About Us

Thanington Neighbourhood Resource Centre C.I.O is a small resident-led charity situated about a mile from Canterbury City centre near the A2. It was built in 2000 with Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) funding to address the needs of a pre-war council estate in an acknowledged area of poverty and deprivation, and in response to the many front-page headlines regarding community unrest and years of largely youth-centred crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Thanington estate is a pre-war council estate in the Wincheap ward of Canterbury, two bus-rides from health or Council services. It comprises approximately 600 mainly large, tenanted properties, with the biggest percentage of the 1800 residents being in the 6-24 year age-range. There are also Housing Association dwellings and smaller one-bedroomed flats for single people with, or recovering from, long-term problems and privately owned houses adjacent to the estate, housing mostly older retired people. There are no other similar youth clubs, parent/toddler, After School or community leisure services in the area.

In the 1990’s Thanington estate fell within the DETR 2000 Index of the most deprived wards and suffered high levels of youth-centred crime and anti-social behaviour. Highly publicised resident dissatisfaction and disharmony culminated in front-page street disturbances and violence towards the police. Consequently, a multi-agency and mixed stakeholder Steering Group was set up to lead a bid for a Single Regeneration Budget [SRB] grant of £3 million, which helped to regenerate and reshape the estate. Widespread community consultation highlighted the need for a community focal point, especially for young people, resulting in the building of the Neighbourhood Resource Centre in the summer of 2000. The SRB grant provided £10,000 set-up costs and the salary for a full-time manager and p/t Admin and cleaner for the first 12 months only.

Despite its success – over 48,600 users (footfall) in 2022-23, the Centre still survives from year to year by a patchwork of temporary mainly non-statutory funding-streams, from a variety of Trusts and Foundations.

The Resource Centre provides free computers and free Internet for all residents everyday, plus regular community and family fundays, barbecues, heavily- subsidised trips to the coast and the zoo for all ages, family discos, quizzes, Bingo, Zumba, Martial Arts classes, Housing and PCSO surgeries, as well as a great space for children's parties. The state of the art youth club is free and fully staffed with a wide range of activities and there is always a full summer programme for young people, including water sports, rock climbing, bowling and ice skating, with Teddy Bear's picnics for younger residents. All this increases community cohesion and helps to maintain the low crime levels currently enjoyed by local residents. The Resource Centre provides help with C.V writing, job applications and advocacy where needed, especially with housing and benefit issues. We have 34+ volunteers who help with events and daily activities, and a small Community Cafe. All profits from this and from room-hire go towards employing local people and funding events throughout the year.