Rochdale-based charity, Your Trust, seeks feedback on local cultural and community venues

Your Trust, a charity organisation that runs and operates culture and leisure venues throughout the borough, is asking the public for feedback on two of its key cultural and community destinations, Touchstones Rochdale and Heywood Civic Centre.

To shape the future of these much-loved venues and make them both a space for all to enjoy, the charity is seeking feedback from all individuals, especially those who have never attended either venue previously.

The first is the art gallery and museum Touchstones, based in the heart of Rochdale, which is currently closed for major redevelopment as part of an £8.5 million investment from Arts Council England.

Plans approved at the start of the year will see the much-loved building transformed into a creative and cultural hub with new flexible performance and production spaces for artists, improved areas for training, live events and exhibitions.

 

 

Heywood Civic Centre is the other community venue members of the public are encouraged to share their feedback on, with the facility also closed temporarily as part of an ongoing refurbishment process.

Planning permission was granted in April of this year for plans to add a brand new extension at the front of the building, retractable seating in the auditorium and a host of other changes, including making the site more accessible and welcoming than ever before.

Estelle Rowe, CEO at Your Trust, said: "Touchstones and Heywood Civic Centre are cornerstones of our local communities and there is a huge amount of time and investment going into both venues. We're confident this work will make the venues even better for the local communities.

“While that’s ongoing, right now there is a fantastic opportunity for members of the public to help us shape what that future of these venues will look like, and that's why we're urging people to have their say and let us know what they’d like to see."

To help the charity receive a wide range of feedback, Your Trust is seeking input from individuals, including those who have never attended either venue, to uncover what they can do to improve what the venue has to offer when they re-open their doors.

To submit feedback, the online surveys can be accessed via these links and those who complete a survey in full will also be in with the chance of winning a £50 shopping voucher:

• Touchstones survey - www.yourtrustrochdale.co.uk/touchstones-feedback/
• Heywood Civic Centre survey - https://www.yourtrustrochdale.co.uk/heywood-feedback/

Your Trust operates many of the borough’s other leisure and cultural facilities, including Hollingworth Lake Adventure & Water Activity Centre, Heywood Sports Village, Littleborough Sports Centre, Rochdale Leisure Centre and Middleton Arena.