Government funding for hub plan

Valentina Gonzalez Demori, who completed her Masters in Community Psychology earlier this year and is now Community Organiser for the SU, has been working with residents for more than 10 months.

She said: “They are trying to transform the old Cuthbert pub in Freshfield Road, Brighton, into a community hub, called The Bungaroosh, to bring together people from all walks of life in the Queen's Park, Craven Vale, Bakers Bottom and Kemptown areas.

“This fund will help us to go out listening in the community and gather ideas to make the Bungaroosh the inclusive space that is so much needed in the area."

The name Bungaroosh comes from bunglarouge, a composite building material used almost exclusively in Brighton between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries, when it grew from a fishing village into a large town.

The campaigners have used the Community Right to Bid, introduced in the Localism Act of 2011, to persuade the city council to declare the old pub an Asset of Community Value which means the owners must notify the council if they wish to sell, triggering a six-month period in which the campaigners can put themselves forward as bidders, and raise the necessary funds.

Jackie Rana, Enterprise Manager at the SU, and Vanessa Stone de Guzman, university Senior Research Fellow in the School of Applied Social Science, are part of the core group of local residents who are leading the Bungaroosh project.

Bungaroosh from left to right Valentina González, Vanessa Stone de Guzman, Ian Simpson and Dot Kirk.

Vanessa Stone de Guzman said: “The seed of an idea for the Bungaroosh Space started a little while ago. In a short space of time it’s become a community campaign enthusiastically backed by people in the area. The Cuthbert stands at an important junction physically, surrounded by communities of people from very different incomes, ages and backgrounds. 

“The vision for the Bungaroosh Space is to bring these different communities together and our next step, with Valentina’s help, will be to consult with local people to find out what they want in the Bungaroosh and get the funding to buy out the property developers.”

The project is supported by residents including Ian Simpson who has carried out research for the group and has helped lead the Bungaroosh campaign.

The Government money is part of a new £500,000 fund to support community organisers to mobilise residents  to take action on the issues they care about. A total of 26 communities across England will benefit from the fund, which is jointly backed by the Cabinet Office and Department for Communities and Local Government.

Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society, said: “More resilient, capable communities are a cornerstone of my vision for a bigger and stronger society. I look forward to seeing positive changes in these communities.”

Marcus Jones, Minister for Local Government, said: ‘This is an exciting opportunity for residents to take greater control of their local assets and planning for the future.”

For more information contact Valentina Gonzalez Demori at m.gonzalezdemori@brighton.ac.uk.