A so-called Citizen Hub in St Neots has closed, with the founder Alex Hughes blaming it on “unforeseen circumstances”. It brings, temporarily at least, an end to a project supported at its launch last year by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
And its closure comes only months after the hub welcomed Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey during a pre-election campaign visit.
Sir Ed said: “The St Neots Citizens Hub stands as an inspiration for communities across the country.
“It provides a supportive home for many social initiatives, from well-targeted skills training to activities that support services for mental health and food banks. Key to its success is that it puts the community itself at the heart of all it does.
“I hope to see many similar initiatives.”
Closure of Citizen Hub at St Neots announced by founder @HughesAlex01 Short lived – it lasted just a year. See @CambsNewsOnline shortly for details pic.twitter.com/5mmOWihA29
— John Elworthy (@johnelworthy) August 24, 2024
Mr Hughes said: “We regret to share that the Citizen Hub will be closing its physical doors earlier than expected. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we no longer have access to our space.
“While this is disappointing, it doesn’t mean we’re going anywhere. Our commitment to supporting you remains as strong as ever!
“Even though our physical space is closed, we are fully available online to assist with skills development, employment support, and community connections.”
He promised: “We are actively working on the next chapter of the Citizen Hub mission, aiming to open something else in a new, more agile, and sustainable form this September.
“We appreciate your ongoing support and belief in our mission over the past year.”
The centre was opened in July of last year by Cllr Anna Smith, deputy mayor of the Combined Authority.
She described the hub as a “fantastic new initiative to help local people find jobs, training, and qualification, and to help them set up and grow small businesses.
“The Combined Authority has been working with Evolve Your Future and St Neots Initiative to help make their vision for the Citizen Hub a reality”.
Cllr Smith said at the time: “I spent many years in schools leading post-16 advice and guidance, and so initiatives like this, which help people of all ages find guidance and support are particularly exciting.
“It’s very well resourced, and even on opening day there were so many visitors. I’m sure this hub is going to go from strength to strength.”
The Combined Authority says they worked with St Neots Initiative – a voluntary group chaired at the time by Mr Hughes – to set up the new Citizen Hub at 58 Market Square in the town, to give a range of advice and jobs and training support for residents to improve their skills in life and work.
The Combined Authority says it brokered a unique partnership with Evolve Your Future, which is also a commissioned training provider for the Combined Authority’s devolved adult education budget, to partner with St Neots Initiative to make real their vision for the Citizen Hub.
It said an early success was the sign-up of more than 25 learners to the Evolve Your Future training courses on offer. Courses include self-employment skills, English as a second language, functional skills, and health and safety, all of which are useful for both personal and professional growth.
https://twitter.com/HughesAlex01/status/1795370064730013827
Free courses to help adults improve their numeracy and budgeting skills were also offered as well as a “free MOT in life and skills which is proving to be popular”.
Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said last year: “This is such a great example of community partnerships in action – all credit to the St Neots Initiative for seeing the gap, wanting to do something about it, and being so willing to work with the Combined Authority and Evolve Your Future to make the Citizen Hub happen.”
The Combined Authority wasn’t alone in singing the praises of the Citizen Hub, which Mr Hughes added to a multiplicity of other ventures he has set up or been involved with in recent years.
One of those organisations is Inspire 2 Ignite which he says he founded “in the belief that every young person holds the potential to shape a successful and fulfilling future for themselves”.
Its website describes its mission “to dramatically reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment, or training.
“We develop and deliver targeted programmes and experiences that engage and empower these individuals, providing them with meaningful opportunities and support”
Inspire 2 Ignite claims “to have engaged over 7,500 young people, with remarkable stories of transformation and success. From our Curious Clubhouse to our ‘Curious About Industry’ experiences, we continue to make a significant difference”.
A biography of Mr Hughes on the website describes how “becoming a father at the tender age of 14, Alex was often told he wouldn’t amount to much.
“This early introduction to responsibility planted the seeds for his deep-rooted commitment to social change and youth empowerment.
“Under his leadership Inspire 2 Ignite has become a beacon of positive transformation, providing a nurturing environment where young people can learn, innovate, and thrive.
“Alex’s visionary leadership has not only transformed countless lives but also revitalised community interactions, thereby making a lasting impact on the area’s socio-economic landscape.
“Through his work, Alex continues to demonstrate that with the right guidance and opportunities, every young person can overcome their challenges and contribute positively to society”.
Tomorrow is A Level results day, we are here for you at the Citizen Hub for drop-ins from 9am – 5pm, providing a safe space with professionals to listen and offer free advice for anyone who needs it.
Share with you network to ensure all young people and their parents are aware pic.twitter.com/xqlD1JtlX2
— Alex Hughes (@HughesAlex01) August 14, 2024
In June, Mr Hughes stood down, after 2 years, as chair of the St Neots Initiative (SNI) a “collective of driven volunteers with a clear focus; energising the people, places, prosperity, and principles of St Neots.
“Our vision is to work with the local community, businesses and authorities to make real change, promoting and further developing St Neots to be a great place to live, work and play”.
https://twitter.com/IanSollom/status/1794352742062043322
Inspire 2 Ignite is a community interest company which Mr Hughes launched in 2022 with his partner Christine Griffey.
Mr Hughes says he founded Inspire 2 Ignite CIC as a “platform dedicated to empowering young people. My journey in entrepreneurship is driven by a single, powerful goal: to make a positive impact in the lives of the youth and the community.
