We are a community centre based on the Percy estate in Warwick that was initially set up to try and provide some activities for young people on the estate who were getting into trouble and causing real problems for older people, especially in the evenings. After a while, older people from the estate started wanting services for themselves as well which we work hard to continue to provide. We then raised funding to take over the old St John's Church hall in Oakwood Grove, renovated and extended it into a building that could become a focal point for the community.
We now run a thriving community centre which provides a wide range of services and activities for the local community. We take an holistic approach to working with people and are user led. Activities and services provided aim to meet the needs of the community, whether that is for physical exercise, advice on various issues, help getting back into work, volunteering opportunities, support, socialising (thus reducing social isolation and maintaining better levels of mental health) etc.
We are a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee and are independent. A lot of people think we are run by Warwickshire County Council but we are totally independent. We raise all the funding needed to keep ourselves running through a variety of means (I think how we do that is another blog in itself!). We are run by a board of 7 trustees who employ a small team of staff to run the centre.
The staff team is made up as follows:
- Vicki Jones - Director
- Marcos Campos - Youth and Families Development Manager
- Kate Dutton - Centre Co-ordinator
- Rich Parsons - Youth and Families Team Leader
- Scott - Youth worker
- Jo - Youth Worker
- Tina - evening caretaker
- We currently have a vacancy for a part-time caretaker as well
Most of our staff are part-time and we also have a team of over 30 volunteers. Our volunteers are a crucial part of our success, they help us deliver a wide range of services to the community and without them, many of the activities and services we provide would not be possible.
Regular activities we provide include 3 youth sessions a week for young people 8-18, Stay and Play sessions for parents and toddlers, art club for older people, various exercise classes, a lunch club for older people, Tai Chi, Zumba, Baby clinics and police and local councillor surgeries. There is much more on offer and that will be the subject of another blog I think!
If you want to know more before I manage to write another one then please visit our website www.thegapwarwick.org or pop in and see us at 39 Oakwood Grove, Warwick.
