Bingo, Klaverjas and even oriental martial arts: it’s all possible at neighborhood center De Bovenkruiser. Still, because after 10 years the board will stop. “It gave me a stomachache,” says new board member Lonneke van Soest, when she realized that the community center was in danger of disappearing. So she decided to take the plunge and join the board herself.
After a search of six months, a new board seems to have been found that can keep the community center alive. But that doesn’t mean that survival is completely in shambles.
“There are still some steps that we have to take, such as concluding the lease and some other things like that,” says departing board member Marieke Rijk. She hopes that on May 20 she can really say that the community center will remain open.
vibrant happening
Meanwhile, the visitors wait with suspense. “I’m here playing billiards and playing clubs and at the cafeteria”, says Gijs Smit. He can’t imagine the community center having to close.
When it comes to clover jackets, people also wonder where they should go. It is also one of the reasons for Lonneke to join the board. “We’ve seen it with corona, people are lonely and then sit at home. It’s the bustling happening in the neighborhood after all.”