Futures House in Marsh Farm reopens to youth clubs, hirers and Marsh Bears Nursery from 19 October, nine weeks after a fire. Roof repairs start the same day.

Futures House, the community centre at the heart of Marsh Farm, is opening its doors again. Regular groups and hall hirers return from Monday 19 October, more than nine weeks after a fire closed the building on Wednesday 12 August.

Marsh Farm Futures, the charity that runs it, announced the return in an update on 16 October. Repairs to the fire-damaged roof start on the same Monday.

What is back, and when

Marsh Bears Nursery is holding an opening day on Monday 19 October, from 10am to 2pm, to welcome children, families and staff back.

The charity’s own services return in stages:

Week starting What restarts
19 October Futurez Youth, Tuesday 20 October, 4pm to 6pm; Junior Futurez, Thursday 22 October, 4pm to 6pm
26 October Youth clubs on Tuesday and Thursday, plus half-term sessions (below)
2 November Youth clubs as normal; Thursday coffee mornings; the community fridge on Tuesdays and Thursdays

The half-term sessions in the week of 26 October are:

  • a family film, Night of the Zoopocalypse, on Monday 26 October, 10am to 12 noon
  • Stay and Play on Tuesday 27 October, 1pm to 3pm
  • Stay and Play on Friday 30 October, 10am to 12 noon

Nearly all daytime and evening hall hires are also expected back from 2 November. Tenants have been returning gradually over the last fortnight, the charity said.

What is still closed

There is no return date yet for Café 1 or The Giggles. The building will open at set times only for now, and the charity says it will post opening hours week by week on its website and Facebook page until it is fully open again.

How long it took

The charity’s updates since August explain the wait.

  • 27 August: cleaning was finished and most building services were back on. The charity hoped to begin a phased reopening within a fortnight.
  • 4 September: most of the safety tests were done, but the fire alarm and emergency lighting had to be confirmed before anyone could move back in.
  • 17 September: the life-safety checks were complete. The heating, ventilation and other services were the hold-up, because several sit in the parts of the building where the roof was damaged, and rain had made that worse.

Those updates are on the Marsh Farm Futures home page. The charity has not said what caused the fire.

What it means for you

  • Parents: youth clubs restart on 20 and 22 October and return to their normal pattern from the week of 26 October.
  • Nursery families: Marsh Bears’ opening day is Monday 19 October, 10am to 2pm.
  • Groups and hirers: the charity has contacted regular users directly. If you have not heard, check its website, where opening times are updated each week.
  • Café 1 and The Giggles customers: both remain shut, with no date given.

The charity has run a free bonfire night display at Lea Manor Fields in past years. It has not announced one for 2026, although the council’s November road closure order allows for one on 5 November. The details are in our November road closures story and on our Luton fireworks page.

Sources

  • Update from MFF, 16 October 2026, Marsh Farm Futures, for the 19 October return, the nursery opening day, the restart schedule, the café and play centre, and the roof repairs.
  • Marsh Farm Futures, for the 12 August fire and the updates of 27 August, 4 September and 17 September.