Consett celebrates opening of new community centre

A local Consett charity has opened the doors to its new premises on Steel Street in the town centre.

Building Self Belief, which provides support to vulnerable young people, hopes the centre will be a

vibrant home for its range of support services, from group wellbeing workshops to team-building

activities.

Renovation of the community centre is thanks to £13,000 of funding from Karbon Homes’ Unlocking

Social Value Fund. Karbon has proudly partnered with Building Self Belief for several years,

supporting the charity with a number of its projects and services.

CEO of Building Self Belief, Christine Thomas, said: “The centre means we now have an identity

and a consistent presence, putting us at the heart of the community. We’ve been based in Consett

since 2018 but not had a facility to bring people together in. Having our own space will save us lots

of time planning and means we can deliver more activity to develop intergenerational friendships in a

safe, warm place.

“The support we’ve received from Karbon and its partners has turned the dream of a new venue into

reality. The contractors have done a great job and it’s made a huge difference to us. It has given us

a truly positive start to our work in our new building.”

The social value funding includes a contribution of £9,000 from two of Karbon’s contractors Mitie

Property Services and City Electrical Factors, topped up with match-funding from Karbon.

This covered the cost of paint and labour to decorate the full building, provided by Mitie Property

Services, and all the lighting and electrical materials to upgrade the existing fittings, provided and

installed by City Electrical Factors.

The donation helped Building Self Belief unlock further funding from Durham County Council, to

cover the cost of replacement windows.

Paul Moralee, Community Investment Manager at Karbon Homes, explains: “Steel Street was

identified as one of our key social value projects in the area as Building Self Belief has a great track

record in delivering community projects and involving residents. Having the centre in the heart of

Consett is a great asset and will improve accessibility for residents of the area.

“It’s fantastic to bring together our local partners to provide more community support to those in

need. Karbon owns and manages a high proportion of homes in the Consett and Stanley area, so

many of our customers will hopefully benefit from the new facilities.

“Building Self Belief have transformed many lives throughout our partnership and we are delighted to

contribute to the important work they deliver.”

Alongside the renovation project Karbon has also been funding Building Self Belief’s ‘Celebrating

Stanley’ project, which is exploring local heritage and identity.

The project is engaging with primary and secondary school students, residents and key stakeholders

from Stanley to capture and celebrate the town’s rich history and highlight how this heritage could

shape Stanley’s future. A collection of anthologies, podcasts and an interactive timeline with be

created by local people and will be shared in December 2025.