St Augustine's New Avenham Centre, Preston

A project showing faith and community groups working alongside government to provide much-needed support to areas in need. Northwest Faith groups working to turn decline and adversity into opportunity.

Inaugurated in January 2004, this project involves creative development of a crumbling listed church building as a catalyst for the regeneration of Avenham, a deprived area of Preston, Lancashire. It requires partial demolition of St Augustine's Roman Catholic Grade 2* listed Church building and its redevelopment as a multi purpose centre costing over £5 million.

Its prominent neo classical towers and portico are retained as a landmark in the neighbourhood and a symbol of the churches' continuing commitment to the area.

Designed as a multi purpose sports, family learning, education, and enterprise Centre, St Augustine's is to become the focal point for the delivery of a wide range of community services providing fitness and leisure activities, business start up units, a crèche and childcare facilities, and will be a base for local community and voluntary sector organisations.

Due to open in late Spring 2005, the Centre has attracted some £1.5million from the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB6), as well as over three quarters of a million pounds of European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) via Preston's Objective 2 Priority 2 Action for Communities Programme.

Other funders include Sport England Lottery (£1.85million), Lancashire County Council (£250,000), Preston City Council (£150,000), Preston Central SureStart (£125,000), and the RC Diocese of Lancaster, who will have spent almost £1million in total to realise the centre.

Closed in 1989 because of structural problems, the church was originally built in 1836 and extended in the 1890's to accommodate a growing congregation in Avenham - which numbered 5,000 at the turn of the 19th Century. Today 29.77% of people in the ward are from ethnic minority backgrounds, and the number of people from those communities in the 16-24 age group is 60% above the Preston average.

A significant feature of the project is a close inter-faith relationship with the local Islamic Community. Recognising the diversity that exists within communities within inner Preston, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster invested substantial resources and effort into ensuring their needs are met by the Project.

Speaking at the launch in January 2004, Patrick O'Donoghue, R.C. Bishop of Lancaster stated: "This project demonstrates what can be achieved by faith and community groups working alongside government to provide much- needed support to areas in need. It has shown us how to turn decline and adversity into opportunity".

Contact: Jonathan Thomas 01772 551888.

Faiths4Change (formerly Operation Eden)

Whilst the Avenham Centre concentrates on a church building, Operation Eden brings the church's other primary resource into partnership: its people, especially its impressive cohort of volunteers. EDEN is a unique community environmental initiative in Liverpool, which has received substantial government funding.

Launched in April 2004, Operation EDEN is a £500k three-year project sponsored by the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool with funding principally from the Northwest Regional Development Agency together with the Environment Agency and Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority.

Two key voluntary sector partners are also involved - Groundwork and Sefton Council for Voluntary Service. EDEN employs a Co-ordinator, Project Officer and Office Administrator who are working to expand the existing network of over 120 parish environmental representatives into an ecumenical and interfaith network committed to the regeneration of local communities and the transformation of the local environment through micro- economic regeneration projects and training initiatives.

This includes improving the way that communities understand and appreciate their environment. Local groups will be helped to improve buildings that serve the community, develop local recycling schemes and reclaim and refurbish open space, in urban as well as rural areas.

The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones, has said: "Project EDEN is one small contribution, bringing together local agencies, faith partners and volunteers to help make local communities better places to live. Christians must work together with others for the holistic transformation of the local environment, spiritually and physically".

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA also stated: "This unique scheme provides the perfect opportunity to engage and empower the region's faith communities in local environmental regeneration projects and initiatives. It will encourage different faith communities to work together on local projects, providing a strong and coherent approach to environmental regeneration and resource efficiency issues. I am pleased to support this innovative new scheme, which will create an improved environment for all Merseyside residents."
Merseyside based Operation Eden has now developed into Faiths4Change which operates from four centres throughout the North West: Preston, Burnley, Manchester and Merseyside. Further details from Annie Merrie, Project Co-ordinator, Church House, 1 Hanover Street, Liverpool L1 3DW 0151 705 2130.

Email: operationeden@liverpool.anglican.org

> www.operation-eden.org.uk
> www.faiths4change.org.uk

Faith in England's Northwest Conference Report (April 2005)

This document contains the entire proceedings of the Manchester Town Hall event of the 3rd February 2005 which marked the publication of 'Faith in England's Northwest: Economic Impact Assessment' along with the inauguration of the website www.faithnorthest.org.uk and launch of the North west Forum of Faiths. The new document contains pictures of the event along with full texts of presentations. Faith in England's Northwest Conference Report (April 2005)
This document contains the entire proceedings of the Manchester Town Hall event of the 3rd February 2005 which marked the publication of 'Faith in England's Northwest: Economic Impact Assessment' along with the inauguration of the website www.faithnorthwest.org..uk and launch of the North west Forum of Faiths. The new document contains pictures of the event along with full texts of presentations.