Community Story - Dorothy Parkes Centre
“We are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis, cuts, climate change, strikes, all post-pandemic so it's been one challenge after another for as long as most of us can remember. Yet demand has never been higher.”
Today is in the first of our stories focussing on the remarkable impact that the National Grid Community Matters Fund (Fuel Poverty) is having in across the UK, we are visiting the Dorothy Parkes Centre (DPC) in Smethwick in the West Midlands. Situated in a diverse and deprived area, the centre opened in 2000 and provides a warm, safe place of welcome and opportunity, seven days a week and accessible to all.
The DPC ( @dorothy_parkes ) helps to address many of the needs of the community by involvement in a wide range of activities. These include access to youth clubs, social groups, creative arts, martial arts, health and fitness, weight management, dance, bereavement support, job clubs and private tutoring. There is access to an award-winning Community Allotment Plot, and monthly Community Litter Picks. Food vouchers are distributed, and light touch preventative support is provided for adults via the Community Offer. A successful Community School Uniform Giveaway programme is provided by the Centre, and it hosts afternoon teas, community cinema and theatre events as well as police and council surgeries.
The Centre attracts an average of 750 people per week, and is proud to be informed by the community it serves. There are regular consultations and engagements through open days, social media, and a user-friendly website and the Support and Development Group is made up of local stakeholders.
The DPC welcomes all those who attend the Centre, whether for the opportunity to meet others or to receive services. It is open to all, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, or religion and aims to provide a warm, safe, and secure space whilst providing life-enhancing opportunities. Currently, there are 17 projects and a comprehensive volunteering programme being delivered by the DPC.
“The grant from National Grid's Community Matters Fund will make a big difference to the range of help we can offer our local community."
Our Head of Communications, Luke Upton, asked Centre CEO Robert Bruce, about how their work and demands have changed in recent years; “We are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis, cuts, climate change, strikes, all post-pandemic so it's been one challenge after another for as long as most of us can remember. Yet demand has never been higher.”
"Our room occupancy is high with a variety of groups and projects taking place supporting people by providing a warm hub, warm packs, hygiene packs, physical and mental health support services, bereavement support, just to name a few, so it’s a lot more reactive support due to the unprecedented times we are living in”, added Robert.
The team at the DPC have just received a £9,945 grant from the National Grid Community Matters Fund (Fuel Poverty) and Robert is happy to share the impact it will make; “The grant from National Grid's Community Matters Fund will make a big difference to the range of help we can offer our local community. Winter is a difficult time for many people in our area who struggle to keep warm due to excessive energy costs. This can have a negative impact on young families and older adults, affecting their health and wellbeing. The Dorothy Parkes Centre's 'Warm this Winter' campaign will provide members of our local community with access to a Warm Bank and Warm Packs so that they can keep themselves and their homes warm this winter."
"There are many residents in Smethwick living in fuel poverty and we would like to say a huge thank you to National Grid for their much-needed support. And we are also grateful to the great help from Localgiving, which provides us with access to a variety of funding opportunities and support which helps us provide the right support for our community in this desperate time of need. Thank you both!" concluded Robert.
The campaign will run from 1st January - 31st March 2024 and the £9,945 grant will allow the DPC team to distribute 100 Warm Packs including items such as radiator bleed keys, electric throw blankets, draft excluders, and flasks. It will also support the heating costs of the Centre, which is open seven days a week to all members of our community as a Welcoming Warm Space. If you would like more details about the campaign, please call 0121 558 2998 or email admin@dorothyparkes.org