Nottingham City Council transferred an old school complex in the St Anne’s area to the Trust in 2000 with annual revenue budget to create the Sycamore Centre Complex. Facilities at the complex now comprise a youth and community centre, a refurbished sports hall and a business centre. The business centre, now known as the John Folman Business Centre, and run by a separate trading subsidiary, has 18 units which are fully let and provides an annual gift aid surplus which is used to support the Trust’s wider work in the area.
Two years ago the Trust established a second Business Centre again operating under the Hungerhill Trading Ltd Company. The first centre is subject to leasehold under a ‘peppercorn’ rent from Nottingham City Council. The second business centre – the ‘Renewal Trust Business Centre’, is a freehold property, which was purchased using two strands of European funding that were also used to refurbish and extend the property. There is a funding agreement in respect of this property whereby the funding bodies receive a proportion of any surplus.The Trust’s activities have also expanded dramatically in recent years and now include a Business Advice Team, Employment and Benefit Advisors, a Detached Youth Team, a Learning Champions Team and several Outreach Workers with varying responsibilities.
