Heather House Community Hub improved
Published
Friday 25 April, 2025
Updated
Friday 25 April, 2025
Heather House Community Hub will be able to offer more support to the local community, after upgrades worth just under £30,000 are completed.
The Sittingbourne hub, which provides a base for four vital local charities, secured the funding to improve its facilities through Swale Borough Council’s Community Infrastructure Grant.
SATEDA, Swale Community Care Project, Sittingbourne and Sheppey Helping Ukraine, and Age UK Kent Rivers have each received grants to invest in essential improvements within the hub.
Domestic abuse charity SATEDA received £9,707 to establish a new branch, enabling them to adapt a third of the building to their specific requirements.
This included furnishing the space, installing CCTV, a new door entry system, Wi-Fi, and storage.
SATEDA empowers women affected by domestic abuse through support, advocacy and education.
Swale Community Care Project received £9,750 to purchase hearing aid equipment for supporting greater accessibility, a public access defibrillator, air conditioning, and to upgrade the function room with electrical improvements and presentation equipment.
Age UK Kent Rivers received £10,000 to install new baby changing facilities, robust main entrance doors, a modern door entry system, energy-efficient LED lighting, and improved signage.
The charity works to combat isolation and loneliness among older people and adults with learning disabilities, providing specialist dementia support, home care, and community events.
Sittingbourne and Sheppey Helping Ukraine will use their £2,838 grant to help upgrade the consultation and event room, purchase a hybrid meeting camera, and lockers.
The charity supports Ukrainian nationals living in the UK.
The total improvements, amounting to £32,295, will benefit all charities operating within the hub, fostering collaboration and enhancing their ability to deliver vital services.
Dan Marsh, Swale Community Care Project Trustee, said:
"The Swale Borough Council funding has been a great enabler in enhancing accessibility and inclusivity to those that use our services.
“Being able to provide better quality of experience to a wider range of those within our community means so much and opens the doors to those that may have previously struggled to access the support that they needed.
“The collaboration at Heather House Community Hub with other local charities has helped to achieve more than the sum of its parts.
“We look forward to developing these services to keep up with the ever-changing challenges our community faces."
Carey Philpott, CEO of SATEDA said:
“This hub will be a lifeline for those we support, providing much-needed privacy and comfort to access our services.
“We are very grateful to Swale Borough Council for their support in helping us establish this important facility for women in Swale.”
Claire Ives, COO of Age UK Kent Rivers, said:
“It has long been our ambition to transform this space into a vibrant hub that serves and supports the entire community.
“This vision has been made possible thanks to the collective efforts of charities coming together for the community's benefit.”
Michelle Henneker, CEO of Sittingbourne and Sheppey Helping Ukraine, said:
"We are incredibly grateful to Swale Borough Council for this generous grant. This funding will make a tangible difference in the lives of the Ukrainian people we support.
“Specifically, it will allow us to purchase a hybrid meeting camera to improve our outreach and communication, phones and printers to support our operations, and lockers to provide secure storage for those we assist.
“The grant comes at a critical time, as the needs of Ukrainian refugees in the area continue to evolve. Sittingbourne and Sheppey Helping Ukraine has been working tirelessly to provide a range of support, including Support with personal essentials, support into employment and housing, and helping to build a community in our space.”
Find out about the other services offered at Heather House Community Hub here.
