UPDATE: Thame Children’s Centre saved from closure!

LATEST UPDATE: Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to waive rent payments for the current centre’s building, for the whole of the first year.

THE news of the rescue of Thame’s Red Kite Childrens centre has just today been announced by the local charity, Sharing Life Trust, which has been leading a working group to try and save the Centre from planned closure by Oxfordshire County Council at the end of March, 2017.

Image courtesy of Action for Children

A delighted John Hulett, Sharing Life Trust spokesman, told Thame.net: “We’re Going Ahead! Just before Christmas the decision was taken that, with the promises we had received for funding, we could afford to plan for running the centre for one year. It is still our plan and hope to continue for at least three years but there is much work to do to secure the centre’s future.”

What next?

An application will be submitted to the Charity Commission within the next few days for the Centre to become a charity and it will be known as the ‘Red Kite Family Centre’. Its core purpose will be exactly the same as at present – providing support for pre-school children and their parents in Thame and Chinnor.

“We have started the process of creating a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO),” explained John. “The charity has four trustees: Mary Stiles, Sarah Roberts, Rosie Pearce and myself.”

Mary is a town councillor and has championed the centre’s work and chaired its advisory board for many years. Sarah has been a parent user and has 10 year’s experience as a manager in the NHS. Rosie is a nutritionist who has been a long standing volunteer at the centre and John, a retired headteacher, formerly of Barley Hill School in Thame. He is also a trustee of Sharing Life Trust which has been leading the campaign to keep the centre running.

“Our aim is for the current Centre’s programme to continue, with some new activities arranged in response to survey feedback from parents,” continued John. “Health Visitors and the other health professionals will continue to use the centre in Thame and Chinnor for their sessions. The position over future staffing arrangements is currently being decided and we will give an update on this within the next few weeks.”

Funding update

Of the approximately £70,000 needed to run the centre in its first year, about £45,000 has so far been promised and the Trust is waiting to hear the result of an application for further grants. The centre has also been one of the Thame Mayor’s chosen charities for this year and all concerned are grateful for all the generous support given by the local community.

“Many have registered an interest using our website link” said John, and we will be writing to them all shortly.

“We are delighted that the centre’s future is looking much brighter for the growing numbers of families with babies and young children in Thame and Chinnor. We still need to raise a lot more funds.”

Anyone who would like to help with a one-off donation or regular gift, is invited to go to the Sharing Life Trust website www.sharinglifetrust.org and press the link button for the Red Kite Family Centre.