History of Age Concern Chandler’s Ford
On 11th October 1899 Edward Gudgeon sold, for the sum of £85.00, a piece of land on the ‘Brownhill Park Estate’ to the Trustees of the Primitive Methodist Connection who built a chapel on the site. The Conveyance included the following wording;
‘No building to be erected on the said land or any part thereof shall be used as, or for, an Hotel Beershop or public House or for the sale of any beer spirits or other intoxicating liquors or for an infectious Hospital or Theatre or like space of public resorts or a lunatic asylum.’
The façade of the Methodist chapel is shown in the background on the photograph below. This is the chapel in Brownhill Road, opened for the Primitive Methodists in November 1900. The bricks were local: made in the Chandlers Ford brickworks. The building ceased to be a chapel in 1957, when the Methodist Church Hall was opened on Winchester Road. The stones laid by local dignitaries in 1900 are still easy to see at the front of the building. (Reference: Hillier, Barbara and Gerald Ponting. 1998. Chandler’s Ford: yesterday and today, nos. 41, 42.)
It is interesting to note in the photograph below from the early 1900s showing Brownhill Road as a narrow track just how rural the area was.
Below, a photograph from the 1930s before the chapel was extended. Rev. Harris was the minister at this time.
By the early 1930s, the congregation and Sunday School numbers had grown as the town developed. To accommodate the increase, larger premises were opened in 1937: a side-room extension with sliding doors, kitchen and toilet facilities, and a porch over the main entrance. The stone-laying ceremony by several local worthies took place the previous year. In the photograph below is Mr Percy Inge, a local dentist who lived at Larchwood in Hursley. The stone he laid can still be seen today, immediately to the left of the main entrance to the Age Concern Centre. Other stones were laid by Mrs T H Hill and Mrs C W Bosworth.
(Reference: 1. Hillier, Barbara. 1994. Chandler’s Ford: a pictorial history, illustration no. 99. 2. Hillier, Barbara J. [1980s]. The story of Chandler’s Ford, p. 60-62.)
At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the membership of the chapel was 23. However the membership soon outgrew the Chapel on Brownhill Road and plans were made for a new building on Winchester Road which opened in 1957.
Chandler’s Ford Old Peoples’ Welfare Committee 1955-1979
1955 – Hampshire Council of Community Service called a public meeting of local organisations concerned with the welfare of elderly residents i.e. churches, Red Cross, W.R.V.S. and W.I. each of which worked independently, but without any coordination of effort and resources. That meeting, held in the old Congregational Church on Kings Road, led to the establishment of the Chandler’s Ford Old People’s Welfare Committee, with the aims of visiting and providing transport as well as establishing a social club for the elderly. This club met for the first time on September 14th 1955 in the Congregational Church Hall and the name ‘Friendly Circle’ was chosen by its members. By 1956 the membership was over 100 members and it became necessary to find new premises for the expanding club.
1957 – with the Methodist congregation moving to its new premises in Winchester Road, the Chapel on Brownhill Road became vacant and the Welfare Committee initially rented it as a meeting place. In June 1959 a decision was made to buy the former chapel for £2000.
Membership of the ‘Friendly Circle’ had reached 121 and in 1960 a new club was formed ‘The Happy Bunch’ (named after on of their members Mrs Bunch!).
1962 – the Chandler’s Ford O.P.W.C. became a Registered Charity and the building on Brownhill Road became known as the ‘Old Peoples’ Hall’.
1965 – a twice weekly ‘Luncheon Club’ launched. Volunteers made puddings at home, but the main course was made in a tiny kitchen wedged between the ladies’ and gents’ toilets! A charge of 1s. 6d was made for a two course meal.
1967 – in December of this year a kitchen extension was built to the back of the building at a cost of £1200 plus a further £400 for fittings equipment and crockery.
1969 – then Treasurer Kay Cox, found a prefab bungalow for sale on the Isle of Wight. And a decision was taken to buy it, transport and erect it in the garden at the back of the hall. It allowed Lottie Fleming (the cook) and her husband Ted (who acted as ‘live in’ caretaker) to live there.
1971 – the National Old Peoples’ Welfare Committee (the national body that coordinated the work of numerous committees) became independent of Government and renamed Age Concern.Many local O.P.W.Cs took on the name and together they benefited from a unified image and a name reflecting the fact that they were not just Committees but active providers of direct services. The Chandler’s Ford O.P.W.C. delayed changing its name for a few more years.
1973 – the Friendly Circle and the Happy Bunch Clubs could take no more members and the ‘Sunshine Club’ was formed. Demand for social clubs for the elderly continued and in 1976 the Hursley Road Senior Citizens’ Club was formed for residents living at the southern end of Chandler’s Ford.
1977 – the Committee agreed to lease a narrow strip of its land (£400 for a 34 year term) to the Safeway store (eventually becoming the Co-op) in order for the store to create a fenced alleyway for shoppers to walk between the Safeway car park and the Fryern Arcade car park.
Age Concern Chandler’s Ford 1979 – 2009
1979 – this was an important year. It was the year during which the Committee agreed to change the name to Age Concern Chandler’s Ford and adopted a new constitution. The ‘Old Peoples’ Hall’ became the ‘Age Concern Centre’.
However, even then there was a concern from members about being confused with ‘Help the Aged’ which had been formed in 1961. During this year the new organisation sold the bottom of its land on the other side of the alleyway to the owners of Fryern Arcade. It was little more than a ditch but they wanted to add it to their car park.
