The former Holy Trinity Church in Ryde could soon be under new ownership, with Aspire Ryde confirming that negotiations are underway to sell the landmark Dover Street building.
The charity, which was established in 2014, has announced that it is in the process of moving services away from its original home following significant expansion across the Isle of Wight.
Before its sale to Aspire, the former church had a congregation of just 12 regular attendees. The building subsequently became the home of the charity, which has since grown to operate a range of community services and projects.
However, Aspire says the Dover Street premises are no longer suitable for delivering its expanding range of activities.
Trevor Nicholas, Chief Executive of Aspire Ryde, has said:
“The Church building on Dover Street has been an amazing home for us over the past twelve years but is sadly no longer suitable to deliver the work that we are known for.
“Whilst it will be a huge wrench to leave the place where Aspire was born, we are excited about moving to improved facilities and developing our programmes and projects even further”.
Over the past year, Aspire has opened 7 flats to support women exiting homelessness, alongside a new Aspire Community Hub on Ryde High Street.
The charity also operates a creative hub in Shanklin and a community centre in Wootton, with plans to move into new creative hub premises in both Newport and Ryde as its projects continue to expand.
Despite the planned departure from Dover Street, Aspire is keen to ensure that some of its best-known services continue elsewhere.
Trevor has added:
“We are keen to ensure that we don’t lose some of the things we are known for and are looking to move our community softplay into another building, alongside the expansion of our creative hub.
“We will also ensure that we continue to provide free meals for those in need alongside our kindness bags and other support for the most vulnerable people in our community”
Although negotiations are underway to sell the former Holy Trinity Church, no sale has yet been agreed.
Aspire is expected to continue using the Dover Street building for its escape room facility and hall hire for the foreseeable future while discussions over its future continue.
The charity has confirmed that it is seeking a buyer with the ability to invest in the building and ensure it remains part of Ryde’s heritage.
