Paul's Place History
Our
beginnings.
Friday 30th June 1995. From an informal
meeting of a dozen or so friends grew the idea of a social and recreational
club for people with special needs. We knew of no other group that could
cater for the activities we planned, The meeting had sparked an immediate
and spontaneous enthusiasm for the new venture.
The loss of a dear friend who had expressed a desire to be a founder member
gave rise to the rather unusual name. It is in his memory that we carry
on our activities.
The ethos of the club
To promote the orderly and friendly atmosphere of out club, we value the
following principles:
1. The disabled members should be the decision-makers
for the club activities; hence we formed the advisory activities committee
comprising members with special needs.
2. The volunteer helpers are recognised for their most
important contributions; hence we have adopted the national volunteer
charter. We aim to provide support and training, together with self-development
opportunities.
3. The fund-raising organisations should be confident
that their contributions are being utilised for the benefit of our members;
hence we now have registered charity status.
Our progress
We hold regular meetings and social evening at Coalpit Heath Village Hall.
Numerous other activities, ranging from group visits to local cinemas,
sports centres, clubs, restaurants, weekend breaks and holidays abroad,
provide a varied and interesting social programme for members.
The new Day Centre was opened officially by Bruce Hockin (former HTV presenter)
on 20th May 2002. We now have a full programme of daytime activities,
including sports (keep fit, fitness training, relaxation, badminton, table
tennis, etc.), computer courses (at your own speed! And you can even take
exams), and personal profiling (click for more info).
The founding members wished for and have achieved the ethos that every
member is an equal participant in the charity’s affairs.
The future
We always aim to make Paul’s Place synonymous with the happy social
contact fostered since its beginning and to encourage membership from
anyone who can benefit from our aims and objectives.
Due to the wide range of disabilities within the membership, we are constantly
looking to increase the scope and type of activities we offer. Additional
funding is required to allow this expansion and we are committed to raising
the necessary finance.
We are confident that anyone joining us at one of our activities would
share our enthusiasm for this very special club. Needless to say, all
help would be appreciated.