The Active Communities Hub is a safe, community space in Centrale Shopping Centre where residents of Croydon are encouraged to get active and improve their physical and mental health.

Croydon Voluntary Action have been supported by Hammerson’s management team at Centrale to open up a large unused unit on the Upper Mall of the shopping centre. With additional resources and advice from our good partners at London Sport, the unit has been transformed into an exciting indoor space where groups can play a variety of sports from badminton, table tennis to boxing, dance and yoga. CVA have supported many partners with funding applications so that all activities are currently free for participants, which is an ethos we hope to maintain as far as possible.

In November 2021, we had a soft launch of the Hub with various taster sessions to find out how local people would like the space to be used. In 2022, we hope to offer more activities that will help local people develop the habit of regular exercise and improve their overall health and well-being. For more information on booking the Active Communities Hub or on activities provided please contact: karen.chillman@cvalive.org.uk

"CVA have worked with community delivery partners, including Mind in Croydon, Big Local Broad Green, Home Instead, Migrant Help, Masked Men, Palace for Life, Thai Boxing Community Centre, Yoga and the Mind, Specifeye and P4YE to deliver an exciting programme aimed at those who wouldn’t normally visit a gym or traditional leisure centre but feel more comfortable in the safe, accessible, familiar surroundings of the shopping centre in the centre of Croydon. This has been even more important during the pandemic, when many people became very isolated and fearful of leaving home.