Bradford Trident used the Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund to renovate a historic local sports centre to make it more inclusive and affordable for the local community.
Social Impact
Bradford Trident is a community anchor organisation in south Bradford for the ward of Little Horton with a mission to make Little Horton a welcoming place where families can be active, healthy and thriving. Born out of the New Deal for Communities, a regeneration programme from 2000, the organisation began as a board of fifteen local residents from a range of fields and expertise including youth education, health, faith forum and business forum representatives, councillors and other community members. They became a charity in 2005 through the acquisition of assets, enabled through the New Deal for Communities, which they still manage today, on behalf of the community.
Bradford Trident have six community buildings that they operate including two community centres, a sports centre, a health & children’s centre, an enterprise centre and an industrial unit. Since 2010, they have shifted from the regeneration focus to becoming a community service delivery charity. The organisation operates ten different community services including a preschool nursery, children’s play areas, trauma-informed practice workforce training, an active travel hub, sports development and many more. The services Bradford Trident provide are wide and varied and enable the community regardless of age.
How we helped
Parkside Sports Centre, a beloved local sports centre opened by Jack Charlton in 1960 was marked for closure by the council, who were looking to rationalise their leisure services. After a campaign from the local community to save it, Bradford Trident was approached to operate the site going forward. Historically the centre has had a high level of youth engagement but was old and in need of extensive repairs and upgrades. A plan was developed to enhance the sports equipment storage, install a gym, put in cricket lanes with the help of the England Cricket Board, which had identified Little Horton as a priority area, create a dance studio, and a multi-use classroom. With a cost estimated at £3,000,000 they were able to raise £1,500,000, so the board looked at social investment to help make up the difference and applied for the Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund.
Bradford Trident already had an existing relationship with SIB through the Community Business Fund from Power to Change, which we were helping to manage. Bradford Trident received £500,000 in the form of a £400,000 loan and a £100,000 grant which was added to their overall funds that and with this investment they went to other funders and investors to show their legitimacy and credibility, highlighting that they were closer to their fundraising target.
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It was certainly a very helpful process to go through particularly the due diligence which is a sort of critical friend. Social Investment Business examined our plans and have helped us to make them better and more robust."
Carlton Smith
Chief Executive of Bradford Trident
What was the outcome?
With the backing from the Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund, Bradford Trident combined with two other local charities to do a joint levelling up bid. Bradford Trident, with the help of the Power to Change and Resilience Fund grant and loan were able to pay for the architectural plans, planning permission, structural and site surveys, and all the things that goes with the capital project.
With beautiful building designs and a project plan all done and ready to go. Despite not reaching their full fundraising goal, they have opted to do a phased building schedule. With the aim to make the building financially sustainable in the long term. They consulted with the community finding that there was a desire for a wide array of low cost sports programmes that were welcoming and accessible especially for women and young girls. Starting with the rear of the site, an equipment store and improvements to the main hall, Bradford Trident’s new sporting areas are more accessible, energy efficient and fit for purpose and enable the delivery of an increased range of sports that the community were looking for.
Find out more about the Recovery Loan Fund.
