Racquet centre aims to create a vibrant community hub with new café and multi-use hall

A racquet centre in North Devon is raising funds to complete a vital community café and bar and multi-use hall, which will serve as a welcoming space for local people to meet, work, play, and develop skills. 

The Atlantic Racquet Centre (ARC), based in Bideford, is seeking to create a much-needed community hub for the area.

ARC has consulted with local organisations, businesses, and community groups representing over 6,000 people, with 95 per cent of them expressing a need for a space like the one ARC is preparing to create. 

The project is now “shovel-ready,” and ARC is seeking to raise a final £300,000 to complete construction.

As a charity, ARC has already raised over £3.7 million over the past 20 years, thanks to grants, loans, and the hard work of staff and volunteers. 

The facility now welcomes more than 5,000 visitors each week, providing high-quality services and affordable resources for everyone in the local community.

ARC explained that they promote an inclusive and family-focused ethos through its wide range of activities, improving health and wellbeing across North Devon. 

In 2024, the centre provided free tennis to more than 2,000 children, hosted nearly 200 residents at a Free Family Open Day, and welcomed 1,750 children to holiday camps. 

Every week, over 50 disabled adults attend ARC’s inclusive sessions, and more than 300 children benefit from coaching at the facility.

The new café and bar will provide a warm social space with hot and cold food and drinks, alongside work and training opportunities for local people. 

The multi-use hall will offer more fitness classes, workshops, and public meetings, while also providing space for activities like dance classes, martial arts, and events such as weddings and parties.

To support the campaign, ARC has launched several fundraising options, including their “Buy A Brick, Build A Legacy” scheme, where supporters can have their name placed on a Legacy Wall in the new café and bar. 

ARC also offers Family Sponsorship, a fundraising toolkit for organising events, and a range of Corporate Sponsorship packages providing brand exposure for businesses.

Tom Vinall, ARC General Manager, said: “Community has always been at the heart of everything we do, and this newly launched fundraising drive gives us an incredible opportunity to provide the local community with a space that is their own. There is no existing community centre or accessible village hall in our local area which means that many are limited in their activities due to a lack of space and resources. It is our hope that the unwavering spirit that makes our community so special can help us complete a project that has been many years in the making.”