Our Work and Life Centre on Cardiff Road has undergone some exciting changes, and with our new open-door policy, we’ve welcomed a significant rise in visitors.
Building on the success and strong foundations laid by Sharon and the team (who were at the centre when we opened in 2021), new manager Mandy, work and life skills co-ordinator Zoe and support officer Mike, have created a new timetable.
People can visit the centre in their own time, have a look what’s on offer and take part in as much or as little as they want.
By leveraging successful strategies from the past and introducing fresh activities chosen by the centre’s attendees, the centre now attracts more people and continues to pilot new activities. This will ensure the centre remains a vibrant and welcoming destination that can accommodate more and more people.
Some of the new activities introduced include an Internet Café, more health and well-being pursuits on a Friday and employability support. Build on Belief is also new and supports people on their recovery journey by helping them build social connections and engage in meaningful activities.
We continue to build local partnerships, and we are hopeful that Reading College will be offering free haircuts for men in the coming months by trainee barbering students.
A professionals’ coffee morning has been introduced to provide networking opportunities for other agencies and partners to visit the centre and learn about what we do, thus helping to spread the word.
Pete Doyle – winner of the ‘Local Hero’ award at the recent Pride of Reading Awards for his fantastic work in the community – has donated guitars and comes in weekly to ‘jam’ with attendees who are interested in learning how to play. Music is a great form of therapy, brings people together and sparks conversations.
Our own maintenance team hope to offer DIY sessions to attendees, and we’ve established a new relationship with the University of Reading who are coming in next month to let attendees know about employment opportunities at the university.
Protected time is being introduced on a Friday with a Women’s Wellness Circle in the morning and a Men’s Wellbeing Circle Outreach in the afternoon. This means no men and women will mix at the sessions.
The team are also connecting with external partners to explain about the centre so they can spread the word amongst their clients.
Due to the growing demand on our Work & Life skills centre we will be holding a recruitment drive for volunteers, if this is something you would be interested in please do keep an eye on our website and Social Media channels for updates, or email our Volunteer Manager Sharon Sharon.Mullis@launchpadreading.org.uk.
If you would like to know more, you can click here for the latest timetable or make a donation to help us keep the centre available to all.