United Communities is proud to celebrate the work of SCA Community Hub, based at Salford City Academy, which supports local residents to connect, create and take part in shared experiences within their community.
SCA Community Hub exists to open up school spaces for wider community use and to create welcoming, inclusive opportunities shaped by local people. Its work focuses on building strong relationships across generations, encouraging creativity and participation, and ensuring the school is a place where the community feels welcome and involved beyond the school day.
Throughout December, the hub delivered a programme of festive activities developed in response to ideas from local residents and designed to bring the wider community together. These events highlighted the hub’s role as a connector, creating informal, accessible opportunities for people of all ages to meet, take part and feel a sense of belonging.
The festive programme began with a scarecrow trail, delivered as part of the Brookhouse in Bloom project. More than 20 families from across the local area worked together to design and decorate scarecrows displayed in gardens throughout the neighbourhood, creating a playful trail that encouraged residents to explore their community and take part in a shared creative project.
Later in the month, the hub opened a new community library at the front of the academy. To help create an inviting space, nearby tree stumps were carved into benches and decorative features, transforming the area into a relaxed spot for reading, meeting and spending time together. The library is open to all local residents and will also host outdoor community activities during the summer months.
Another highlight was the introduction of Santa’s Sleigh on Brookhouse Estate on 10 December. After residents shared that the estate had never hosted a Santa drive before, the hub worked with staff and volunteers to make the idea a reality. Santa’s Sleigh travelled through the estate along a planned route, spreading festive cheer and handing out chocolate coins to families, an event that many hope will become a new annual tradition.
The festive period also included the Academy’s annual Seniors’ Christmas Dinner, which welcomed around 100 local residents. Pupils supported the afternoon by helping with service and performances, creating an opportunity for meaningful connection across generations and strengthening relationships between the school and its wider community.
Together, these activities show how SCA Community Hub is creating accessible, welcoming spaces where people can connect, take part and build relationships within their community. Through United Communities, schools like Salford City Academy are supported to develop community hubs that respond to local needs while contributing to a shared charitable aim: helping schools become places where education and community life come together.