The Heart of Headcorn CIO is an organisation set up to provide community space for local people without distinction on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, race, nationality, ethnic origin, marriage/civil partnership, veteran status or of political, religious or other opinions.
Our committed volunteers, many of whom have lived in Headcorn for several generations, have an intimate knowledge of the history, changes and the most urgent needs of local residents and community stakeholders. Our diverse team includes individuals with substantial experience of local leadership, teaching, counselling, event organisation, agriculture, social work, crisis management and poverty relief.
We all share a desire to keep Headcorn as a place in which people from all walks of life can have a safe space in which to mingle, receive signposting assistance, give each other a helping hand and discover new and especially, old ways to enjoy life.
Our People
Alongside our Trustees, Tim Thomas, Michael Rice and Andy Edmonds, the Heart of Headcorn has several Project Leads. Bella Mansfield manages the building and fund-raising; Mary Grinsted is in charge of bookings; Sarah Wilson is Events Manager; Martyn Jones runs Penny Kemp’s Community Pantry; Dee Mannerings is the Membership Secretary and RHS-trained horticultural expert James Ferguson helps to tend our beautiful grounds. Sally Musker advises on our environmental impact; Vicky Fearne oversees the Chatty Cafes on Sundays; Twiggy Roberts advises on Veterans Rights and Terry Glanfield helps out with sound and internet issues.
The Heart of Headcorn is also frequented by experienced experts running special groups here, for example, Rob Yorke, from the KCC, who runs the Youth Club and physiotherapist Carole Simpson, who leads exercises for those with mobility problems. In addition, The Heart of Headcorn has a Specialist Advisory Group made up of local people who are respected for their specialist knowledge in relevant fields.
The Heart of Headcorn Community Project
After a two year fund-raising campaign, we finally managed to purchase Headcorn’s former Methodist Church and preserve the building for the public benefit.
We continue to expand the community activities that have thrived in this lovely spot for the last 200 years; welcome back numerous clubs and societies and to encourage new ones, especially those promoting education, social welfare, heritage, mindfulness and healthy recreation.
We are also addressing urgent issues of our time, with a Community Pantry, to tackle food waste and help to support increasing number of people in poverty and a Youth Club, to ensure that young people have a safe place to meet and receive positive mentoring. We host various events and groups which tackle the causes of crime and support mindfulness and climate change resilience.
We continually liaise with numerous clubs, societies and hard-to-reach community groups; prepare educational, social and cultural activities for the public benefit and increase our engagement with the Headcorn community, helping us to hear more about how communal spaces can meet people’s needs. Our goal is that the Heart of Headcorn will help people not just to live or function better but to positively blossom and thrive!
The Old Methodist Church Building
The building has a variety of uses:
The Headcorn Exhibition Space – A tourist attraction showcasing local artefacts and telling the story of our village; guided by local history experts.
The Church – The Church part of the building is used for concerts, recitals, public lectures, exhibitions, organ lessons, silent reflection and community singing groups. It contains many plaques recalling past donors and thanks to the generosity of Headcorn Parish Council, now also includes a plaque to Ron and Betty Haggerty, whose long-standing community engagement and lifelong service to the building were crucial to its preservation.
Penny Kemp’s Community Pantry The kitchen of the building may be used by all who hire the Community Hall but also serves as a Community Larder for a few hours a week with the twin aims of tackling food waste and helping those in need. It immortalises the work of Penny Kemp, a local environmental campaigner who prioritised food sustainability and opened Headcorn’s first eco-shop in the Barn of the George and Dragon pub.
The Elizabeth Hall Schoolroom This is the name of the Community Hall at the back, originally designed as a schoolroom, which hosts a variety of community groups and events. It is also used to provide Lifelong Learning opportunities for all. Elizabeth Hall was a former Trustee of the Church, who spent her life teaching there and provided the children of some of the poorest farming families with unique opportunities for learning.
Our organisation is named THE HEART OF HEADCORN to reflect the position of the building in the village and to maintain it as a place of peace, kindness, universal love, tolerance and compassion.
Heart of Headcorn 