Strengthening Our Community:
A Special Thanks to Our Benefactors

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Park Farm Admin

“Empowering the Community: Stories Behind £51,259 in Grants and at ParkFarm Community Centre

At Park Farm Community Centre, we’re dedicated to making a positive impact in our local community. We are thrilled to announce that we’ve recently received several grants that will enable us to continue and expand our efforts. These grants come from generous organizations that share our commitment to enhancing the lives of the people we serve. We’d like to express our heartfelt gratitude to each of them for their support.

vola - Park Farm Community Centre

UK Shared Prosperity Fund (£3,310):

We are excited to share that we’ve received a grant of £3,310 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This funding will play a crucial role in our ongoing mission to improve digital access within the area. With this grant, we will be able to purchase a suite of new laptops and a storage unit, making it easier for our community members to access the digital resources they need.

The Skelton Charity (£812.50):


We are deeply appreciative of The Skelton Charity, which has once again supported our cause. They have granted us £812.50, which will be used to provide resources for Park Farm Pickup. This grant will ensure that our wrap-around childcare services are better equipped, resourced, and organized. It will also allow us to create more creative and engaging opportunities for the children who attend our sessions.

LCVS-Park Farm Community Centre

Torus Foundation (£500):

Thanks to the Torus Foundation, we’ve received a grant of £500 to support our social activity groups. This funding will make it possible for adults and older people in our community to continue attending center-based activities. In doing so, they will reduce social isolation, make new friends, and become more deeply involved in the community.

Torus foundation- Park Farm Community Centre
The Rainford Trust - Park Farm Community Centre

Rainford Trust (£5,000):

The Rainford Trust has generously awarded us a grant of £5,000 in July 2023 to support 12 months of staffing costs for our primary school pickup service. This support is essential in ensuring that we can continue to provide this vital service to our community.

Tesco Community Grants (£500):

We’re thrilled to share that our project to purchase new resources for our primary school pickup service won a £500 grant through Tesco Community Grants. This grant was the result of a public vote, and we’re extremely grateful to everyone who nominated us.

tesco - Park Farm Community Centre
foyle-Park Farm Community Centre

Foyle Foundation (£10,000):

The Foyle Foundation has granted our charity £10,000 to sustain our Community Engagement work from September 2023 for a further twelve months. This substantial support ensures that our projects remain responsive, well-informed, and aligned with the needs of our local community.

Liverpool One Foundation -Park Farm Community Centre

Community Foundation For Merseyside (£29,137):

In May 2023, we were generously awarded £29,137 by the Liverpool One Foundation across the Community Foundation for Merseyside Youth Diversion Fund. This support will enable us to employ four youth workers and a youth coordinator. They will offer mental health support and engaging activities to 30-40 local young people over the next three years, making a lasting impact on their lives.


The Albert Hunt Trust (£2,000):

In March 2023, The Albert Hunt Trust contributed £2,000 toward our Community Engagement role. This role plays a crucial part in organizing activities, engaging with local residents, groups, and organizations. It ensures that our program remains responsive to the community’s ever-changing

The Albert Hunt Trust - Park Farm Community Centre

The Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, the Youth Diversion Fund. (£2,100):

In October 2023, We were awarded £2,100 to deliver activities over the October half-term and Halloween weekend to ensure children and young people living in and around Carr Mill, Clinkham Wood, and Moss Bank were actively engaged within a safe and fun setting.

Community Foundation For Merseyside - Park Farm Comunity Centre

These grants represent not just financial support but a vote of confidence in our mission. The collective impact of these grants will allow us to better serve our community, make a difference in the lives of the people we support, and ensure a brighter future for all. We extend our sincere thanks to each organization that has supported us and look forward to continuing our work with renewed determination.

For more information about our community center, upcoming projects, or to get involved, please feel free to contact us or explore our website. Together, we can make our community a better place for everyone.

Honoring the Dedication of Peter and Sue Bold at ParkFarm Community Centre

 

We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Peter and Sue Bold for their exceptional dedication and unwavering commitment to the children and young people of Moss Bank. Today, we proudly celebrate their remarkable journey being acknowledged by none other than our esteemed Mayor, Councillor Lynn Clarke.

 

Peter and Sue Bold have devoted their lifetimes to serving the Moss Bank community, particularly the children and youth, and it is truly heartwarming to see their tireless efforts being recognized in such a special way.

