Historic Sunderland building transformed into “vital” community hub with North East BIC support

A Sunderland charity is bringing a historic building back to life as a “vital” community hub for the local area.

The MICC Chapel of Light International took over the Grade 2 listed former St Columba’s Church on Cornhill Road in Southwick in 2012 and has since launched a social enterprise to make it financially self-sustainable for years to come.

The charity has been running different activities for people in the community, including toddler groups, music clubs, employability training, a food bank and a gym, as well as providing computer and internet access to help support start-up businesses.

However, the building, which was one of the places Princess Diana visited when she came to Sunderland in 1990, was left with significant problems after it had previously been allowed to become run down. Reverend Dr Peter Adegbie is leading the group who are aiming to preserve its long-term future.

Peter, who is originally from Nigeria, started his career in the television industry, which he worked in for 10 years. But after “receiving the call of God”, he left the industry to become a missionary. After completing bible school, he worked in Uganda, Kenya and Cameroon, before moving to a parish in Sunderland.

Having been left empty for two years, the charity was keen to put the building “back on the map”. With the help of the North East BIC and the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England, Benefact Trust and other funders, they began to create a development plan to allow the church to become a resource for the city.

Peter commented: “The BIC has really been helpful in supporting us with the plan and challenging us when we need it. When Covid happened, we had to redefine the entire plan and the BIC was willing to go above and beyond. They helped us work out how to create a digital presence and engage with people who could not come out of their houses.

“The BIC has opened up many doors for us with partner organisations and we are now looking to the future to see all our plans become a reality and for the building to be a key part of that.”

Kevin Marquis, social enterprise manager at the North East BIC, added: “It has been great to work with Peter and his colleagues in trying to secure the future of this magnificent building and to bring new projects into the heart of the community.

“We have a well-established support team here at the BIC and as a social enterprise ourselves, we share the ambition of purpose-led enterprises to make change happen within our local communities and we wish MICC Chapel of Light International all the best with future projects.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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