“I’ve always believed in the potential that lies within every young person. Each one has unique talents, ideas, and perspectives that can shape our future. At Inspire 2 Ignite, we focus on unlocking this potential.
“We provide support, encouragement, and opportunities for young people to explore their passions, develop their skills, and become leaders in their own right.
“Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. We’re not just a team; we’re a community. We listen, learn, and grow together. Every success is celebrated, and every challenge is an opportunity for growth.
“We value the power of collective effort and believe that together, we can create a world where every young person is empowered to achieve their dreams.”
Mr Hughes certainly lives up to entrepreneur status – earlier this year, in an email seen by CambsNews – he explained to supporters how he had found location and the revenue to open a new school.
It would be, he said, “our first Inspire 2 Ignite physical academy will host 40 plus students from September and have one mission – reverse the 80 per cent drop out rate for 14-16 year old alternative provision students in post 16”.
Inviting various people to a “dinner at a secret location” he said that “we will commit significant amount of resource to supporting these 40 young talents.
“That revenue is secured now thanks to the relationship we have with a particularly special multi academy trust”.
(Link to Alex Hughes website here: https://www.alexhughes.biz/ )
Mr Hughes promised to show supporters “a 3D model for what the future of facilitated learning looks like and a few bottles of something fizzy to celebrate the vision forming into a physical infrastructure.”.
He added that the project “is a community solution to address the sorry state of our education system right now”.
Earlier this year a 2 year stint as chairman of St Neots Initiative came to an end and he used his Linked In profile to explain.
“I knew going into this almost 2 years ago that I would either get tired or fired taking on the chair position for St Neots Initiative,” he wrote ahead of the annual meeting.
“Well, I didn’t get fired which is a positive! So why did I take it on knowing this?!
“Something had to be done, I hold immense passion for the town I live in and there was so much talk going on, without huge amounts of action!
“We needed a reset, SNI had been operating for almost 3 decades and as a brand, it has so much potential to do good. It just needed to find its purpose in all of the local madness.”
He added: “My role in that would be to help redevelop the brand, install robust systems, and test the commitment of those around the table.
“Fast forward to today, we are reaching thousands of people with our events, content, and direct outreach.
“We have almost 1,000 citizens on our member mailing list. We were instrumental in bringing the Citizen Hub to life.
Thank you to St Neots Citizens’ Hub for having me this evening. A chance to discuss the challenges and opportunities in education, with amazing people. Also to hear what people had to say about how we address community safety issues and prevent crime. pic.twitter.com/WcojDPkKKy
— Anna4Labour (@anna4labour) April 16, 2024
“We now possess 14 information boards around the town. Pending official charity status and have activated a wave of emerging leaders within our management structure.”
Mr Hughes said: “Unfortunately, whilst it was necessary to reset relationships with the initiative, which did become quite a challenge, and some avoidable circumstances have occurred.
“I hope that is just personal and my stepping down will help resolve that moving forward, my role was to come in and complete that reset.
“Being liked by everyone whilst doing it was never realistic, I am happy knowing the infrastructure that has come to fruition in the last 2 years will outlast any issues like that.
“The evidence is in the jobs created, the young people that feel empowered by local action, and the connections made locally and nationally for our members.
“I will be stepping down in May, knowing that the next leader to take the baton has assets and opportunities like never before.
What a morning showing a national political leader around St Neots and sharing the achievements and vision for the Citizen Hub.
Thanks @EdwardJDavey for visiting, for listening to the community and for your kind words on what we’re doing! pic.twitter.com/An0CUNiAyq
— Katy Davies (@KatyDavies11) March 2, 2024
“I’m an entrepreneur, there was a gap to add value, and we are doing it! The next logical step for any entrepreneur is to find someone brilliant to take it forward, that is something that excites me!
“I will then start my own transition in life, to the more strategic and thoughtful stage of my career, creating space to continue to move towards more infrastructure and social action for the projects I am involved in whilst having time to accept some new challenges eventually.”
He added: “Do I regret taking this on originally? Sometimes! It’s been good fun either way and the impact is something I will always be proud of.”
In a report the annual meeting, he said his time as chair of SNI had “started with ambitious plans, with a shared agreement we needed to see more action that addresses the needs of our town and the business plan we set out matched that intention.
“However, the structure of SNI did not allow for us to do much, with it being essentially an unofficial partnership the liability for all our actions were with us all personally. That was not going to foster an innovative, action-oriented initiative.
“Whilst exploring future structures we could adopt, with thanks to extensive professional advice from the likes of Shakespeare Martineau and Hunts Forum, we came to the collective conclusion that going for charity status had to be the direction of travel.”
Mr Hughes said SNI has a growing citizen membership which has now reached 588 (as at the time of this report).
But the biggest challenge for the past year, he said, had been to set up as a charity.
“Our first application was declined, which has resulted in additional work to reflect on SNI’s objects. The original objects were in place for when SNI was set up some 20+ years ago, as SNI has evolved, and budgets withdrawn it can no longer be a major player and influencer.
“As a result of the Charity Commission’s change of rules and clarity it is being proposed that SNI changes its Objects to one of promotion of community capacity building for the benefit of the public relating to the advancement of citizenship and/or community development.
He remains hopeful that “in the not-too-distant future we should be accepted with our submission for charity status by the Charity Commission, which will allow SNI to seek alternative and additional streams of funding that will allow SNI to deliver its key objectives in line with our four pillars of focus”.
(Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority have been approached by CambsNews for comment about the extent of funding they provided to the Citizen Hub and if they have plans to help to reopen it)
