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September 2003, Page 4.
Index of articles.
How Church works:
index,
PCC,
Sidesmen,
Electoral Roll,
Annual Meeting,
Day Centre.
More about our
Day Centre.
In this issue:
(September 2003)
Invitations,
Copts in Egypt,
Day Centre,
Homosexuality.
St Luke's Day Centre
We welcomed June Sherwin to the post of Day Centre Coordinator at the beginning of August, following Kath’s move out of the area as her husband takes up a new job.
St Luke’s Day Centre was originally set up ten years ago when Bradford Social Services asked the vicar (Rev’d Stephen Treasure) if the church could provide a facility for elderly people in the community. It is aimed at those who need the chance to get out, social contact with others, a cooked meal, a programme of input and entertainment, and some respite for their carers. Stephen, of course, agreed - after all, this is part of what church is supposed to be all about. At first the meals were bought in from an external supplier, but about two years ago we began to cook our own as there were problems with the quality and variety.
When Kath gave notice of leaving, we consulted the church congregation on “Should we have a Day Centre?” Although we do believe it provides a valuable service and is part of what we are about, there is some commitment needed to run it. We have money from Social Services for a paid coordinator, but not for paying a whole staff team - so we rely on volunteers. The Centre occupies the church building for a whole day, so funerals sometimes need to be postponed. And the pressure on space in the kitchen is considerable. Nevertheless the church gave us a resounding “YES” vote in a confidential ballot:
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On this basis we can certainly continue, and we interviewed candidates and appointed June.
The Day Centre does have some vacancies. We can take up to 25 people, and have 19 on the books at the time of writing. From 2nd September the day will be Tuesdays, as this avoids the disruption caused by bank holidays. A minibus collects those clients who need transport (fare 50p), delivering them by 10.30am and taking them home again at 3.30pm. The cooked meals cost £2.50 (we now buy them from the kitchens at St Augustine’s) - but attendance is free. All clients are assessed before they begin attending, but anyone can refer clients to us: so if you know of someone who might need our service, please let us know (with their consent, of course).
John Hartley