What Makes a Space Smile?

I’ve had the privilege of working on the Kingsgrove Community Hub project since late 2019 — in a world before COVID!

It’s been quite a journey. Along the way there have been some incredible people, strategic partnerships, unexpected challenges and, more than once, what can only be described as miraculous provision.

And now, at last, it’s exciting to see the vision taking shape on-site.

But of everything we imagined when the project began, one phrase has stayed with me most:

“Helping to shape a space that smiles.”

But what actually makes a space smile?

When we chose the name Community Hub rather than Community Centre, we wanted to capture something more than a building with great facilities.

Yes, there will be a café, an Enterprise Zone, a high-spec hall, a dance studio and rooms of different sizes available to hire. You can get a sense of the spaces on our website at www.thehub.org.uk.

But the vision is bigger than the facilities themselves.

At the birth of a new community, we want to create a home where community thrives — a place that puts a smile on the face of Kingsgrove.

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What does a home bring that a facility doesn’t?

Research into community facilities highlights the potential added value when a space is hosted, rather than simply managed.

That added value can include:

• Hospitality
• Trust
• Empowerment
• Generosity
• Atmosphere

And those things matter.

It’s good to have a great coffee, but it’s even better to feel at home.

It might be a desk in the Enterprise Zone rather than an office, but it’s even better to work in an atmosphere of trust and encouragement.

It’s good to have somewhere to practise music or dance, but it’s even better to be somewhere that welcomes new members, performers and guests.

Because ultimately, we’re not simply creating somewhere to work, rest and play.

We’re creating somewhere people can belong.

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A building can provide rooms.

A community creates relationships.

A facility can provide services.

A home provides hospitality.

And that is the difference we hope Kingsgrove Community Hub will make.

So, the next time you pass the construction site at our newly registered address — Kingsgrove Community Hub, 5 Rutherford Road, Wantage, OX12 7GY — take a closer look.

Imagine the building complete.

Imagine the café buzzing.

Imagine people working, meeting, creating, learning and connecting.

Imagine new friendships forming and the community coming alive.

And then…

smile.