The Abbots Langley Community Centre recently celebrated its 50th birthday.
The centre officially opened its doors in December 1968, thanks to disc jockey and presenter Keith Fordyce.
The centre, which is run by a group of volunteers, has become a thriving venue over its 50 years, welcoming the community to take part in a wide variety of clubs and classes.
Chair of the community centre, Richard Kennell, said: “I’m incredibly proud to be a part of something that’s been around for such a long time.
“I’ve lived in Abbots Langley since 1972, and the centre has always been valued by the community and so many groups make use of it. We’ve taken two more regular groups in the last year.
“I’ve only been the chair for the last 18 months, but it’s always been very much a team effort, the volunteers know what they’re doing and find it all extremely rewarding. We’re always looking for more volunteers to help the team.”
To celebrate the anniversary, the centre decided against holding one event and instead opted to give each of its leisure groups funding to mark the occasion in their own unique way; whether it was a party, an outing or through purchasing supplies for the group members to benefit from.”
The centre’s management team were keen for the wider community to benefit from the celebration, so every month leading up to Christmas 2018 they funded a golden themed giveaway for their Facebook followers; from a golden rose plant in the spring, a giant Lindt bunny at Easter, to the recent golden celebration hamper for Christmas.
The community centre said: “Thank you to the villagers who, over the last 50 years, were involved in fundraising to set up the community centre, to those that volunteered their time to run the management committee and to the many villagers that attended classes or hired the centre as a party venue. It is with their support that Abbots Langley Community Centre has been serving the village since 1968.
“One of the longest standing groups is Abbots Langley Parent & Toddler Group, it meets at the centre three mornings a week. Some villagers that attended as toddlers themselves back in the late 1960’s, may now be grandparents! Another longstanding group is The Monday Club, a social group for adults with learning difficulties. It is also home to Irish Dancing classes, Runaround Rascals soft play group, Thai Boxing, Taekwondo, Boxercise, Abbots Langley Youth Project and is the venue for Abbots Langley Orchestra to meet and practice. More recently, two new groups have been added to the weekly timetable; Slimming World and Evergreens, a social group for the retired community in the village.”
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