Weymouth Area Development Trust, or WADT, has been quietly getting on with projects to bring benefits to Weymouth for many years, but do you know what WADT is, or what it does?
Nationally, Development Trusts are run by a group of residents who want to do something for their town. They look for projects to make a difference, attend meetings, check social media and ask other community groups and councils. What could a small bunch of Weymouth residents do for themselves?
Here are some of the things WADT has done for Weymouth.
Raised money to Connect People by training volunteer Digital Champions who help people learn how to use their computers and the internet. It is now being taken on by Dorset Council and rolled out across the county.
Worked with the newly created Weymouth Town Council to create the Tumbledown Farm Community site, which is now thriving.
Opened and ran the Weymouth Information Shop in St Mary Street, with Volunteer Centre Dorset, Help and Kindness and Age UK – now taken on by the Dry Dock Community Pub.
Successfully made a joint application with the old Weymouth & Portland Borough Council to bring £3.7 million pounds of Coastal Communities Fund investment into the town for the Weymouth Quay Regeneration Project. The newly created Dorset Council used some of the money for modernisation work on the walkways alongside the Harbour to the Peninsula, and repairs to the walls and pontoons. WADT’s part was to be used to attract businesses and jobs into the town.
Small to medium-sized businesses make up 80% of the economy of Weymouth, and should be supported, so Starfish Enterprise was created. WADT worked with Coastland College, Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, Weymouth BID and the local Councils to find suitable premises and create a co-workspace and small business support centre, for small and medium businesses, start-ups and skills training.
Most recently, a ‘significant heritage building’ on King Street, empty and damaged by squatters, was bought for the community, restored and repurposed. Once the ‘Portland Railway Hotel’, it has had various lives, from ‘pub’ to hostel. It has now been partly renovated and has hot desk spaces and office/studio spaces for local businesses, sole traders, and start-up advisers. Starfish Enterprise offers workshops and free ‘Drop In’ sessions, on topics such as ‘how to get a mortgage when self-employed’ and new HR legal changes.
A regeneration grant from Dorset Council has now been secured to finish the building. Phase 2 of the renovation includes a community café and studios on the top floor. All run by the community, for the community, on a ‘not for profit’ basis.
WADT’s other projects under development include:
A Community Land Trust, an ‘affordable homes for local people’ project securing land to build 50+ really affordable homes held ‘in perpetuity’ for local people.
Developing a community-led Family Hub project with Dorset Children and Family Services.
The Rectory – WADT is also leading a partnership to bring ‘The Rectory’ (aka the Clipper) into community ownership. The restoration and repurposing of an iconic listed building as a vibrant Cultural and Visitor Centre. Named ‘The Heart of Weymouth Project’, this will include space for arts, culture, a bookshop, performance, food and a visitor information centre, and is being supported by local organisations, both councils and our local MP.
WADT’s CEO Chris Wilson said, “We haven’t done any of this alone. It is always in partnership with the other great community groups around, volunteers, our Town Council and Dorset Council. We have learned that with a strong community commitment, some ‘staying power’ and a lot of patience, ordinary people can make amazing things happen. We can’t thank the residents and community partners enough, and the list is very long. They have made these things happen”
For more information, contact office@wadt.org.uk or hello@starfishenterprise.org.uk or visit www.wadt.org.uk
