Dear Andrew,
Re: Cambourne Community Centre Management Committee
It is with great regret that we write to inform you that the Cambourne Community Centre Management Committee (CCCMC), to which you kindly agreed to act as Patron, is in the process of winding up its business and disbanding. As you may recall, the CCCMC was inaugurated at the Cambourne Management Liaison Committee meeting of April/May 2003 as a requirement of the Section 106 agreement. Over the past two years, the committee members have worked hard to ensure that the community centre, when it is eventually handed over from the developers to the community, would be able to be managed effectively for the benefit of all Cambourne residents.

A few of the more notable achievements include: finalising the design brief of the building, organising a competition to name the community centre as 'The Hub', seeking and receiving donations in excess of £20,000 from a variety of sources to fund different aspects of the management and/or equipping of the facility, obtaining quotations for various items of essential equipment and providing a pre-booking service for what would appear to be a muchneeded and over-subscribed facility.

Since December of last year the Cambourne Parish Council has consistently refused to recognise the legitimacy of the CCCMC and has taken steps to bring about the formation of a charity, administered by trustees, who in turn are seeking to appoint a 'user group' to manage the day to day affairs of the Hub. There has been considerable correspondence, both formal and informal, between the CCCMC and the Parish Council but the council has not been swayed from its chosen course. As I write, a draft constitution and lease for the charity are both being finalised between the parish council and the nominated trustees. This leaves no role for the CCCMC within the community.

All this has not prevented the Cambourne Parish Council from demanding, on several occasions, that the CCCMC 'hand over' its funds to the council. However, as a result of said council's refusal to recognise the legitimacy of the CCCMC, we have sought legal advice regarding such a transaction. Under these circumstances we have been advised that in order to safeguard both the members of the CCCMC and our benefactors that our funds should be returned to their donors. This has now been done and we will be terminating our bank account and winding up all other business in the immediate future.

We cannot understate the regret that we feel at this turn of events. The efforts put in by a number of Cambourne residents who gave up their free time have been wasted. Your own support to our endeavours, which was so freely given, would appear to have been in vain. Nonetheless, we thank you again for your kind help and consideration and can only hope that the Hub is handed over to the community and opened for use before we reach the second anniversary of its due date.