Charity celebrates £1m windfall

A WARRINGTON charity is celebrating a near £1 million windfall to revamp their headquarters at a former
100-year-old primary school.
Warrington Disability Partnership (WDP) in partnership with Warrington Borough Council has been awarded with £922,055 from the Big Lottery Community Assets Fund. The funding will renovate the centre for Independent Living, (CIL) on Beaufort Street. All of the work will be undertaken using the latest environmentally friendly products and systems. On completion, the building will be transferred to WDP on a 30-year (low cost) lease, providing a firm foundation to enable expansion and management of the building and its services to meet the growing needs of the existing users. It will enable WDP to meet its aspirations to open the doors of the centre to the wider local community. This will help WDP play a key role in extending community provision to children and young people, parents, ethnic minority groups and older people in the Whitecross and Sankey Bridges area.The Community Assets funding is from the Government’s Office of the Third Sector but is being managed by the Big Lottery Fund. Nationally, councils are being encouraged to transfer assets to third sector organisations such as the WDP, and the council is treating the CIL project as a pilot for further asset transfers in Warrington.
Diana Terris, chief executive of the council said: “This is fantastic news for Warrington. We are very proud of our continued partnership with the Warrington Disability Partnership and Council for Voluntary Services in helping to improve services and facilities for all communities in Warrington. This award represents a huge boost in helping us to jointly achieve that aim.”
Dave Thompson, founder and chairperson of WDP said: “I was overwhelmed when I heard the news. This is fantastic news and the making of a true partnership between the council and the Warrington Disability Partnership. The building in its completion will be a fit for purpose platform to develop more joint ventures.
“It has provided a true legacy for WDP for the next 30 years and beyond. Not only will it help refurbish the existing building, which has a leaking roof, damp and peeling plaster but it will also include the adjacent old caretakers house which will enable us to expand our services further.“On a personal note I feel very proud that a vision I have had since the early 1990’s tto provide a one stop shop to provide services for disabled people is set to become a reality.”