The South Abingdon Children’s Centre, off Caldecott Road, is set to re-open its doors at the end of the summer. The trustees got the keys last Tuesday.
The group, Abingdon Carousel have transitional funding from Oxfordshire County Council, and a grant from Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council, which means they have £100,000 over three years to get the project off the ground.
Abingdon Carousel has been set up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisations or CIO. This is a relatively new legal structure for a charity intended to reduce red tape. Nevertheless, negotiating the lease has taken time. Caldecott School will take about one third of the building and the new charity will take the rest.
Lesley Legge, the chair of trustees is pictured here, opening the door of the centre, with Councillor Sam Bowring, who initiated the project.
They will be offering a variety of services for families, children and vulnerable adults.
Organisations already lined up to begin working from the centre including Citizens Advice Abingdon, Health Visitors, Downs Syndrome Association, Inspiring Minds and Carbon Cutters. The centre will be open five days a week in term-time to start with. From the New Year they are planning to run weekend and holiday sessions.
Abingdon Carousel will have some paid staff including a centre manager but will also be run by volunteers. Around twenty volunteers have already been signed up for a variety of work including helping at play sessions, event management, gardening, painting, reception duties and administration. Anyone who would like to take part can register their details on the website www.abingdoncarousel.org.uk
There will be an Open Day on 1st September – a chance to speak to centre staff and volunteers. There you can find out more about the sessions you can use with your family or how you can join the team.
There is also a chance to help before then. Visit abingdoncarousel.org.uk/volunteers and sign-up to help clear the leaves and spruce up the building on Friday August 17th and Saturday August 18th.
Good luck, hope this goes well.
Well done, everyone. I do hope that the money is sufficient.
A massive thankyou to all those who have worked so hard and persistently to get the Centre open again and Abingdon Carousel up and running
Hear, hear! Whether we like it or not, it’s the dogged determination, beavering away below the radar, that gets the results. Hopefully lots of people will respond to their request for hands-on help next weekend.