The Pod, Jetty Lane

Registered charity Jetty Lane CIO has launched a bid to raise funds to build a new youth and cultural centre, dedicated to community use. The site in Woodbridge on the Suffolk coast was previously home to a 70-year-old youth centre demolished in 2016. A group of locals rallied the community and a plan for a new, fit for purpose building started to take shape – an inclusive, flexible space which would cater to multi-generational groups in the area.

The spiralling costs of building materials and labour as well as problems in the supply chain caused by a combination of the pandemic, Brexit and the war in Ukraine forced a revision of the plans. A new, viable, less costly design with a phased building plan is now in place. The new design takes into account the increased need for sociable outdoor spaces and will incorporate a playscape, a playground set into and a part of the natural landscape. The outdoor area will sit between two buildings, a youth hub and a business hub.

Recognising the impact buildings and places have on people, Jetty Lane is committed to a sustainable build to future-proof the centre and provide a healthy environment for its users, indoors and outdoors. As part of its social value programme, Junckers is focused on helping communities and social spaces build more sustainable buildings and aid them on their way to achieving net zero carbon. Junckers recognises the importance of building better and more sustainably in order to benefit the wider community. The company’s social value programme seeks to enable communities and market sectors where working  towards net zero carbon poses more of a challenge economically. A sustainable way of building should be available to all projects, regardless of budget. 

In this sentiment, Junckers is proud to have been able to help Jetty Lane. As an interim measure, the Charity was given two recycled shipping containers by a local businessman, which were quickly turned into friendly, usable spaces. Junckers donated a solid hardwood beech floor, which now forms a durable flooring surface in ‘The Pod’. The Pod, together with the outdoor area, is used for Lucy Keany’s Creative Play sessions for Early Years and neurodivergent children, and it is also available to hire for anything from music practice, crafts, leisure activities, arts and book clubs, therapy groups to community meetings.. Cordelia Richman, Charity Trustee, added: “We LOVE the flooring you so kindly donated. It is beautiful, hardwearing, and easy to keep clean.”

About Jetty Lane CIO
Jetty Lane’s mission is to provide a purpose-built, sustainable space for children and young people in the Woodbridge area and to be a leading Youth Hub for creativity and culture. It is a small, local charity that provides creative and inspiring opportunities which unite and engage children and young people in the Suffolk Coastal area. This promotes social and cultural connectedness and brings our community together. 
 

Photo: Charly Jolly, Creative Play 2023 and Jetty Lane CIO