From its strong beginnings as a ‘one-stop shop’ for parents with a nursery, coffee shop, and meeting spaces, The Wickbourne Centre continues to be a thriving community hub. Today, it welcomes over 36,000 visits each year and hosts a wide range of activities, including children’s groups, support services, midwife and health appointments, and evening classes.
The centre is a successful collaboration between Arun Church, which owns the building, and West Sussex County Council, which operates its Early Help Family Hub from the site. Both organisations work on-site, with the council having priority use of facilities during weekdays, while Arun Church run the Playcentre nursery, Refresh Coffee Shop, and leads activities in the evenings and at weekends. This arrangement ensures that the centre remains open to anyone who needs support. It also serves as a registered Warm Space, offering free tea and coffee throughout the winter months.
Since opening in 2005, The Wickbourne Centre has provided a wide range of services to support local families. These have included after-school clubs, summer playschemes, childcare, toddler and youth groups, crisis pregnancy counselling, debt advice, family support services, parenting courses, English and Maths tuition, and health programmes such as smoking cessation. From 2005 to 2017, Arun Church also ran a free breakfast club that provided meals for up to 40 children each day. This initiative was featured on BBC Children in Need in 2012 and helped ensure that local children had access to a nutritious start to the day.
Becca Jupp, Senior Leader of Arun Church, reflected on the impact of the centre over the past two decades. “Since we opened in 2005, thousands of people have found community, confidence, and care at The Wickbourne Centre. The impact has been profound, with many going on to find volunteer and work opportunities.”
As The Wickbourne Centre enters its next chapter, Arun Church is working on plans to make the building more open and accessible to the wider community. The upcoming transformation project aims to create a more welcoming environment for visitors, and the church is also in the process of recruiting a coffee shop manager to further develop the Refresh Coffee Shop within the centre.
“Our dream is for The Wickbourne Centre to feel like home - a warm, welcoming place for everyone who walks through its doors,” added Becca Jupp. “We look forward to serving our community for many more years to come.”
