Community honours much-loved resident

A community centre in Dormanstown, Redcar & Cleveland, has been renamed in honour of a much-loved resident, ward councilor and RSL board member who passed away earlier this year.

The commemorative name-change took place to mark the 30th birthday of the Park Court Community Centre, as well as to honour the late Councillor Cliff Houlding, a former board member of Coast & Country Housing.

The newly-renamed Cliff Houlding Centre Park Court was the first community building to be refurbished by the organisation, and it was used to host a party for local residents paid for by a ‘Your Way – Your Say’ grant, applied for by Dormanstown resident Elsie Hewitt.

Coast & Country is working with tenants to plan a programme of improvements to its community buildings ensuring that they become the hub of the community.

Children from Dormanstown Primary School and Park Court Residents Association attended workshops with local artist Glynis Johnson to create a community mosaic that commemorated Councillor Houlding and celebrated the community’s 30th birthday. The mosaic is taking pride of place in the new-look community centre.

Christmas tree lights were switched on as part of the official opening and a birthday cake was cut. A host of entertainment was provided including face painting, a balloon sculptor and a raffle.

Under Coast & Country’s ‘Your Way – You Say’ initiative, residents were asked to submit applications for grants to improve or benefit the local environment or community.

Those who made the shortlist were invited to present their ideas before an audience of tenants, who voted on the projects they believed were worthy of receiving financial support of up to £5,000 each. Hewitt secured a grant of £2,000 to pay for the community centre’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

Houlding, who was a councillor, in the Dormanstown Ward of Redcar & Cleveland had been chairman of the board since September 2007, and before that had been vice-chair since the inception of the company in 2001. He died in April.

Iain Sim, Coast & Country’s chief executive, said: “Cliff made a substantial contribution to the company. He was heavily involved in the setting up of Coast & Country prior to transfer of the housing stock from the local authority and worked tirelessly after that to help make the Company the success that it is today.

“That is why it is fitting for the newly refurbished Park Court Community Centre which is at the heart of the community where Cliff lived, to be named in his memory. Park Court is a well used community facility and will benefit local residents for years to come thanks to the improvements which have been carried out there.”