After many years of joint working and careful planning, the amazing new Gorton Hub opens its doors to its first customers on Tuesday 15th November, with a phased opening of services until January 2023.
Sitting at the heart of Gorton’s district centre, the Hub is a brand new learning, health and community space, bringing together a range of community focussed services in a modern, purpose built, environmentally sound, low carbon new building.
Services on offer include a brand new warm and friendly library; a modern and well-equipped new GP practice for Gorton Medical Centre ; Jobcentre Plus; Adult Education Services (MAES) offering courses in English, Maths, ESOL and ICT; One Manchester Housing; Manchester Local Care Organisation – community based health care and clinics including Health Visitors, district nursing, podiatry and physiotherapy, plus a new integrated health and social care team working together to meet the needs of the local community.
A Café and pharmacy will also open in early 2023.
Partners within the building have worked closely with the local community to embed the Hub as a positive addition to the neighbourhood. There has been a very strong process of engagement with local community groups, schools and residents with visits arranged to help build a sense of excitement about the new Hub. For example, Gorton Library held a Farewell Party on Saturday 5th November which was attended by over 320 people, and included the Manchester Archives Team collecting audio memories from customers who had lived in Gorton all their lives, to form part of the strong local history offer at the Hub.
The brand new library looks fabulous, including a space themed new childrens’ library to help inspire Gorton’s young people to aim for the stars. The library will bring its strong sense of community to the new Hub, acting as a Warm Hub for local residents who are struggling this winter, and offering a range of community activities such as Storytime, craft activities and coffee mornings.
Gorton Hub provides a great community asset for one of Manchester’s most deprived neighbourhoods, and the customer centred focus of partnership working enabled by the Hub will be a blueprint for Bringing Services Together.