As part of WACA’s Learning Visits programme, we’re connecting with established community businesses to gather practical insights and lessons learned. These visits help us understand different models of community ownership and operation, providing valuable guidance as we develop our own local initiatives. Each visit offers a unique perspective on what makes community enterprises thrive.
Heart Centre in Headingley, Leeds
Operating since 2011 as a subsidiary of Headingley Development Trust (a community benefit society founded in 2005), this vibrant community hub offers an impressive range of services: a café, film screenings, live music events, a shop, games club, room hire, business co-working spaces, acupuncture, yoga, massage, meditation sessions, soft play areas, and an arts and crafts market. They’re open from 9am to 9pm six days a week (closed Sundays), allowing them to serve breakfast, lunch and host evening entertainment with their licensed bar. Their staffing model combines full-time staff, casual staff, and volunteers who work in reception, maintain gardens, and support film and music events.
The Heart Centre shared several important considerations with us:
Focus on financial sustainability (“make the business wash its own face”)
Engage the community meaningfully
Maintain complete financial transparency
Ensure knowledge isn’t concentrated with one person
Their inclusive approach has organically created a space that supports mental health, fitness, and cross-generational activities, and they’ve built a genuinely community-focused enterprise that attracts support naturally.
We’d like to extend our gratitude to Pamela Reynell, the Centre Manager, and the entire Heart Centre team for their warm welcome and generosity in sharing their experiences and insights. Their willingness to discuss both successes and challenges provided invaluable guidance for our own community initiatives. And thank-you to Ian and Cathy from the WACA Learning Visits team for making the visit and providing such valuable feedback.
