Centre 33 hits funding milestone to start building work on new Cambridge city centre hub

A local life-changing young people’s charity has hit a major fundraising milestone, allowing it to kickstart building work on its long-awaited new hub in Cambridge.

Centre 33 launched its Building Stronger Futures appeal last year to create the new hub on the corner of Maids Causeway and James Street – an appeal which has been endorsed by Sir Stephen Fry.

The charity has supported young people up to 25 from its current home on Clarendon Street in Cambridge since 1981, but for years has not had the space to support the number of young people seeking help.

Thanks to generous donations from the public and funders and a recent grant from the Bradbury Foundation, Hong Kong worth £375,000, Centre 33 is celebrating having raised enough to begin construction.

Beth Green, Chief Executive Officer at Centre 33, said: “We’re delighted to start work on the new hub and can’t wait to see it take shape. This major step is testament to the generosity of our funders and the local community – thanks to you, thousands more local young people will receive the support they need. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us, from all of us at Centre 33.”

The charity is currently appointing a local construction firm to take on the project. Work is expected to start in April, with a potential opening date of September. Until then, its hub at 33 Clarendon Street hub remains open.

Centre 33 supports young people with their mental health, caring responsibilities and practical issues like sexual health and housing. It has five drop-in hubs in the area (in Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, Peterborough and Wisbech), many parts of which have high levels of deprivation. Cambridge in particular is one of the UK’s most unequal cities.

Last year, the charity supported just over 3,400 young people. Over half of those came to Centre 33 feeling high levels of distress, while more than a third said they had no support from family. After Centre 33 support, 92% said they had made progress towards their goals.

Centre 33 is still fundraising to fully refurbish and open the hub – to make a donation or find out more, you can visit centre33.org.uk/new-cambridge-hub.  

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