A whole new blueprint for a community hub to open at Papworth Printworks

The renovated Papworth Printworks site due to open to the public later this year is the culmination of a decade-long rebuilding project masterminded by Allia which blueprints not just a new community centre for the Cambridgeshire village but for communities across the land.

Once open, the hub will provide employment opportunities, start-up facilities, training programmes and exhibition space for local events featuring artists and musicians. Plus a microbrewery.

It’s an unusual brief for Allia to develop, but the project took place slowly – and organically.

Papworth Everard began expanding when Papworth Hall – and most of the village – became home to the Cambridgeshire Tuberculosis Colony in 1918. The aim was to rehabilitate tuberculosis (TB) sufferers by providing surgery and fresh air, but TB takes time to recover from and the colony started offering appropriate work and housing as the patients rehabilitated.

In the 1930s Papworth Industries was set up, and became a great success in manufacturing travel goods, carpentry, cabinet making, leather work and printing. The coach-building workshop at the Printworks was established in 1947 and won contracts to build yellow Post Office vans and Green Goddess fire engines (the latter were retained by the UK government until 2004).

The printworks site was closed in the mid-1990s and in 2015 was acquired by Flagship Homes to be redeveloped.

Allia director David Broach, who lives next to the Printworks site, is delighted to be helping to advance the social enterprise organisation’s support for a new type of community-facing venture.

“Allia has been involved with the site for the past 13 years, as a social enterprise partner with Flagship Homes who were developing the estate at Church Lane,” says David, “and part of that project included the requirement to develop the building at the Printworks site.

“Flagship was required to rebuild the printworks site which was derelict, before selling houses.”

Flagship initiated the 5,500 sq ft rebuild in style of the old building using the original steelworks. It’s a partial rebuild. Some of the bricks are from the original walls, some are new.

“It was quite an expensive job for Flagship,” David notes. “We did an initial feasibility study in 2011, it was 12 years in the making, that was due to issues outside our control.”

Allia acquired the outer shell from Flagship for a nominal £1 in March 2023.

“From there we had 12 months to develop a business case,” says David. “At same time we were applying for some funding from the Combined Authority for £600k to develop the shell into a social enterprise.”

Allia approached David Calver, who’s run the Courtyard Café in the village since 2015, because “we [Allia] were keen to work with an enterprise already working within the village”.

The result was that David set up a community interest company (CIC) called Function 5 with his daughter Millie - who has a background in event management - on board, to run the café as a tenant with Allia as the landlord.

On Saturday (24 August), they ran a public Q&A for locals to find out what was being planned. The café was busy as locals asking questions about the new village facility. One asked would there be room for art exhibitions (yes). Another enquired how they managed to put together such an ambitious agenda: Millie explained how earlier this year they set up Function 5 to run the new venture. David says he wants to “give back”.

The new something-for-everyone premises will include a café, a pizzeria, three work spaces for meetings, talks, open mic sessions and art shows - and the microbrewery.

“We worked with an East Anglian brewery,” says Millie, “on how to set up, and five 500-litre stainless steel fermenters were installed this morning. The brewery has helped with the hardware and we asked people on the Papworth Everard Facebook page if anyone wanted to get involved and a couple of people have stepped forward.

“We’ll produce and sell the beer on-site. We’re looking to have a team of 40 – not straight away, that will include seasonal staff.”]

Function 5 is set up to offer five services – an inclusive community space, job training (including AI skillsets), small business support, the promotion of local arts, and sustainability goals including talks and use of local suppliers.

“In the 1920s the Printworks was created as a way of helping people to recover from TB and get back to work,” says David. “Then change was happening in 10 or even 20-year cycles, but now it’s ongoing, it’s continuous confusion. We want to help people transition through these life events. Small businesses could use some help – a lot haven’t been making money for a couple of years, so it’s to help with that too.

“How can technology be used to help level the playing field is what I’m asking. It’s awareness and education, plus how can AI be used to your advantage to compete with bigger organisations.”

David, who has a background as a consultant programme manager, says he learned a lot during Covid.

“When we started the coffee shop I didn’t realise how important the community is, but the coffee is an excuse to come in. It’s more an extension of your home to the community.

“The best thing I ever did was to stay open during Covid because even though we were only making £50 a day people will remember you from that.”

The project has received funding from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA. The CPCA worked with Social Enterprise East of England (SEEE)to set up a £1.25million pot was set up as part of the Combined Authority’s Market Towns programme, and the Printworks project is one of the beneficiaries.

Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said: “Our Combined Authority’s Market Towns programme is about getting grants to this kind of people-centred initiative – one that creates grassroots growth and builds resilience in the heart of our communities, fostering imaginative ventures that can help villages and towns to flourish, evolve, and attract more human-scale businesses that will encourage sustainable development and make lasting change.”

Deb Lee, managing director of SEEE, added: “SEEE is delighted to announce that People and Animals UK CIC, Allia and Cambridgeshire Community Reuse and Recycling Network – trading as REMO – have received funding through this programme.

“SEEE believes social enterprise is one of the best ways to effect positive economic, social, and environmental change; it’s a sustainable way to shape our world for the better for the benefit of the whole of the community.”

The new Papworth Printworks is set for a “soft opening” in November and will be officially opened in March next year.