New plans for rejuvenating the centre
We’ve got big plans to rejuvenate and transform the Old School Centre to make it fit for the next 150 years – but we’ll need your help to turn our plans into reality.
We want to update and expand the centre, making it bigger, better and carbon neutral.
Support us!
The Old School building has been at the heart of the Community for nearly 150 years, and we need your help to keep it warm, dry and welcoming. We need to raise £2,200,000 to complete our programme of rejuvenation. We’ve already raised over £500,000, but to unlock the full benefits we need your help towards one final push.
Introduction to ‘Rejuvenating the Centre’
South Brent Old School Community Centre provides an ever-increasing range of activities and facilities, but in a building that is nearly 150 years old, and which is showing its age. If we are to remain the vibrant base for culture, arts and community that we have become in recent years, we need to invest in the building which has become home to so many local groups and organisations. The Centre is owned by the South Brent Old School Community Centre charity and managed by a group of trustees. The trustees are charged with managing the building and, under its charitable powers, providing facilities and services for everyone in South Brent and the surrounding area. The need is great, and ever growing, and we want to ensure we can continue to support the local community for the next 150 years. The fabric of the Old School building has reached a stage whereby the trustees consider it necessary to embark on a major renovation initiative, focusing mainly on the roof but considering other potential improvements such as solar panels on the roof and energy efficiency measures within the building. We are also exploring options to improve the access to the Centre, the internal layout and the option to create rooms and offices in the roof space.
- Click here to see a very brief outline of our plans and proposals.
- Click here to see the formal planning application made to Dartmoor National Park
- Click here to find out how to make a donation
Celebration of Plans and Progress – Wednesday 3rd December 2025
On 3rd December 2025 we held an open event to which over 100 people came to view our plans and progress. Having acted on the feedback from the 2024 Community Consultation, we were excited to share the plans that we had developed. We submitted a full planning application to Dartmoor National Park Authority in October 2025, and showcased these plans to the public at our celebration event on 3rd December. Architects involved in the project and various trustees were on hand to answer questions, and afterwards the plans and drawings were displayed in the Corridor Gallery throughout the rest of December. Download a pamphlet with a short overview of our plans (PDF):
Results from our Consultation Survey
In September & October 2024 we held a community-wide Consultation with our partners and the community about our proposed plans and ideas. A big thank you to the 400 individuals and 10 organisations who filled in our Consultation Survey. We are happy to report that:
- 88% of you feel the Centre is important / extremely important to you
- 92% of you agree that the roof needs replacing
- 93% of you agree that when we replace the roof, we should install insulation and solar panels
- 89% of you agree that we should also upgrade the heating system.
A summary of the Consultation responses can be read here, and a full report of the Consultation responses can be read here. The responses strongly supported our aims to replace the roof, install solar panels and to improve energy efficiency in the Centre. There was also significant support to improve the access and condition of the Centre and to create additional space. Your support means that we can begin to move forward with the works we need to do to secure the future of the Centre. The Trustees are undertaking detailed design work and fundraising, with the intention that the improvement works will start in 2026. A new roof means that all the many varied things that happen at the Centre will be able to continue. From the Post Office to Lunch Club, Yoga to Dance classes, Knit & Natter to Karate, there is something for everyone at the Old School Community Centre. And whatever you come in for, you are sure to receive a warm welcome, a friendly smile, and probably a cup of tea!
Our Fundraising Campaign
At our AGM in February 2025, we shared the exciting news that donations had reached £485,000. Since then, the South Brent community has been incredibly generous, and by mid-May 2025 our fundraising total had reached £509,841. A huge thank you to everyone who has donated. Our fundraising goal is £1,000,000, and our fantastic current total will help us to apply for further grants, since many grant-giving organisations look favourably on a project that is already going to succeed and so may be more willing to assist with further funding. A copy of the presentation given at our AGM in February 2025 can be seen here. A copy of the appeal launch newsletter which we gave out at the AGM and posted to every TQ10 household in March 2025 can be read here. In October 2025 we appointed professional fundraising support, and in December 2025 we launched a pamphlet detailing the plans and associated funds required. You can see this pamphlet here.
What are we doing now
In light of the Consultation responses and the total we’ve raised so far, a great deal of work has gone on behind the scenes as we plan for change. We have had a wide range of surveys and assessments undertaken which include drainage, ecology (bats in the roof), asbestos, energy consumption and efficiency, energy generation and storage and heating options. We have been working our main stakeholders, with Ian McDonald of Moxley MacDonald Architects, as well as other professionals, to design a refreshed, updated and upgraded building. We have submitted these plans to Dartmoor National Park Authority for planning approval, and we are preparing to make a start on the essential works in 2026.
