Love is... Sharing with friends
THE Wear Valley Centre is 15 years old this year and in that time has formed a unique team of attenders and staff who are closer than ever.The majority of service users live in and around the Crook and Weardale area and visit the Castle Close Industrial estate centre most days, where they meet with staff and friends.
The centre is part of County Durham¹s Adult and Community Services and is a day centre for people who have a learning disability.
Regular Jayne Hillery, who is one of the group¹s keenest line-dancers, said:
³I¹ve been coming here for a long time and I really enjoy it.
Eric Seddon, who has also been going to the centre for many years, said:
³The centre helps people, and Kath and Anne are great.
³I go to Houghall College (Durham) once a week and it¹s something different.
³I¹m interested in the history of the college.² Anne Carrick is the day service worker and has been at the centre for 10 years.
She said: ³I started out as a volunteer and things snowballed from there.
³It¹s so hard to describe just how much I love my job and how much I get out of it I just never thought I would find work that I enjoy as much as I do.
³It¹s a pleasure to work with everybody here and I get as much as I give.
³One of the reasons the centre works so well is because of the parents who get involved.
³They are our friends and have achieved so much.
³Four years ago, they raised enough money to buy us a people- carrier which has meant we can go much further.
³They are a fantastic group who work tirelessly to secure funding and do so much to make trips and visits possible.² ³The centre is all about links. We need to have strong links with the community.² ³Our aim is to build and develop new contacts and links within our community to widen the experience of our attenders.
³The centre and the individuals who use it have become part of the community by being actively involved in it and adding to it.
³We join in with as much as we can which helps our attenders to become independent.² The centre has computers, kitchen facilities and space for project work.
The group is clearly tight knit and everybody is friends, with 15 regular attenders who swim, shop, dance and visit the library and market together.
Kath Winter, Community support worker for 18 months at the centre, said:
³Anne and I both love working here and we get on great.
³It¹s a team effort with everyone pulling in the same direction.