About us
There is now lots of evidence that spending time in nature can bring huge benefit to both of physical and mental health.
Our vision is to turn this green space into a safe haven for the local community to come and learn, socialise and improve their heath and wellbeing.
Our mission is to build a better community
This unique canal side space will create an important asset for people to take a step away from the busyness of modern life, reconnect with the natural world & the history of our canals. It will create an important space to learn new skills, build confidence self esteem whilst understanding the importance of working harmoniously with others.
Our journey has just begun, find out more about our space and how far we’ve come.
Our facilities
An Eco Classroom
We have recently won funding to complete our BIG BUILD project and now we are working hard to get our eco classroom constructed and ready for use this summer! Our classroom will provide a dry, warm, indoor facility which can be used by schools, voluntary organisations and local businesses for outdoor recreation, education, workshops, water based sports and camping. This is the next big step to create a safe, accessible, inclusive and sustainable community facility which serves local young people, and promotes social interaction and learning. Check out our BIG BUILD project for more information.
The green and canal side
Our green is a large recreational space that can be used for games, camping, campfires and fetes. Situated beside the canal in Atherstone, there are great opportunities to spot some of the local wildlife such as dragonflies, butterflies, ducks, kingfishers, moorhens and swan. Parallel to the land is a wharf where canal boats can more and there is a slip way for easy access to the water. In the area the canal broadens where boats can rotate, this is the perfect place to learn water activities such as canoeing, rafting and much more…
Toilet and wash facility
Today we have a small eco toilet onsite which limits our ability to host larger booking. Creating a sustainable, environmentally friend toilet and wash facility will enhance our space, making it available to more of the community. We are working hard to raise funds for a toilet and wash facility which will allow us to host camping groups, catered events and larger group bookings throughout the summer period. Check out our CANAL SIDE project for more information.
Car park
We like our visitors to come by foot, but to make the site accessible to all we have an allocated green space beside our entrance, which can house up to 3 vehicles. We aim to make this space a little easier to come and go, especially by wheelchair, so we are working hard to raise funds for a tarmac area. Check out our CANAL SIDE project for more details on our plans.
Storage shed
Ruby's Yard is a great space to enjoy the canal, so in future, we aim to facilitate canal side water sports such as canoeing. To do this we will need a secure space to store all our equipment. Right now, we are working hard to raise funds for a storage shed. Check out our CANAL SIDE project for more details on our plans.Our Progress
Local consultation
Over the last 2 years we have held a number of consultation meetings with the residents of Slacks avenue, meeting with the planning department of North Warwickshire Borough Council and Canal & Rivers Trust.
Planning application
In July 2017 we submitted a full planning application to change the use of the land from commercial boat yard to a community space and upgrade some of the existing buildings onsite.
It's on... in theory
On Nov 6th 2017, we receive official green light from the planning board! A big step forward in making a long term dream into a reality for the young people of Atherstone and surrounding communities.
Funding for toilet facilities
We submitted a bid for £1000 to the local councillors fund to install a compost toilet with the support of young volunteers. This application has been approved and we plan to carry out the work during a launch weekend in early Spring 2018.
Youth group consultations
We toured round a number of youth based groups in the search of young people who want to become part of the Ruby’s Yard Young advisory board/panel.
A plan worth funding
To apply for some serious funding, you need to have a serious plan. This means practical preparation work including pulling together defined costs for the upgrade work, confirming our building regulations documents (which incorporate all the planning North Warwickshire Planning department conditions).
Our first big booking
We welcomed a large party to our first ever booking. The Warwickshire Young Carers meeting was all about getting together and learning from each other through fun and creativity. We all had a lot of fun in the sunshine and hope to see everyone back again soon.
Raising funds
We applied for LEADER funding to fund our ‘Big Build’ project that gets Ruby’s Yard off the ground with an indoor centre. We also launched a SpaceHive campaign to raise funds from the public and charitable organisations. If we succeed, our plans can go ahead
LEADER approved our funding
Based on the good progress we’ve made on SpaceHive and the soundness of our planning, LEADER have backed our project with the £50k we requested.
SpaceHive target reached
Thanks to over 150 different backers, we exceeded our £11.5k target for SpaceHive. We are now working with a local supplier to build an Eco Classroom beside the canal.
Eco classroom grand opening
This summer we will be opening the site with our newly constructed Eco Classroom. Come back in May to find out more about our grand opening and when it will be.