 

Their visionary leadership has been the driving force behind the establishment and growth of ParkFarm Community Centre. Alongside other remarkable individuals like Tony Gosling, they harnessed the power of successful funding applications to lay the foundation and nurture the growth of this invaluable community hub.

 

One noteworthy example of their dedication is Peter’s and Phil’s, a skilled community member, commitment to renovating the center. They spent countless Saturdays meticulously restoring the building, even going so far as to construct a ramp to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities. The memory of Peter working on the Centre’s roof during freezing Christmas weather speaks volumes about their determination.

 

Listening to Sue’s enchanting stories of transporting children back in time to the Victorian era and hearing Peter’s tales of empowering young minds through visits to the Houses of Parliament for a deeper understanding of democracy is truly inspiring. Their support in guiding a group of children to create a winning presentation, which secured substantial funding pivotal to the center’s development, is a testament to their impactful contributions.

 

Let us not forget the collective effort with their neighbor Phil and other individuals in breathing new life into the ParkFarm building, reviving it as a vibrant community space.

 

Peter and Sue Bold, your unwavering commitment has left an indelible mark on the lives of countless local children and residents. The legacy you are creating is a beacon of hope and positivity that radiates far beyond the bounds of our community.

Honoring the Dedication

Honoring the Dedication

Honoring the Dedication

Honoring the Dedication

Honoring the Dedication

Honoring the Dedication

Do You Look For Room Hire in St.Helens? Park Farm Community Centre has many meetings and other function rooms, including Kitchen and Sports Hall for Room Hire in St.Helens, Carr Mill

 Community News and Updates
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Do You Look For Room Hire in St.Helens? Park Farm Community Centre has many meetings and other function rooms, including Kitchen and Sports Hall for Room Hire in St.Helens, Carr Mill

Do You Look For Room Hire in St.Helens? Park Farm Community Centre has many meetings and other function rooms, including Kitchen and Sports Hall for Room Hire in St.Helens, Carr Mill

Do You Look For Room Hire in St.Helens? Park Farm Community Centre has many meetings and other function rooms, including Kitchen and Sports Hall for Room Hire in St.Helens, Carr Mill

Park Farm ACYP Community Centre is an inclusive multi-purpose community organisation,
aiming to improve the quality of life for the people of Carr Mill, Clinkham Wood and Moss Bank

Mision: To bring about long-term positive change and improvement to the quality of life of local people by creating opportunities to improve health, education, recreation and employability for adults, children and young people

Vision: Aspire to be the hub of the local community providing a secure, sustainable and dependable focal point that is valued and supported by the people of our community and surrounding areas

Values:

‣ Positivity of community spirit
‣ Inclusive to all people
‣ Respect for others
‣ Holistic approach to wellbeing
‣ Innovation & creativity
‣ Sustainability

Do You Look For Room Hire in St.Helens? Park Farm Community Centre has many meetings and other function rooms, including Kitchen and Sports Hall for Room Hire in St.Helens, Carr Mill

Introduction

We are a community organisation based in the heart of the Moss Bank, Clinkham Wood and Carr Mill estate in St Helens, Merseyside. We serve a tightly-knit neighbourhood of children, young people, adults and older people and have been connecting our community together for over twelve years. Our mission is to work together to improve the lives of our residents by providing life changing opportunities.

The Centre opened in 2007 and emerged from a small committee of local volunteers coming together to take positive social action and to improve facilities on the Moss Bank estate. Their vision was to transform a historical farm building (built c.1760 and come to known locally as “The Blackhouse”) into a multi-use community centre, which has flourished and grown from strength to strength. We pride ourselves in helping to create meaningful and lasting relationships with the families of Moss Bank, Clinkham Wood and Carr Mill.

Do You Look For Room Hire in St.Helens? Park Farm Community Centre has many meetings and other function rooms, including Kitchen and Sports Hall for Room Hire in St.Helens, Carr Mill

Tel: 01744 754367

The practical difference we want to make

We want our centre to be sustainable, inclusive, and accessible; a diverse and uplifting community hub led by, and equipped with a team of inspiring, skilled and dedicated people. We have made positive steps in this direction already from transforming and refurbishing our building, to successfully delivering past and present projects, and from the recent investment we have received for the future of our community centre.

