At the last Union Council meeting of the year, a number of students brought an emergency resolution which called for Warwick SU to support Bath Place, a community centre in Leamington which is under threat of being sold by its owner, Warwickshire College. In light of this policy passing, there has been a call for us to support Bath Place by having the centre high on the list of priorities for the university to consider when putting together plans and strategies for off-campus building developments.

Bath Place has been located in the Leamington Old Library for about two years now, following a fire  at its original site in 2009. For the last 35 years the centre has served the local community as a whole by fostering local community action projects, acting as an employer, and has also supported a plethora of campaigning and performance-based Warwick SU societies over time as well. Over this last year alonem, Bath Place hosted Warwick Anti-Sexism’s The Vagina Monologues performances, Shakespeare Society’s Macbeth, two Amnesty International Society fundraisers, Oxfam Society's Soundbites for Saltpond, as well as having worked with Warwick students to deliver soup kitchens.

Currently Warwickshire College is attempting to sell the property for £1.5 million to developers, which would mean that the community centre would cease to exist. We are hopeful that the University of Warwick will take the space and its heritage into consideration when thinking about off-campus developments, in order that it can support a community venture which has contributed immeasurably to the experiences of students as residents. 

Warwick SU is proud to support community initiatives through fostering a good relationship between students and the communities in which they reside. We would like to see the benefit students gain from the space continue, and we hope that the University will see Bath Place as an opportunity to invest in something which has supported our students for some time. It’s time to really give back!  

Show your support by signing this petition and join the facebook group!

On a related note, the Library is consulting on a possible off-campus study space in Leamington. They are seeking ideas through this survey on their website.