Fifteen years on – Fromus Centre co-founder Don Tricker retires
Fifteen years on – Fromus Centre co-founder Don Tricker retires After 15 years of volunteer service to the Saxmundham community, Don Tricker has finally hung
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SADCIC
The Fromus Centre is managed by the directors of the Saxmundham & District Community Interest Company (SADCIC). SADCIC is a local social enterprise, set up in 2007 by local volunteers, to encourage and support the economic, social, health and environmental wellbeing of all the people of Saxmundham and the surrounding area. SADCIC aims to help regenerate Saxmundham and build community cohesion.
All the directors of SADCIC are local volunteers.
Our current work with the Fromus Centre involves partnership working with Suffolk County Council, which did extensive refurbishment work to make the premises fit for a community centre, and has let the premises on a long lease to SADCIC at a ‘peppercorn rent”. SADCIC still has to pay for the service charge and utilities etc. so we need to cover the costs of running the Centre from hire charges, grants and donations etc.
The present directors are:
- Steve Palmer (Chairman)
- Phil Peeling
- Colin Dennison
- Diana Eastman
- Jeremy Smith
We must give mention also to Don Tricker who was a founding member of SADCIC, Chair for 8 years and only retired as director in October 2022; SADCIC and the Fromus Centre owe a huge amount to Don’s vision and dedication.
Our history
In 2007, a group of 8 local volunteers came together to form The Saxmundham & District Community Interest Company (SADCIC) to improve Saxmundham’s community amenities.
The first steps were to conduct a major postal survey of all households in IP17 district and the results led to drafting a Saxmundham Community Plan. With a rapidly growing town – and still continuing today – the big community priority desire was for a recognisable multi-purpose community centre.
After several false starts, SADCIC entered into a partnership with Suffolk County Council (SCC) on a joint project.
In 2011, SCC gave SADCIC the opportunity to take over the under-used Saxmundham Resource Centre in Seaman Road, Saxmundham, renamed “the Fromus Centre”. This gave SADCIC valuable experience in facilities management. Over the next 10 years – with a Covid 19 pandemic interval – SADCIC built up the newly branded Fromus Centre into a thriving community hub, catering for a very diverse set of users.
We worked hard to plan and seek funding for a purpose-built new community centre at Seaman Avenue, with Suffolk County Council providing land. We made two unsuccessful bids to the Big Lottery for this, but fortunately – and with a lot of support from our County Councillor, Richard Smith – the county were rethinking the future of their premises at Street Farm Road,
Out of all this came the current project leading to the birth of our new Fromus Centre. The Street Farm Road premises, including the town Library, were given a major refurbishment, and our new Fromus Centre was born!
Legal information on SADCIC
Saxmundham & District Community Interest Company is a private company limited by guarantee without share capital.
It is registered in England & Wales, company registration number 06113547.
The company registered address is: The Fromus Centre, Saxmundham Hub, Street Farm Road, Saxmundham, Suffolk, IP17 1AL.
For the latest news
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Find Us
Opening Times
Seven days a week: 9am-10pm
(extensions by prior arrangement)
The Fromus Centre,
The Saxmundham Hub,
Street Farm Road,
Saxmundham, Suffolk,
IP17 1AL
The Saxmundham Hub,
Street Farm Road,
Saxmundham, Suffolk,
IP17 1AL