Lease of life for Sons of Rest centre
A £60,000 fundraising campaign has been launched to restore a Black Country park's dilapadated Sons of Rest building to its former glory.
Over recent years the venue in Buffery Park, Dudley, has fallen into disrepair and been attacked by vandals and metal thieves. Now the Friends of Buffery Park group is hoping to rennovate the rundown building for use by the community.
Group co-ordinator Steve Briscoe, aged 43, of Adshead Road said: "The building has fantastic potential, but it needs work to get it up and running again. We have a lot of ideas about how the building could be used, like a community café and drop-in centre."
A number of fundraising activities are planned for the summer including a sponsored walk. Members are also contacting local businesses to see if they willing to contribute to the fund.
The group is hoping to get the park upgraded from neighbourhood park to town park status, which would mean it was entitled to more funding from Dudley Council.
The Sons of Rest constructed the building in 1950 at a cost of £1,300, leasing the land from Dudley Council. The Sons of Rest, which ran social and leisure activities for over 60s, disbanded in 1996 and the lease was surrendered to the council.
Last April, metal thieves struck stripping copper pipes and taps from the building, which is still used by the friends group for its meetings.
