Genesis Family Entertainment Centre

The Genesis-Centre, in Alfreton Derbyshire, serves the people and businesses throughout the Amber Valley both as a Family Entertainment Centre and a place for business. Our conference facilties and managed workspace provision is second to none.

We’re glad you found us and hope you’ll take a few minutes to find out about the many things we offer for all the family to add a little spice to life.

As well as one of Derbyshire’s & East Midlands’ newest Qubica AMF Tenpin Bowling facilities we also have our themed Atlantis Indoor soft play centre for kids, a Sports Hall for local groups and individuals to hire and Community rooms where every week local charities and community groups come to connect with people to improve the lives of people in the area.

There’s plenty to do and we’re open 7 days a week most weeks of the year!

HURT’s ETHOS

HURT’s purpose is to express Christianity through its commitment to the community and its support to regeneration through social enterprise.

HURT’s ethos is stated in its Mission Statement that is also the Mission Statement of The Pentecostal Churches of UK and Ireland. The impact of the Mission Statement is explained in HURT’s Staff Handbook in the following way:

HURT is a Christian Organisation that takes seriously the ethics it seeks to model; it is therefore important that all Employees conduct themselves, at work and privately, in a manner that will not discredit the Trust.

Behaviour must be considerate to colleagues and visitors. Dress should be smart-casual appropriate to HURT’s activities; inappropriate extremes of dress and appearance will be discouraged.

THE STORY SO FAR…

1989 – 8 Christian people (4 families – 3 of which were from coal mining backgrounds) felt that there was a need to work together with the aim of making a difference in the local community here in Alfreton in Derbyshire, mainly aimed at youth and children suffering exclusion.

A Charitable Trust under the name of HURT (HIS UPPER ROOM TRUST) was created and this has developed well beyond these initial expectations. The Trust have established many projects over the years including a residential unit for 16-25 year olds based on a rural farm site near Derby and a foyer project in Amber Valley. These projects have now been passed on to housing associations who had the capital available required to develop the projects further, allowing the Trust to move onto non-residential projects within the community.

1996 – The Trust acquired and renovated a dilapidated 18th Century former pub and coach house into a Banqueting Hall and an alcohol free bar as a base for working with teenage youth. The Centre was renovated through a training programme in construction funded by North East Derbyshire Training and Enterprise Council. The facility was developed into a community enterprise and provided subsided lunchtime meals for the older disadvantaged members of the local community as well as being available for private functions. The Banqueting Hall quickly extended its operation to providing a facility for outside organisations.

The income generated by this and some training contracts supported much of the work undertaken in a new Community Resource Centre which was opened in 1998, by renovating an old church building and community rooms. In September 2000 the Trust began hosting an out of school club, breakfast club, holiday club and pre-school club. This provision quickly extended to two local villages and we have just completed a year into a third village. Early parts of the provision have received national recognition through New Opportunities Fund Annual Report and a referral to an Early Years reception at 10 Downing Street. This centre also delivered our developing youth programmes with a one stop shop for advice and information, prior to the Genesis Project coming on stream.

2001 – As the organisation grew, it became obvious that there was a need for a structural and governance review. On our Solicitor’s advice, the Trust became incorporated to a Company Limited by Guarantee and a new Board of Trustees was appointed. The latter is made up 5 directors and includes a retired director of a large building and civil engineering firm, a chartered accountant and two of the original trustees who are both trained as Pastors in the Assembly of God Church actively work in the organisation and consequently have a day to day ‘hands on’ approach. The final Trustee is a respected Free Church Minister from Loughborough.

2002 – The Trust explored more thoroughly the concept of Social Enterprise and it was felt strategically correct to develop this as well as a necessity to develop the organisation’s growth outside of grant dependency. At the same time, an opportunity arose to develop the Trust’s largest and most ambitious project to date – ‘The Genesis Centre’.

Adjacent to our existing Resource Centre there was a large bus depot, comprising of bus garages, workshops, offices, staff canteen a dilapidated function building and an unlicensed public house which had been empty for many years. The bus depot had closed over 7 years previously and the function building empty even longer. We were filled to over capacity and initially wanted to rent just a small amount of the available space. The site comprises of 78000 sq ft, fronts onto the main through route in the town (A61 Derby & Chesterfield). Trent Buses, the owners, declined our request stating that it was a case of ‘all of nothing’.

The Trust applied for and received a Grant from East Midlands Development Agency to start work on site redevelopment, converting the site into a Family Entertainment Centre including a Soft Play Area, Ten-pin Bowling, Community Cafe known as Benedicts, Sports Hall and Community Rooms as well as Business Office Incubators. The Centre opened in November 2002. The pub has now been converted into our Youth Work centre which is open 6 days/nights per week and reaches over 100 young people in the local community. We also have a conference facility which is well used both commercially and by the community and a number of voluntary groups make use of this on a regular basis. We have now secured the freehold of the site.

The organisation has grown from 4 full time, 10 part time staff in 2000 to currently (2006) over 40 people, plus part-time and some disabled. We are a totally inclusive employer and although being a Christian based Organisation we do not discriminate against anyone on religious grounds.

WHAT WE DO

We provide leisure facilities under the name of Genesis Family Entertainment Centre:

- 5 lanes of ten pin bowling and an adjoining leisure suite, suitable for corporate evenings or special occasion parties etc.

- A Sports Hall currently used by football clubs, badminton and netball clubs, and we also host a wheelchair dancing group.

- Children’s Soft Play Area

- Games Zone and Cafe providing snacks and light meals during the day.

WHAT WE DELIVER..

We work with the local Job Centre through New Deal to provide training opportunities enabling people to hopefully progress onto part or full time employment in the local economy. We provide employment for local residents having created over 40 jobs within the organisation.

We have created a number of community facilities and provided opportunities for groups to meet. Our community meeting room along with all our lettable space is in high demand from local groups. We have a studio which is used by local choirs, Rosemary Conley classes, pilates, etc. Through the winter, the Sports Hall is fully booked in the evenings for 5 nights each week.

We have encouraged local economic growth by not just providing jobs but we seek to buy local services and products wherever possible, thus encouraging the local economy.