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Hear
Sarita Jain on BBC Three Counties Radio
Hear
project manager Martin Varney
Councillor
Dave Taylor
Dallow
Development Trust Janet Montgomery
It's
cost about £1.2m, taken years to organise and is set to serve
more than 11,500 people in the Dallow Ward of Luton - it's the new
Dallow Learning Community Centre.
Sarita
Jain, centre director for the Dallow Learning Community Centre,
said it was an exciting time for the area.
"The
centre has been developed with the local community's consultation
and now the building work is going on. We hope that it will be finished
in late August or September."
A move
for a community centre has grown up over the past 30 years, with
the Dallow Development Group being launched in 1997 followed by
the independent Dallow Development Trust in 2000.
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| The
sign outside the new centre |
The
project has been funded by a loan from Single Regeneration Fund
and money from Luton Borough Council.
The
Dallow Ward is not only one of the most deprived in Luton, but on
many scales is one of the worst areas in the country, said Sarita.
One
in five people living in the area is on benefits, there is high
unemployment and long-term sick levels, 30 per cent of the community
are under 15, and 48 per cent are from a minority ethnic mix with
a whole range of backgrounds.
"We
are hoping this centre will fill a gap in providing services for
the people in Dallow," said Sarita.
The
centre is set to have a whole host of facilities. There will be
two halls available for hire for private functions and exercise
classes, a community kitchen and cafe.
"We
hope the kitchen and cafe will help people develop social enterprise,
getting them to train and get the necessary skills they need,"
said Sarita.
Other
facilities planned for the centre include after school care, pre-school
groups and breakfast clubs for children.
Sarita
added: "We will also have a health room where we will get various
health professionals in, from counsellors to nutritionists, and
people offering benefits advice.
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| Nearby
houses in the Dallow area |
"Quite
often in an underprivileged area, people don't have transport and
if they are on benefits it can be difficult to get out. For a long
time, Dallow has been without local services so we will use the
community centre to alter this imbalance."
Upstairs,
the centre will have a resource room for community groups to use
with office facilities; a room dedicated to vocal recording for
younger members of the community to gain broadcasting experience.
Sarita
added: "We are hoping that local businesses will come into
partnership with us, so that if there's a skills shortage, we can
train the community to their needs."
Outside
there will be a multipurpose sports pitch, which will double as
a car park when events are held at the centre. The North Chilterns
Trust is also planning to help the community grow vegetables and
fruit in the centre's garden.
Anyone
who is interested in volunteering or a business that would like
to work in partnership with the centre should contact Sarita on
01582 410 333.
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