Welcome to the first day of the 2025 Harehills Good News Advent Calendar!
Last year, for Day 21, we featured the ‘CommUnity Harehills’ project. We explored its “Clear, Hold, Build” strategy—a long-term approach focused on positive engagement, tackling organised crime, and strengthening our community from within.
This year, we’re kicking off with the most significant and tangible outcome of that “Build” phase: the new Fusion 8 Community Hub.
What makes this story so powerful isn’t just the new hub, but where the money came from. Opening this August on Bexley Road, the centre was largely funded by the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS). That’s money seized directly from criminals—profits from the very crime the project has been tackling since March 2023—reclaimed and invested right back into the heart of our neighbourhood.
The hub itself is a fantastic example of partnership. Places for People (PfP), a social enterprise, provided the once-empty commercial unit. From there, volunteers—including local PCSOs, councillors, and PfP staff—all pitched in with their own time to transform it into the welcoming space it is today.
Inside, Fusion 8 is all about providing practical, dignified support for local families. It’s home to a school uniform exchange, a food and hygiene bank, and a new community garden. To celebrate our area’s unique identity, the walls feature a large world map and a colourful mural created with local schoolchildren.
As we covered last year, this whole initiative is about strengthening ties. Fusion 8 is a key part of that, providing a safe, neutral, and positive space where residents and officers can connect, build trust, and work together.
It’s a brilliant full-circle story. From the difficult ‘Clear’ phase to this inspiring ‘Build’ phase, Fusion 8 is a real-world example of turning a negative into a powerful, community-focused positive that will be here for years to come.
Other places to feature this amazing story:
Places for People’s great story
West Yorkshire Police’s story about Fusion 8 and CommUnity
Harehills ❤️ Love 
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