Woodgate hub officially opens its doors

A community hub has officially opened at the Woodgate housing development, delivered in partnership between us and housing provider Abri, in Pease Pottage, West Sussex. Together with Abri we built and gifted the Woodgate Hub to St Catherine’s Hospice as part of their longstanding backing for the local charity. 

Open daily, the £1.5 million Woodgate Hub is run and managed by St Catherine’s Hospice, with all profits going towards the running of the charity’s vital hospice services. The facility features a café and a large function room that is available to hire for activities such as children’s parties and yoga, with a capacity of 40 people or split into two smaller rooms each holding up to 20 people. 

St Catherine’s Hospice provides expert end of life care and support to people living with a life-limiting or terminal condition and their families across West Sussex and East Surrey. 

Woodgate is an award-winning development of 619 homes that is due for completion in early 2025. As well as the community hub, the scheme features a community shop run by local residents with support from Plunkett UK, a state-of-the-art primary school and a new St Catherine’s Hospice therapeutic care facility. A large village green is at the heart of the development, while play areas, trails, pathways and cycle routes linking to the neighbouring 370-acre Tilgate Forest are spread throughout. 

Rob Boughton, Founder and Chief Executive of Thakeham, said: “It’s fantastic to officially open the Woodgate Hub as a facility for the new community at Woodgate, residents of Pease Pottage and beyond. This community hub is a place for people to gather and exactly the type of facility that we want to build at future new homes sites to keep creating sustainable, thriving and inclusive places to live.” 

Giles Tomsett, Chief Executive of St Catherine’s Hospice, commented: “Thakeham and Abri’s continued help and support for St Catherine’s Hospice is much appreciated, with their efforts making a genuine difference to local people and their families. We can’t wait to welcome more and more people to our new community hub and see creativity and community spirit thrive.” 

Stuart Hensby, Director of Sales and Marketing at Abri, added: “It’s great to see the Woodgate Hub officially opened as it will serve as a vibrant space for the local community to come together, share ideas and build lasting connections. This hub represents our commitment to fostering a strong, inclusive community where everyone feels welcome and proud to be a part of.”  

Alongside Abri and St Catherine’s Hospice, we marked the full opening of the Woodgate Hub with a celebration event at the facility in early September, which was attended by the local community, senior representatives from the companies and a local councillor.