Appeal for funds to help keep Children’s Centre open

IN response to the imminent closure of Thame’s Red Kite Children’s Centre due to cuts at county council level, two local voluntary groups are preparing a business plan to keep the centre open and have appealed to Thame Town Council for financial assistance.

One of the groups is Sharing Life Trust which aims to help people in need in the Thame area, and last week, one of its founder-members, John Hulett, presented the proposal to Thame Town Council’s Culture, Leisure and Recreation committee (CLR). John explained that in the Centre’s catchment area of Thame and Chinnor, there are 1,135 under-5s, and although the area is socio-economically ‘affluent’, there are ‘significant areas of need and disadvantage’.

Child with banner at one of he many protests against closure of childrens centres -Image courtesy of Oxfordshire NASWT

What does the Children’s Centre provide?

At the moment, the centre runs a range of activities for young children and families, and frequent clinics are arranged jointly with health professionals, as well as some special targeted activities, all currently free to use. John told councillors that of all the children eligible to use the centre, over 82% have taken up activities offered.

Sharing Life Trust has the support of the Thame Alliance Group (TAG) which has set up a working group aimed at ensuring the Red Kite Children’s Centre continues, as well as local councils, church groups and Action For Children which currently runs the centre for Oxfordshire County Council. Together they have identified the key issues for continuing to run the centre and looked at various management plans.

How much will it cost to run?

Now they are ready to complete the business plan, and although they have already raised £20,000 through Sharing Life Trust, it is estimated that the centre will cost £80,000 per year to run. Other possible sources of funding include the Oxford Community Foundation, the local business community and OCC’s transition fund of £30,000 over three years. John was asking the town council for £10,000.

“This is a local, community resource. It is all about investing in the young of our town,” he said.

Most town councillors were very supportive of John Hulett’s proposal, with Cllr Mary Stiles saying: “You get fewer problems later down the line if you help children under five years-old and their families. Also, you don’t have to be deprived to suffer from Post-natal depression!”

What is the alternative if the Centre closes?

Referring to OCC’s plan to have two or three ‘hubs’ around the county targeting services to those in need, Cllr Helena Fickling said: “Universal provision means everyone can come without being stigmatised. We want to keep it that way. What OCC is proposing separates out.”

The CLR committee voted to take the proposal, that the council provides £10,000 towards running the Red Kite Children’s Centre, to the town council’s Budget Working Group.

BREAKING NEWS – OCC’s Cabinet will today (Tuesday) bdebate whether or not to waiver the rent for the first year (from March 2017) for its buildings that are currently being used for Children’s Centres around the county, which would help those taking over their running, to get funding in place for future years.