UK Social Centre Network
Encyclopedia
The UK Social Centre Network is a grass roots initiative to establish a network
between self identified radical independent social and community centres in the United Kingdom
. There is no single policy statement but clearly a general desire to improve communication and co-operation between the growing number of autonomous spaces "to share resources, idea
s and information
". Self selected participants draw a clear distinction between their radical autonomous spaces on one side and the state or large NGO sponsored community centres on the other. While there has been something of a tradition
of social spaces in occupied buildings (also known as squatting
), recent years have seen an upsurge in the creation of social centres in rented or purchased buildings. The network of social centres network in the UK is very much in its infancy compared to some other places in Europe such as Holland, Italy and Spain.
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
between self identified radical independent social and community centres in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. There is no single policy statement but clearly a general desire to improve communication and co-operation between the growing number of autonomous spaces "to share resources, idea
Idea
In the most narrow sense, an idea is just whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images...
s and information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
". Self selected participants draw a clear distinction between their radical autonomous spaces on one side and the state or large NGO sponsored community centres on the other. While there has been something of a tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
of social spaces in occupied buildings (also known as squatting
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
), recent years have seen an upsurge in the creation of social centres in rented or purchased buildings. The network of social centres network in the UK is very much in its infancy compared to some other places in Europe such as Holland, Italy and Spain.
List of social centres
| Name | Place | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 1 in 12 Club | Bradford | 21 Albion Street | http://www.1in12.com/ |
| Bradford Centre for Nonviolence | Bradford | 2 Ashgrove | http://www.treehousecafe.org |
| The Common Place | Leeds | 23-25 Wharf Street | http://www.thecommonplace.org.uk/ |
| The Casa / Initiative Factory | Liverpool | 29 Hope Street | http://www.initfactory.gn.apc.org/ |
| Section Six | Norwich | Duke St | http://www.myspace.com/wherewillitbe |
| The Sumac Centre | Nottingham | 245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields | http://www.sumac.org.uk |
| Kebele Cultural Project | Bristol | 14 Robertson Road | http://www.kebelecoop.org |
| The Cowley Club Cowley Club The Cowley Club is a libertarian social centre in Brighton, England, United Kingdom opened in 2003. It provides resources and meeting spaces for groups and individuals active in areas such as workplace and unemployed struggles, international solidarity, animal liberation, ecological defence,... |
Brighton | 12 London Road | http://www.cowleyclub.org.uk |
| Freedom Press Freedom Press The Freedom Press is an anarchist publishing house in Whitechapel, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1886, it is the largest anarchist publishing house in the nation and the oldest of its kind in the English speaking world. It is based at 84b Whitechapel High Street in the East End of London... |
London | 84b Whitechapel High Street (Angel Alley) | http://www.freedompress.org.uk/ |
| Star and Shadow | Newcastle Upon Tyne | Stepney Bank | http://www.starandshadow.org.uk/ |
| Next To Nowhere | Liverpool | - | http://www.liverpoolsocialcentre.org |
| Warzone | Belfast | - | http://www.warzonecollective.com |
| The Factory | Bristol | 2-8 Cave Street | http://freefactory.wordpress.com/ |
Occasional/Evicted Social Centres
- Matilda, Sheffield
- Peoples Autonomous Destination (PAD), Cardiff
- A-Spire, Leeds
- Mill Road Social Centre, Cambridge
- OKasional Cafe, Manchester
Resource Centres
- Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
- Lancaster Resource Centre, Lancaster
- Blackcurrent Centre, Northampton
- Oxford Action Resource Centre, Oxford
- 56@ Infoshop, London
- London Action Resource CentreLondon Action Resource CentreThe London Action Resource Centre is a meeting centre and planning area for several protest groups, including Queeruption and Indymedia in London. It also functions as a planning and information centre for Peoples Global Action. It was originally known as the Fieldgate Action Resource Centre...
, London - Bradford Resource Centre, Bradford
- The Forest - A social centre and arts space in Edinburgh