
The anniversary of the centre also falls on the International Day of Older People (1 Oct), and the centre will be hosting a ‘Memories and Dreams’ event on Saturday 28 September, where visitors will be encouraged to write a memory of York or of the centre, or a dream for the future, and hang it from a tree on display.
In the future, Richard hopes to open the centre up to seven days a week as well as incorporating evening entertainment like comedy nights and live music.
“I would love to create something like this in other cities too,” he said. “Taking the concept of an old building and, from a social point of view, bringing people together and offering a space for volunteers from vulnerable backgrounds and those that are struggling.
“We’re trying to create a community hub here in York, and one of our missions is to make sure that folk have got somebody to talk to – that’s what we’re trying to do, and that’s for any age.”
Find out more about St Sampson’s Centre at their website.