Walker Lines Gymnasium : Refurbishment of the SHED

Walker Lines Gymnasium in Bodmin, Cornwall was set up in 2012 as both a charity and a company limited by guarantee to purchase the Walker Lines Gymnasium from Bodmin Town Council to own and manage on behalf of the community. The building has since been rebranded as the SHED.

The gym was built in 1941 by the British army as a recreational facility for Bodmin barracks. It had a distinguished military history which was recognised this year by a blue plaque. It was mothballed in 1956 and sold to the town council in 1962 since when it has operated as a community centre managed by its users. Over the years it suffered from a lack of investment and in 2013 it was sold to the users.

The building covers an area of 10,000 sq ft and has a car park for 20 cars at the rear and is home to the boxing club, two rifle clubs, a dog training school, and various fitness groups, as well as a music recording studio and rehearsal space. The Trust is well supported and connected to local young people from less privileged socio economic backgrounds who are at risk of becoming offenders

The Trust recently completed the external refurbishment of the building known as the SHED at a cost of £300k and recaptured 1,000 sq ft of internal space that was previously derelict. The project now is to convert this space into a multifunction room (to be called the BOX) to be used by a host of new users for a multitude of activities. The users will in the main be voluntary organisations providing activities for the benefit of people living in and around Bodmin.

The purchase of this system is part of a grant funded application process and therefore procurement will be subject to grant approval of the project. We will assess tenders received on a Most Economically Advantageous Tender.