TRUSTEES have voted to re-open the Oughtrington Luncheon Club at Lymm as soon as possible following a meeting at the local community centre on Wednesday evening.
It follows the controversial closure of the luncheon club following a fallout between Trustees and volunteers, resulting in the locks being changed on the community facility.
A statement issued by Lymm Parish Council on behalf of the Trustees of Oughtrington Community Centre said:
“Following a Trustees meeting held this evening 19th April 2023 at Oughtrington Community Centre, the Trustees voted to accept and enable the re-opening of Oughtrington Luncheon Club as soon as practically possible. The Trustees are both pleased and relieved to have reached this unanimous decision, ensuring the future of the centre and activities for Luncheon Club users. Once the Luncheon Club volunteers have made the necessary preparations, clients will be welcomed back to the centre.
The sessions previously held twice a week will restart as soon as possible. Alongside this, discussions will take place with the Trustees and the volunteers of the Luncheon Club to ensure a clear understanding and resolution of the issues that led to the breakdown in communication and the locks being changed whilst ensuring that this unfortunate situation does not happen again. At this point in time, the priority is for the Community Centre to carry out its core purpose to support the residents that rely on its service.
In addition, all members’ applications have been accepted, with letters to all new and longer-standing members being hand delivered this week. Included in the letter are the details of a Future Vision and AGM for Oughtrington Community Centre which has been set for May 10th at 7pm. All are welcome and membership will be open on the night. At the meeting, all current Trustees will be stepping down and a new Board of Trustees will be voted in. Further discussions about the Memorandum and Articles of Association will take continue once the new Board of Trustees is in place.
The Trustees are now asking for members and residents to consider stepping forward and supporting the Community Centre to move forward to its next chapter. Skills required to do this include finance, fundraising, law (especially charity law), IT, marketing and social media, health and safety, safeguarding, volunteer management, business planning and building and capital projects.
After a particularly difficult period, the Trustees are pleased to be looking to the future and are working with Warrington Voluntary Action in order to make the next steps for Oughtrington Community Centre as smooth, comprehensive and inclusive as possible.
For further information, please contact Lymm Parish Council nominated Trustee, Kerry Duffin, on 07741 877870 or [email protected]
Assurances sought over re-opening of Oughtrington Luncheon Club