Also during 1979 building works started on the new extension to the hall. The work, costing £13,000, was completed in 1980 and almost doubled the size of the main hall, but with a sliding partition two meeting rooms were created. The extension also saw the provision of toilets for the disabled and a second, ramped, front entrance. The original coloured arched metal-framed chapel windows were carefully removed from the old side wall and refitted into the new outside wall. Also retained were the foundation stones of the chapel’s former small extension added in 1936.The official re-opening took place in March 1980.
Funding for this project was gained by Peter Molyneux (Fund Raising Organiser – eventually Chairman)) and husband of the Charity stalwart Freda Molyneux. Freda had joined the Chandler’s Ford Old Peoples’ Welfare Committee in 1964 becoming Hon. Secretary in 1965. She persuaded husband Peter to get involved and it can be said that the pair had a significant influence on the success of Age Concern Chandler’s Ford through the 70s to the late 90s.
1996 – the roof of the Age Concern Centre was re-slated and central heating was installed with a grant from the National Lottery Charity Board.
2009 to Present Day
As the new Millennium started the charity sector caring for the needs of the elderly nationally was growing and becoming a big ‘business’. On the 1st April 2009 Age Concern and Help the Aged joined forces to form a new charity which became named Age UK a year later.
Many of the individual Age Concern charities found the terms of the merger unacceptable and chose to remain independent and have no connection with Age UK. Age Concern Chandler’s Ford was one such charity and to this day continues to be run entirely by volunteers. The ‘Age Concern’ name is owned by Age UK and is used by independent Age Concern organisations under a ‘brand licence agreement’.
In 2019 Jayne Howells (Happy Bunch leader) project managed the complete refurbishment of the kitchen, which was completed in May of that year. In the same year Bob Campbell retired as Chairman as did our caretaker Gordon Milsom. Change was afoot and in early 2020 it came in a surprising and terrible way.
Pandemic 2020 and the road to ‘recovery’
March 2020 brought the first of a number of ‘lockdowns’ from which our organisation was still recovering in 2022. The fabric of the building was beginning to cause concern to the new management and in May 2020 repairs to the pointing to the outside of the building was completed. This was just the first phase of the Trustees’ ambition for a complete refurbishment of the Centre. In addition, the need for adequate ventilation (as a result of Covid-19) forced the Trustees’ hand to replace some of the old metal framed arched windows which were leaking and whose openings had become frail. Generous grant aid from a number of funding bodies saw for the first 6 arched windows in the main hall replaced in summer 2021, allowing the return of a number of activities in the hall. Further funds were gained to allow the remaining windows in the building to be replaced in summer 2022.
Another effect of the pandemic was the loss of the organisations oldest social club, the Friendly Circle in summer 2020. Also in November 2021 we saw the Happy Bunch de-camp to other premises.
Maintaining the fabric of the property continued to be a priority. In danger of the front wall bounding Brownhill Road collapsing, work to replace/repair it started and was completed in May 2022.
Bringing about change 2022 onwards
Following long discussions by the Trustees and the consultation of hall hirers and users, the following important changes happened:
- Re-branding – the name of the building was changed from the Age Concern Centre to the Brownhill Community Centre with appropriate signage.
- A website www.brownhillcommunitycentre.co.uk was launched to promote the newly renamed Centre and to encourage greater use of the Centre by all sections of the local community – as well as catering for the elderly!
2023
This year saw saw the Coop Car Park fencing being repaired, an extension of the safety handrail at the side of the hall, repairs to the porch and a transformation of the front aspect of the premises. Under the direction of Aaron Laver, a team of volunteers from B&Q Hedge End worked tirelessly on a nice day in late September 2023 to transform a former ‘wasteland’ into a pleasant, small community garden. A bench was relocated and a bicycle stand added the following year to complete the external works.
2024
Having secured the external fabric of the building and its boundaries, the Trustees turned their attention to the interior of the building. A radiator was fitted in the kitchen, and Aaron started the long job of redecorating the interior of the building. The disabled toilet was redecorated and a baby-change facility added. The former Ante Room which had been full of metal cupboards was re-carpeted, redecorated, soundproofing tiles added to the wall adjoining the hall, was turned into a cosy Music Room for after school music lessons.
The completion of the ‘Refurbishment Project’ will no doubt bring our organisation more immediate challenges, namely:
promote our organisation better through better use of social media on addressing the problems in the main hall started in September. The old folding doors were removed to create a more open aspect, plaster cracks were repaired, old panelling was boarded over, new skirting boards fitted and the the whole hall repainted. In December smart heating controls were fitted.
continue our focus on our ‘core work’ by increasing our range of activities for the elderly in our community
this can only be done by finding volunteers willing to run and organise session such as craft, knitting, ballroom dancing, friendship clubs etc. Is there anyone out there who can help? Contact us please.
Making better use of our premises and attracting more use from ‘community groups’
2025
The beginning of the year saw the final elements of the ‘Refurbishment Project’ – new flooring and blinds were fitted to complete work and result in an excellent community asset.
On the 1st of March 2025 an ‘End of Refurbishment Open Day’ was held in the newly refurbished premises. The event was attended by Mayor of Eastleigh Dave Pragnell, County and Parish Counsellors, funders, supporters and local residents to celebrate and view this important community asset.