For people with learning disabilities and their families
Build Our Future Campaign
The Big Idea
We want to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of our centre for adults and children with learning disabilities and their families in order to become more accessible, sustainable and eco-friendly and improve facilities for our users, volunteers and staff.
Details
We own a large Victorian building which is not listed but is based in a conservation area in North Islington. The space within the basement is under-used, unattractive and badly structured. We want to provide disability access and energy efficient heating to our building and re-design our basement area. These improvements will benefit upto two thousand local carers, families, adults and children with learning disabilities. We would also like to offer our improved space and facilities to other local community and voluntary groups for classes, meetings, events and celebrations.
Through consultation with our service users, we found out that people often felt that our building was inefficiently heated and difficult to move around in. The building also badly needs some basic redecoration and refurbishment. Members and service users also wanted building improvements which could help provide additional activities and clubs. Staff and volunteers commented that our building is old and with our antiquated boilers, lack of double glazing and inadequate insulation, we currently waste energy, operating in conditions which are either too hot or too cold and contributing to carbon emissions.
The re-design of our basement area would provide:
- A large hall/events room for meetings, training, club activities and social events.
- A lift to provide access to all areas of the building.
- A new, more accessible, reception area at basement level
- Improved access to the garden
- A community cafe and training kitchen
- Small meeting/counseling rooms
- An additional training/meeting space to be called the Garden Room
- Disabled toilets and shower/wet room
- A new learning and Leisure staff office with adjoining volunteer area where young people and adults with learning difficulties can carry out volunteer administrative roles.
We are currently waiting for detailed costing's from our technical design team but believe that the final cost is likely to be in the region of £837,000.
Further updates about the progress of our building project and our fundraising efforts to achieve an improved building will be posted here.
Contact details:
Linda McGowan - Chief Executive
T: 020 7607 8762
E-mail: general@centre404.org.uk
