Veterans In Communities
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Veterans In Communities

Background to the VIC Centre

In 2013 VIC trustees and the trustees from the charity Agopao started negotiations over the former Mary Hindle building in Haslingden (formally known as the Thorn Inn public house), following these negotiations it was agreed to gift the building to Veterans In Communities. On the 11th November 2013 we took ownership of the building and VIC members started to work on the building to get it ready to move into in January 2014.
VIC were successful in 2013 for funding from the Armed Forces Community Covenant (AFCC) Scheme to establish a Veterans Community Centre in Rossendale. This funding was to help with the commissioning costs of a Veterans Centre in Rossendale.

On the 13th January 2014 we moved out of the former REAL building in Bacup and we now operate all our services and activities from the VIC centre.

The former Mary Hindle Resource Centre, on Bury Road, Haslingden, opened in 2000 after community workers spent two years raising funds and sourcing a location at the former New Thorn pub. The centre was named after Mary Hindle, a Haslingden woman who was convicted of taking part in the Loom Riots of 1832 and was deported to Australia.

We took ownership on the 11th November 2013, a date that  has particular meaning to those who have served in any of the armed forces and to remember lost comrades and those that are wounded, injured or sick. Our volunteer members started work in late November and worked many hours over the Xmas and New Year so we could move in at the beginning of January 2014. The downstairs rooms were the first to be completed, we found the building very cold and dark as it hadn't been occupied for some time, but very quickly our members put their mark on it and it remains an on-going project of ours.



VIC Centre refurbishments 

We received some funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Trust in 2021 to help with some further refurbishment of the VIC Centre in Haslingden, the refurbishment grant was to be used to tank our cellars as they were damp and were too wet to work in, the replace the window blinds and flooring, some remedial work on the boundary wall, and replace the wooden window frames to PVC. This refurbishment was desperately needed as the they were originally done around 1998 when the Thorn Inn was converted into a Community Centre.

We were unable to complete in the estimated time due to COVID and the availability of suppliers. All the refurbishment was completed in May 2023.
We would especially like to thank
Lancashire Carpets for the flooring and taking into consideration the different days they would have to work around due to the daily operations of the centre.
DRG Installations for fitting the new windows.
Burnley Sun blinds Ltd for fitting the window blinds.

Replacement carpets in the VIC Centre 2023


Replacement windows for the VIC Centre 2022


Centre refurbishment 2020

The Hide Refurbishment 2019  

VIC Centre November 2013 - February 2014

© 2011 Veterans In Communities All Rights Reserved VIC Company Number 8230197; Charity Number 1151194

  • Home
  • Special events & news
    • Riding for Forces & Families
  • About VIC
    • History
    • 10 year celebration evening September 2022
    • VIC Trustees
    • The VIC team
    • About our volunteers
    • In memory of our past members
    • Vacancies
    • VIC Centre >
      • Rooms to hire or rent
      • VIC Centre Refurbishments
  • NEWS
  • Case studies
  • Outreach and Information Services
    • Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Areas >
      • Heywood Areas
      • Middleton Areas
      • Rochdale Areas
    • Lancashire Areas >
      • Burnley Areas
      • Blackburn and Darwen
      • Hyndburn Areas
      • Pendle Areas
      • Ribble Valley Areas
      • Rossendale Areas
      • Preston Area
    • Veteran to Veteran Peer Support
  • Projects and Activities
    • Art Group
    • Crafty Chatters
    • Community Based Projects
    • COVID 19 Activities
    • Developing Veterans - Photography
    • Model Railway Club
    • Outdoor Activities
    • Pyrography
    • Rossendale Allotment
    • Social Inclusion
    • Thrive Together North West
    • Veterans In Production (VIP)
    • Veterans Social Carp Fishing
    • Veterans should not be forgotten
    • VIC Choir
  • Awards
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
  • Veteran Links
    • Non veteran Links
  • Blog
  • What our members say about us