Local councils, dignitaries, funders, and businesses came together on June 5th, 2026; to celebrate the official opening of The Centre Spot, Oswestry’s Youth & Wellbeing Hub located in Oak Street, Oswestry.
Managed by The New Saints FC (TNS) Foundation, the charity arm linked to the football club, the building has been taken on to safeguard its future as a vital resource for young people and the wider community. Guests at the grand opening were invited to hear about the Foundation team’s aspirations for the future and to join a guided tour of the building and meet its current resident organisations.
In attendance to mark the milestone were Katy Tanner, the High Sheriff of Shropshire; Oswestry Mayor, Jonathan Upton; and representatives from Oswestry Town Council and Shropshire Council. They were joined by representatives from sports partnership Energize, infrastructure partners, sponsors, and a special visit from TNS FC first-team players.
The opening follows a successful management asset transfer from Oswestry Town Council to The New Saints FC Foundation. Originally built by Shropshire Council in 2012 on the site of the former Centre North West youth building, the hub faced closure due to county-wide public spending cuts before being temporarily taken over by the Town Council in August 2024.
In attendance were representatives from local funding organisations who are critical to reversing a period of historic underinvestment. Key supporters in attendance included Jenny Wynn OBE DL from the Wynn Foundation, and Graham Moss from the Cambrian Rotary Club.
The hub also received backing from the Shropshire Community Foundation via their Millichope Foundation Village Hall & Community Spaces Fund. Joanna Morris, CEO of Shropshire Community Foundation, highlighted the regional importance of the project:
“We chose to support the Foundation as Hubs like these are vital to local communities, providing the backbone of youth and wellbeing support. We also recognise that this hub not only supports people in Oswestry, but their support reaches out further into the surrounding rural communities that are often overlooked.”
The multi-functional hub is already thriving as a home for youth clubs, drop-in sessions, play therapy, and sports engagement. Current resident organisations continuing their work at the Oak Street site include the OsNosh community food programme, St John’s Ambulance Brigade, Obertelli Play Therapy, and Soundlives, which utilises the centre’s built-in music and recording studio. The facility also features a sports hall, an art/craft room for workshops, meeting and office spaces, a café foyer, and an outdoor multi-use games area.
Speaking on why the hub matters so much to the professional football club, Ian Williams, Chief Operating Officer at TNS FC, said:
“While many know us for our football, we believe our true role is to be the heart of the community. That is why we are so proud to champion the work of The New Saints FC Foundation. Together, we are intensely focused on ensuring local children and young people get increased opportunities and improved wellbeing.
“Our team runs vital activities, such as youth clubs and SEND sessions, across Oswestry and the surrounding villages. Football is about so much more than the game – it’s about the community that grows around a place!”
Looking ahead, the Foundation has ambitious plans to expand its range of physical and mental health programmes across northwest Shropshire. Gill Jones, Head of The New Saints FC Foundation, outlined the hub’s long-term aspirations:
“Our role in taking on the overall management will help to safeguard the future of the building and its facilities for the community of Oswestry and particularly for its young people.
We are very much looking forward to further developing this wonderful asset for the town as an exemplar of great partnership working between the professional Football Club charity and the local community.”
Rooms and facilities at The Centre Spot remain available for community and private hire. For information on current activity timetables or booking spaces, please email the Foundation at info@tnsfcfoundation.org.uk.
Members of the first team along with (L-R) Ian Williams, The New Saints FC, Craig Harrison, The New Saints FC, Jonathan Upton, Oswestry Town Mayor, Gill Jones, The New Saints FC Foundation and Jenny Wynn OBE DL, Wynn Foundation.
