It is with very great regret that the Trustees of CHUB Bilsthorpe Resource Centre announce that the organisation is to
close on June 26^th after fifteen years of dedicated service to
Bilsthorpe and surrounding communities.

Potted History of CHUB
Diary of the Relationship between CHUB and Bilsthorpe Parish Council with reference to Bilsthorpe Community Initiative

The Trustees have many individuals and organisations to thank for their help and support over the years but it is very disappointing that Bilsthorpe Parish Council is not on the list.  Sadly, there are a few people, not all on the Council, who have made life difficult for this organisation and ultimately contributed to its demise even though their role is to serve the community.

In an attempt to secure a more sustainable future for the organisation, CHUB’s recent aim was to construct a purpose-designed building on Brailwood Road which would have enabled staff and trustees to generate sufficient income to support CHUB’s charitable activities.  Unfortunately, funding for the new building relied on a ‘package’ of funds and some of these were unsuccessful.  At the same time, funding for the day to day running costs of voluntary sector organisations has become more and more difficult to access.  Trustees of CHUB have decided, very sadly, that if the organisation cannot continue to provide the same level of quality service that the community has come to expect, and which it deserves, then they have no option but to call it a day. 

Over the years, nearly £1 million pounds of investment has been brought into the village by CHUB by way of grants to support service delivery;  CHUB was an outright winner of a national award for ‘Learning and Individual  Commitment’  from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education  (NIACE), forcing Sheffield Hallam University into second place;  the organisation was visited by the Government’s Coalfields Task Force and cited as ‘an example of good practice’ in the official Government Report; was one of the country’s first 1000 UK Online Centres and was nominated for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Community Award and visited by Sir Andrew Buchanan, Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire. 

Statistics recorded at CHUB to the end of 2007 show a staggering 117,628 training hours have been undertaken by learners at CHUB over the fifteen years.  There has been an average of 4579 visits each year to the centres at Bilsthorpe and Farnsfield by an average of 559 people. Incredibly, demand does not diminish and this is why it is so sad that the centre finds itself in this position.  The loss of CHUB will be keenly felt in a village that has very few amenities.

Finally we would like to thank everyone who has used or supported CHUB over the last fifteen years.

Goodbye!