We are keen to get going!
Our aim is to start on the essential works in Spring 2026. These include replacing the roof, installing solar panels and upgrading insulation. As part of this work we will also need to build new ceilings in parts of the building, which will also set the stage for converting the roof space to rooms. Whilst there will inevitably be some disruption on site while these works are carried out, we will not close the building. The works will be completed in phases so we can continue with our usual service provision as much as possible. Meanwhile, our fundraising team will be working hard on securing funding for the rest of the project: the new welcome area, new Art House studio, reconfigured internal spaces, new rooms in the roof void, etc.
We need your help to secure the future of our Community Centre for the next 150 years!
Your support will continue to be important to us as we make these much-anticipated changes. Please bear with us during the building works, and please consider helping in any of the following ways:
Volunteer or Spread the Word
Get stuck in! Contact us if you’d like to help in a voluntary capacity! Tell your friends, neighbours, councillors, MPs, relatives… help us spread the word far and wide that South Brent Old School Community Centre is a very special place and needs support!
Donate to our Fundraising Campaign
We’ve got a lot to raise in order to secure the future of the Centre, and every little helps. Help us achieve our target of £1,000,000: donate now via our Just Giving page! Alternatively, you can make a direct bank transfer, or donate by cash or cheque at the Centre. Please contact the Centre Manager for more details: Email: info@theoldschool.org.uk Phone: 07707 723637
Leave a Legacy Gift (Remember us in Your Will)
We’re working on an easy way you can do this, but in the meantime please get in touch if you are interested in this option. Email: info@theoldschool.org.uk Phone: 07707 723637
Become a Member or Friend of the Centre
South Brent Old School Community Centre is a member-based organisation. All subscriptions as Member or Friend help us achieve our charitable aims and maintain the fabric of the Centre for the benefit of South Brent and the local community. Members can vote at our AGM and hold a maximum liability of £1 should the charity be wound up. Friends are similar to Members but if you don’t wish to hold voting rights or liability, then you can become a Friend for the same subscription as Members. You can become a Member or a Friend by visiting our Get Involved page here.
Become a Trustee
We are particularly keen to recruit trustees with financial and legal expertise, but the main attribute is an enthusiasm to see the Centre thrive into the future. If you are interested in becoming a trustee, please get in touch with the Centre Manager in the first instance: Email: info@theoldschool.org.uk Phone: 07707 723637
Thank You for Your Input – Your Support Counts!
Together, we can make the Old School Community Centre warm, dry and welcoming, ensuring it can continue to be an essential part of the South Brent Community for another 150 years!
Our Proposals – Plans for the Future
The Essentials, to be completed soon:
1. Replace the Roof
Repair the 150-year-old timberwork and replace battens, felt and slates, making the roof safe, durable and watertight.
2. Solar Panels and Insulation
Fully insulate the roof and generate as much electricity as we can from solar panels, reducing our impact on the environment and lowering our energy bills.
3. New Eco-Friendly Heating System
Upgrade the internal heating system in the most efficient way possible, ensuring that the Centre will be warm without costing the earth. Air source heat pumps or infrared systems are being considered.
The Long-Term Plans for Upgrading the Centre
1. A New Entrance
The current entrance to the Centre will be replaced with a new light and airy foyer, creating a more welcoming entrance to the building, and linking Art House and the Community Centre for the first time. This would become a gathering space, a place to meet and share tea/coffee/conversation, and the beating heart of the Centre at the heart of the village.
2. Better Use of the Roof Space
There’s a lot of space in the roof! We will renovate the roof space to create 8 or 9 rooms / offices / studios to be let to local businesses, charities, artists or individuals, creating a vibrant work hub, and extending our ability to provide a home for local groups.
3. Better Layout
The labyrinthine internal spaces will be reconfigured to make it easier to find your way around inside the building, and to make all spaces more accessible for people with accessibility needs. The layout of the building will make more sense for its current purpose, without losing any of its heritage.
4. Upgraded Facilities
The facilities we have will be improved, and new facilities added. E.g. more space for South Brent & District Caring to provide their drop-in services, more space for Art House and the Archive to display their work and materials, and good IT throughout the building.
For More Information
For more information about our plans:
Download a pamphlet detailing the plans and proposals
Visit the Dartmoor National Park Authority planning portal to see the formal planning application
Read a more detailed overview of our proposals here.
See a more in-depth description of our plans – including architect’s drawings – here.
