Highbury Roundhouse After School Club

Major Bay Hodgson, who passed away and distinguished himself throughout his time in the Household Cavalry, was the one who first founded Highbury Roundhouse. Bay moved to Highbury after leaving the Army. Bay quickly came to the conclusion that there was a lot of work to be done in Highbury in order to assist young people who had nowhere to go and nothing to do. We need to go back to the early 1970s, when kids would frequently congregate in the "roundhouse," which is now the playground attendant's hut at the base of Highbury Fields, to understand why and how the community centre came to be. Bay and other residents of the area had the forethought to take action for them rather than just desire to move them on. He was able to secure approval from the then-GLC to operate a youth club out of the now-demolished "bottleworks" building at 71 Ronald's Road. The building needed to be renovated in order for that to happen. To fund a project with the Manpower Services Commission to construct the new centre, Bay and a group of locals were able to secure many funds from the local government. With the assistance of a qualified craftsman, a group of young people completed some of the renovation. Together with other community members, Bay oversaw the organization's growth into a successful community centre. On the former site, a new community centre was constructed and is soon to open. It will offer space for a variety of activities to help our younger service users develop their skills, foster aspiration, and help them realise their full potential, while also being able to look after our older residents and end social isolation.