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1.1
30 YEARS
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
The Westfield Community Centre and its constituent community groups have a
long and appreciated record of service to the local community. In 1997 the
community centre celebrated 30 years of community education provision. A brief resume of the intervening decades
indicates constant developments and adaptation to community needs and
aspirations.
1.2.
1960’s-70s
The centre began life in 1967 when local
people canvassed to have the then closed Westfield Junior School re-opened
to provide a place for Hinckley’s First playgroup to meet during the day
and a for youth group in the evening. By late1968, A community centre
management committee had formed and the local Authority had appointed a
part time Youth Worker to the centre.
In 1974 The LEA began to reorganise many of its’ schools and colleges as
community education centres and broaden the school and college curriculum
to life long learning community education provision .At this time the LEA
set up Community Associations and invited lay members of local communities
and community Groups to form partnerships with local schools and colleges
. The aim being to develop locally based community education provision
that would be directed by the community for the community in partnership.
At this time The Westfield Community centre became an annex to The
Hinckley Further education college With the arrival of A Community Tutor
/Head of Centre in !974 . the centre’s curriculum was developed . to
include extensive community work with the voluntary sector, Health and
Social Services. The Centre supported the development of a community based
day centre for local people with mental health problems, Age Concern drop
ins, the local branch of Homestart developed out of the Westfield Womens
group. The Lawns Day centre from a Drop in for the elderly held at the
centre, The Hinckley MIND group from The Westfield Mental Health
Centre.
On an outreach basis the centre played a significant role in developing
the local voluntary sector. On site the centre continued to work with Pre
school children and their families, and began work with School age
children offering a one afternoon per week after school club, cycling
proficiency courses and annual summer playschemes.
In addition the centre offered a varied adult evening class programme, and
developed Youth work provision over several nights a week.
1.3
1980s
–1990’s.
The
late 1980’s and 1990’s have seen further major developments on site .
The Westfield Community Association pump primed and initiated several
important community initiatives. In 1989/90 it offered pump priming monies
to bring all the strands of the community centres’ work with pre-school,
children parents and carers into a single project the Westfield Children
Centre .An under fives room was refurbished and an adjacent Junior school
Science Room Converted. The Children Centre now provides an extensive and
comprehensive Pre-school curriculum Which also includes vocational
training for pre-school and Play workers.
In 1992 The community centre was still
reliant on the Meals on Wheels service
for it’s day time elderly and health care groups .The service was
providing over 200 meals a week to centre users. The community association
offered the pump priming monies to convert an existing domestic science
room to a community centre kitchen.
Today food is prepared on a daily basis by two part time cooks assisted by
Volunteers. The meals are subsidised to support the centres’ work with
the elderly and frail and people with mental health problems. For two of
the last three years the kitchen has been open on Christmas day providing
a Christmas Lunch for over 100 elderly and socially isolated people in
Hinckley and the surrounding villages.
In 1994. Work with the school age children
was developed further with the opening of a five day a week kids Club,
providing play and learning opportunities before and after school and
throughout the School Holidays. The Kids Club also assumed the
responsibility of running the Westfield summer playscheme, which is in
it’s 30th Year.
In 1996 ,with funds from North Warwickhire and Hinckley College,an
Information Technology room was opened at the centre, it is used to
provide formal IT training by offering college organised courses and by
community ,youth, and school age groups for providing their own informal
programmes.
1997. The association and it’s constituent groups purchased 2 mini buses
with disabled access which provide for the various community and youth
groups on site, and are available for and used by our wider community
partners throughout the Hinckley and South Leicestershire Area.
These developments have taken place within the context of building a large
comprehensive community education curriculum. The programmes foster a
cradle to grave provision covering work with pre-school children their
parents and carers, work with school age children and their families,
youth work, adult and continuing education, and community work /community
development, with an emphasis on Community capacity building.
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