On 7th April 2025, we held a ‘Grand Opening’ event to mark the culmination of 6 months of renovation works to our first floor Victorian Hall, and the adjoining kitchen and toilet facilities.

The event was attended by the Mayor and Mayoress, as well as His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, as well as many other people who have been a part of the story of Saints over the last five years.

It was a wonderful celebration, and ‘launched’ the Saints project into a new era, with new possibilities for expanding our work in the community of Nuneaton. The hall was dedicated and officially opened with a new name - the ‘George Müller Hall’.

Previously known as ‘St Georges Hall’, the dance hall dates to the late 1800s, and it is remembered by local people for hosting dinners and dances, as well as musical performances. However, over the past few decades, the hall fell into disuse and disrepair. What was once a mothballed ‘hidden gem’, has now been lovingly restored back to its former glory, alongside the installation of brand-new kitchen and toilet facilities. (see below for photos of before and after renovations)

This restoration project was funded by money from the Nuneaton ‘Towns Deal’, through Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. Further funds were secured for the kitchen through the Heart of England Inclusive Communities Fund. Together for Change partnered with Mayway Construction for the renovations, who have completed the work to an excellent standard. We offer sincere thanks to all who have helped make these vital works possible.

During the event, invited guests heard from CEO of Together for Change, Jet Jones, as well as Chair of the TFC Board and Archdeacon Missioner of the Diocese of Coventry, the Venerable Barry Dugmore, about the mission of Saints. Also, the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, talked about the importance of Saints to the community and three local people who have benefited from the Saints project told of how important it is to them with one describing it as ‘family’.

A pivotal moment in the ceremony came when Mayway construction company officially handed over the building to Jet Jones and the Saints team and, then later a plaque was unveiled to mark the occasion by the Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth, Councillor Bill Hancox, and Archdeacon Barry Dugmore.

Jet Jones, CEO of Together for Change says “Saints has firmly established itself as a valuable community asset in the heart of Nuneaton and has been identified as having an annual social value of £8.6 million. This next phase will now enable the project to further its reach to the community and support the people of Nuneaton. We are so grateful for the continued partnership from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and the funds that were granted through the Transforming Nuneaton Pathfinders board.’"

Archdeacon Barry Dugmore says “Saints is a shining example of how the Church of England invests in and values wide partnership to seek the common good for the flourishing of communities such as Nuneaton. I’m looking forward to seeing how this next phase builds on all that has gone before to serve the wonderful people of Nuneaton.”

So what does this mean?

With the addition of the hall and its adjoining facilities to the usable space within the Saints building, we can expand our capacity and continue to outwork our vision of bringing positive change to Nuneaton, and to local people who are in need.

Our mission at Saints is to tackle unemployment and lack of education, enhance physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, and to inspire and connect people through the creative arts. This is summarised in our three vision points ‘Enterprise and Equip’, ‘Sport and Support’ and ‘Create and Connect’. The expansion into the hall will allow us to grow our work within all of these areas, but in particular ‘Sport and Support’ and ‘Create and Connect’ vision points.

We hope to see the hall used for physical activity, such as seated exercise, family circuit training, boxing and dance classes. We also hope to use the space to encourage engagement in the creative arts, as well as hosting events for the whole community to enjoy. Furthermore, the larger space will allow for more capacity in our youth project ‘Student lounge’.

We will also be making the hall available to hire, and in doing so we will be making an incredible venue available for use, in a central location and with close transport links. We hope to be able to host conferences, weddings, and cultural events within the hall, which will have a capacity of around 200 people.

We are now looking ahead to Phase 3, our final phase to complete the restoration of our historical building with the installation of a lift, heating in the upstairs hall and the restoration to our Mezzanine. If you would like to give to support our Phase 3 Renovations, then you can do so by visiting our Donations page.

To enquire about bookings in our unique upstairs hall then do get in touch with our Saints Central team at admin@saintsnuneaton.org.

Address

Newdegate St, Nuneaton CV11 4ED

Opening Times

Tuesday- Saturday

9.30 am - 3.30 pm

Reports and Policies

Partners and Funders

Email

admin@saintsnuneaton.org

Charity Number: 1160133 Limited Company Number: 08763866