For generations, the former Woodhouse Trinity Methodist Church stood at the heart of the community — a place filled with history, memories, friendship, and connection. Sadly, the building has now stood empty for over 20 years, leaving a much-loved part of the community unused and slowly deteriorating over time.

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Today, we have an incredible opportunity to give this historic building a brand new future.

The Woodhouse and District Community Forum, in partnership with Darnall Musical Theatre Company, is working to transform the former church into a vibrant new Community Theatre, Arts, Events & Social Space for everyone to enjoy.

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Our vision is to create a welcoming venue where creativity, community, and opportunity come together under one roof. A place where:

• Local theatre productions and live performances can thrive

• Young people can discover confidence, creativity, and new skills

• Community groups and social clubs can meet regularly in a safe and welcoming environment

• Activities tackling loneliness and social isolation can take place

• Families can enjoy affordable entertainment, workshops, and events

• Local residents can come together for coffee mornings, classes, support groups, and celebrations

• Arts, culture, wellbeing, and community activities can be accessible to everyone

• Heritage can be preserved while creating something exciting for future generations

 

Rather than allowing this beautiful historic building to remain empty, we want to breathe new life into it — carefully restoring and protecting its unique character while adapting it into a flexible, accessible space that truly serves the whole community once again.

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This is a long-term, community-led project that will be delivered in carefully planned stages over several years. Funding will be raised through a combination of crowdfunding, grant funding, match funding, fundraising events, and community support. Every donation, share, and conversation helps move the project one step closer to reality.

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Stage One – Securing the Future

The first stage of the project is to purchase the building and begin the initial planning and heritage consultation process. This crucial phase will allow us to:

• Secure the future of the building

• Develop restoration, theatre, and community space plans

• Work with heritage and planning specialists

• Protect the building’s history and architectural beauty

• Begin preparing the space for theatre productions, activities, and social use

• Create a sustainable long-term community hub for Woodhouse

 

This is more than just saving a building.
It’s about bringing a forgotten space back to life and creating a lasting home for arts, culture, friendship, wellbeing, community activities, and local pride in Woodhouse for generations to come.

Together, we can transform an historic building that has stood silent for nearly 15 years into a thriving space once again — filled with music, laughter, creativity, conversation, and community life.