In March Millmead Children’s Centre turned down a one-year £27,000 contract from Kent County Council – a sum offered in a U-turn from cutting funding altogether but still £206,000 less than its previous allocation from the authority.
Instead, the management team renamed the site the Millmead Community Centre and began to look how current services, including the nursery and £40k Healthy Living Centre funds for public health activities, could be expanded on.
At the same time, Age UK Thanet was looking for a new base while also preparing for possible cuts to funding. Delays to opening the health hub at the former university campus in Broadstairs meant the plan to relocate there could not go ahead in time.
A new partnership has now been sealed between the community centre and Age UK Thanet, which moved into the Dane Valley Road building this month.
The move has involved much reorganisation, the installation of a commercial kitchen and the launch of a community café.
Centre manager Gemma Shepherd said: “The Millmead team have been working hard to ensure services can continue to be offered from the centre, including with the Healthy Living contract with KCC.
“We are delighted that there have been new developments, including a name rebranding to Millmead Community Centre.
“During this transition Millmead Community Centre has welcomed Age UK Thanet into the centre, which includes the opening of the community café.”
Age UK Thanet and the Millmead team will be working on intergenerational services, bringing together all ages from the community.
Age UK Thanet chief officer Vanessa Wood said: “Our aim is to bring people together from birth to families to 50+ and people 100-plus, it is building on services we have got and developing new services to cater for all ages, using a community asset as it should be.”
Limited services continue to run at Randolph House in Zion Place until the end of July but Vanessa says clients and volunteers have embraced the new home at Millmead Community Centre.
Accessibility is aided by transport provision every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. One volunteer has even travelled the bus route with clients and colleagues to make sure everyone knows how to reach the centre and some clients continue to use taxis.
Improvements in the bus service are to be desired, says Vanessa, adding: “One volunteer has written to the MP about buses not turning up. Sitting and waiting for a bus that doesn’t turn up is a big barrier and something we would like to address. Ideally we’d like buses every 15 minutes so people can reach their destination in a timely manner.”
Vanessa adds that volunteers were the ‘absolute pinnacle’ of the move with help, support and giving up their time.
Rory Waitt, of Wildernesstowonderland, and his team have also dug in – literally – by bringing the Age UK garden to the community centre. The front of the site is now blooming and work will also take place at the rear.
Gemma says that with the ‘horrible’ times of uncertainty about Kent County Council funding and survival behind them, the centre is continuing to deliver services “at the heart of the community.”
She added: “The nursery is booming, the numbers are really good for the baby room, and I do not see that changing.”
Both organisations are on the look out for volunteers in areas such as the coffee shop, reception support, the Millmead food pantry and to help with the reopening of the family library.
Gemma and Vanessa say they are open to having discussions with the new cohort of county council members for Thanet to look at any further opportunities.
Age UK Thanet will also continue to work with the integrated health hub due to open this August at the Carey Building at the Nelson College site in Broadstairs.
The new café is open from Monday to Friday and anyone is welcome to drop in for a cuppa and a chat.
There will also be an open day event to celebrate the new partnership with a date to be announced soon.
Keep up to date with Millmead Community Centre on Facebook here or call 01843 280555
And Age UK Thanet here or call 01843 223881
What a fantastic if not somewhat unbelievable piece of news. Throughout the whole campaign to save it we were told certain closure was the only result if KCC reduced any funding. Yet now, that funding has been refused, they’ve renamed the centre & appear to be doing just fine. Good luck to them.
Its called working hard! The Centre have worked hard to make this happen and good luck to them. I have been following this madness from the start and have visited the Centre on a few occasions (maybe it might be worth you trying to see for yourself “Mr Brown”) and I have nothing but respect for these people. NOT the door to door “for their own agenda” politicians, but the actual people that work in that place. All I see on here is nothing but keyboard warriors, kicking people when they are down and giving their 2 pence worth of utter garbage that classes itself as a “comment” or “my own opinion”, I am absolutely over the moon this place has been saved and to get together with Age uk is amazing. Now KCC have saved themselves a bit of money, they can now sort their own disaster of a company out.
I couldn’t agree more Adam. The staff of the centre should rightly be very proud everything they do there.
The majority of any negative comments were not about the centre itself. They were mainly aimed at the ex “politician” who was involved in the campaign. His constant refusal to clarify where his wildly varying numbers of the people who used the “Hub” services came from was unnecessary and frustrating for many. This along with his attitude towards anyone who was asking relevant questions did nothing but distract from the actual plight of the centre. In one comment he referred to these people as “right wing trolls”, although that comment was deleted. It did come across that he was possibly more interested in what was in it for himself rather than the centre.
Hopefully despite the lack of support from KCC the centre will continue to help anyone needing their help and continue to go from strength to strength.
But still they have not addressed the parking, cars parked all day stop residents parking. Their car park needs to be double before there is a big accident
Haha, better start walking or getting the bus mate, or better still get a hobby haha