Update 11th June 2025
It was an historic day for Ashbourne Methodist Church yesterday as it celebrated a significant milestone in the transformation of its buildings to serve as a new hub for the community.
Revd Andy Fyall, Chair of the Nottingham & Derby District of the Methodist Church, climbed to the top of the scaffolding accompanied by project partners for the act of ‘Topping Out’ for The Link Centre. Revd Fyall prayed for the project, the Ashbourne community and the church as a replacement finial was placed on the top of the church building.
The finial, a decorative ornament on the very top of the building, included a capsule containing a prayer for the church and community signed by members of the congregation, and photographs of congregation members taken on Sunday.
Accompanying Revd Andy Fyall in the Topping Out ceremony were Councillor David Hughes of the Ashbourne Reborn Programme Board, Tony Walker of Ashbourne Methodist Church, Ian Bird of Messenger Construction, Laura Simpson of Derbyshire Dales District Council, and Anne Wright of Ashbourne Town Team.
The redevelopment of Ashbourne Methodist Church’s buildings is one of two major projects in the UK Government funded Ashbourne Reborn programme is finished. Once completed, the building will be known as The Link Centre, and will be a new hub for the community serving local residents, businesses and visitors. Led by Ashbourne Methodist Church, the project will transform the existing church buildings on the corner of Church Street and Station Road. When it is finished The Link Centre will be a huge asset to the town, able to be used as a flexible space for performing arts, community events, worship and as a conference centre.
Work is now well under way to create a new foyer to link the three current buildings into one accessible venue with new and renovated rooms of various sizes. The large events space in Trinity Hall will attract performances to Ashbourne as well as supporting local performing arts groups. Conference rooms of various sizes will be available for community and business use, while the Gateway Centre will be remodelled to provide affordable quality visitor accommodation bringing extra footfall and visitor spend to the local economy.
Cornerstone Coffee House will also be upgraded and will connect directly into the new foyer, while a community garden and outdoor event space is planned for the land alongside the Henmore Brook. The suite of buildings will be available to be used for a wide range of conferences and events.
Ashbourne Methodist Church had been working on transforming their building into a hub for the community for a number of years before the possibility of central Government funding. By the time of applying for funding, the church had already developed detailed plans, received planning permission and raised significant funds. The well-developed proposal for the community hub was a key factor in the eventual success of the Ashbourne Reborn programme partnership bid. The church, which is a registered charity, has committed to raising significant match funding towards the redevelopment, and church partners have also contributed expertise to support and deliver the proposals for the benefit of the local community.
The Ashbourne Reborn proposals originated from businesses and community groups within the town. Ashbourne Reborn is a partnership scheme involving Ashbourne Town Team, Ashbourne Town Council and AshCom, with delivery of the Highways and Public Realm project being led by Derbyshire County Council and the Link Community Hub by Ashbourne Methodist Church.
All of the work is part of Ashbourne Reborn - you can find out more about the programme at www.ashbournereborn.co.uk
