The High Street Centre

History of the High Street Centre

Rawmarsh Methodist Church was built by local people with local funding. The building has always been seen as a community resource and the church members have always been part of the community. In 1976 the building was redeveloped to include a hall, kitchen and meeting rooms downstairs and an upstairs used for worship.

Between 1998 and 2000 a partnership was developed between Rawmarsh Methodist Church and various local community groups committeed to, or interested in, use of the building. The High Street Centre Ltd was registered as a company limited by guarantee in 2002 and has charitable status.  It aims to improve the quality of life for the residents of Rawmarsh and Parkgate by providing a modern, attractive and accessible premises and facilities to meet the needs of the community.

In 2004 phase one of the refurbishment plan has been completed and in February 2007 a 25 year lease was signed between the Methodist Church and the High Street Centre allowing the Centre to operate as a social enterprise to provide facilities and develop services for use by and for the local community.

“It is important that we work together to focus on providing activities and services that will generate sufficient income to enable us to sustain and improve the community facilities at the Centre for the benefit of the whole community"

We celebrated the centenary of the building in 2008.

Phase two of the redevelopment was opened in 2008 which included new kitchen, car park and training facilities. Further phases of improvement have included a new lift for the centre and a project to replace the heating system is currently underway.