About Us

A community support hub, the Beehive, has been a long-held vision since 2007 when a group of local mums got together to set up a parent and toddler group, Happy Days, at the Lower Green Community Centre which helped ten local mums gain their NVQs in Childcare and other qualifications.

The success of Happy Days led to the Lower Green Community Association (LGCA) being resurrected as a functioning charity with many other community initiatives being set up including ESOL and computer classes, children’s sports activities and other community groups.

In 2011 the LGCA was one of 16 organisations in England to be selected for the NESTA funded Neighbourhood Challenge which saw a number of grassroots community projects set up by local people with the seed funding provided by NESTA. These included a community foodstore – later to become the East Elmbridge Foodbank – and the Beehive – run as a weekly support session for local families with a ‘marketplace’ of support agencies.

When Neighbourhood Challenge ended, the Lower Green Sports and Social Club had a new lease of life and the bar re-opened but in 2018, the Centre was closed down by Elmbridge Council. It was refurbished to meet Health & Safety standards and re-opened in 2019. The Lower Green Community CIO was set up as a charity and local residents encouraged to become Trustees to run the Centre. A community development worker was employed for 18 months to get things up and running again. A Scout Group and the Lower Green Preschool were established but when Covid struck the Council were left managing the building

At the end of Covid, having run the East Elmbridge Foodbank during the pandemic, two members of the original Happy Days team rekindled the vision of a Community Support Hub in Lower Green now needed more than ever due to the pandemic. A proposal was put to the Council who were ready to close down the building again and dissolve the CIO. Instead, in early 2021, the CIO was resurrected, new Trustees appointed and the lease for the building signed.

In April 21, the Community Centre reopened as a Support Hub and the Beehive Café served it first customer. From those small beginnings, the Beehive has gone from strength to strength and is now a popular venue providing support and an affordable café and meeting place for local residents.