The Rotunda

Welcome. We are a big colourful community-led place that’s here to organise whatever help’s needed around whoever comes through our Kirkdale doors.

Alternative education for young people and adults, counselling, legal advice, loads of community stuff, a café that's also a history resource, a nursery, a gorgeous garden round the side and a big space out the front for events. Plus we do advocacy for our communities and North Liverpool generally, doing our bit to help make life even better round here. All from a beautiful row of Georgian houses on Great Mersey Street. We’ve also got our own great big folly standing in front of the houses to help you find us.

At Rotunda we do alternative but very real education for teenagers and adults to help you be what you want to be and get where you want to go.

When we say it’s ‘alternative’ we don’t mean in any way it’s not proper, far from it. But we all recognise that different people learn in different ways, and what suits some of us won’t suit us all. So here at Rotunda we work with people individually and in small groups on education that we call ‘Alternative by Design’. That will help you learn in the ways that are best for you and that are helping many many people get real learning and qualifications. Qualifications that will help set you up for a lifetime of achievement - on your terms and in your way.

And some of the learning we do here at Rotunda is for anyone interested in the history and future of living round here in North Liverpool. We are what’s called a Heritage Resource Centre, a place full of information, history and learning tools for adults and children, for local history and for school and college projects. And simply for anyone who wants to come here and learn even just by dropping into our Garden Café, where stories of living here are on the walls all around you.

Above all and everything else Rotunda is a place for you. A place where you can come to and rely on for all sorts of reasons and things.

A nursery for your pre-school children. We’ll look after them while they play and gently learn. While you’re here on a course, or running something, or volunteering, or out at work, whatever. The nursery’s here to help you.

Our Garden Café where you can drop, a cup of tea with friends or on your own, or to talk with us about catering for your meetings or events. You could also talk to us about hiring some space here for whatever you’re putting on. And have a look at our gardens too, including the space out in front. We regularly use these for community events. We think that gardening, volunteering and looking after somewhere beautiful is good for us all.

Because Rotunda is for all of us. The people who work and volunteer with us, the people who live and work round here. Everyone. And if what you need doesn’t look like it’s in our stories, come and talk to us about it anyway. That’s how we make up what we do next, by listening to everyone who comes through our Kirkdale doors.

Our alternative education for adults is about whatever people want or need, from formal qualifications to non-accredited awards, that’s all about learning and progress through the whole of your life. From belly dancing to science, through things like Neuro Linguistic Programming and learning to play the ukulele. It’s never stuffy, is always fun and you’ll probably find new friends while you’re learning.