How we started

The Centre was formerly a Methodist Church, closing for worship in 2012.  In 2015 the church was put up for residential development and the Parish Council registered it on the Community Asset Register on behalf of the village.

Following extensive consultation, the Council purchased the building for the village under the Community Right to Bid legislation. This is the first ever successful bid in South Somerset, and only the 12th in the whole of the UK since the law was introduced in 2012. This law enables a community to buy an asset at a discount under strict Charity Commission rules. 

Following a protracted legal process title to the building was finally transferred to the Parish Council at the end of 2018 and the Centre opened in Spring 2019.

The process of updating and modifying the building has now been completed.  The Centre provides two large halls for use together with unisex toilets, a disabled toilet including a baby changer, an equipment room, and a fully fitted kitchen. It is run day to day by the service-user led charity Hamdon Youth & Family Centre Trust, and so has become a truly community led venue, both in its ownership by the village and in its management