We want to reach and include more isolated and marginalised groups (e.g. socially isolated older people, men and boys, those living with mental health issues, people with disabilities) and to encourage involvement through accessible and engaging activities. This will ensure steps are made towards creating a community of people that take active steps towards improving their wellbeing, are listened to, and who are inspired with greater community spirit.

Do You Look For Room Hire in St.Helens? Park Farm Community Centre has many meetings and other function rooms, including Kitchen and Sports Hall for Room Hire in St.Helens, Carr Mill

The Work We Do

The Centre is used as a venue for hire seven days a week by groups and organisations who deliver healthy, fun and creative activities for our beneficiaries. We engage between 800 to 1000 people each year and have worked with over 100 partners to offer a range of activities, groups, courses, support services, and volunteering opportunities.

We also manage and deliver our own projects. In October 2018, we successfully received a Reaching Communities grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

For the first time, this allowed us to employ a full-time Centre Coordinator who is now leading on delivering our vision for the next five years, engaging more with the community, and developing projects which the people of Moss Bank can get involved in.

We are making a difference! A snapshot from a recent evaluation shows, for example, that 59 older people participating in a weekly fitness activity are saying that their health is improving, they feel less isolated, and are more confident going out. Volunteering opportunities have led to 12 people moving into further education or employment and a case study of a local resident is saying something we hear regularly: “Park Farm Community Centre is part of our heritage.

I have been coming here since I was a girl. I am 66 now and still using it. We’ve got to have somewhere to go!”

BBC Children in Need invested a second grant in April 2019, which is helping to continue our successful youth project led by an experienced and passionate team of youth workers. 362 children and young people have engaged with the project since 2016. 267 families are reporting improvements to their children’s behaviour, and thereby enjoying a more harmonious family environment.

Clearly, the impact and social value of our community work is recognised and cherished.

Our community and its challenges

The ward of Moss Bank has a population of over 11,000 people. Park Farm ACYP is the only community organisation on the large housing estate where we are based. There are 28 LSOAs within the St Helens Borough that fall within the 10% most deprived nationally. Our centre sits between two super output areas, Clinkham Wood and Carr Mill, which are ranked 6% and 8.9% respectively. This shows the kind of struggle and deprivation faced by the people we work with. High levels of child poverty, unemployment, single parent families, poor health and wellbeing and incidents of crime are some of the main challenges faced by our users.

The geography of the estate itself contributes to a sense of isolation. There are better public transport connections than before, but we remain relatively cut off from the nearby town of St Helens. The busy A580 East Lancashire Road divides the population away from the town centre and other wards. Low investment from the local authority in regenerating the area all contributes to a sense of ‘being forgotten’ and not cared about… all of which necessitates the type of holistic, long-term support we can and do provide.

Tel: 01744 754367

Strengths and opportunities of the community

Nevertheless, community spirit here is strong! The families we engage with show a strong resilience and hope for future improvement and development. This inspires us. Many families have grown up on the estate, which – coupled with the heritage of the centre – is important in our work across multiple generations. This is usually a motivation for local people to volunteer with us.

We have good connections with schools, churches, libraries, and the local authority. Our councillors serve as trustees on our board, and our MP Conor McGinn is now a patron, which places us in a stronger position to make a difference.

St Helens CCG is recognising the work done by the voluntary sector. Social prescription as a valuable ingredient to the wellbeing of people is a big opportunity and we take an active role in local networks, consortia and opportunities to bring our centre closer to work done in these areas.

We have developed relationships with charities and organisations to ensure that our work is colinear and impactful, we share learning, and deliver and facilitate each other’s work. Jane Kennedy, Merseyside Police Commissioner, recently cited Park Farm ACYP Centre as an example of best practice during a keynote speech at a Liverpool City Region Conference, saying “…this is how a community centre should be run, by the people for the people”.

This was incredibly inspiring for us to hear!

As an independent charity, we depend on funding to keep our doors open year in, year out. Here is a list of some successful funding bids we have secured. Bids take a long time to put together and maintain, it’s a never-ending process of applying and monitoring, but without this vital work, we would not be here.

We want to thank all our funders, particularly the ones below for their continued support, and the trust they put in Park Farm Community Centre to deliver projects for our community.

If you would like to send us an email, please fill out our contact form and somebody will be in touch shortly.

VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT

Encouraging volunteering within our community is one of the essential ingredients in making a positive impact.

Involving our local people in the planning and delivery of activities and services ensures that our provision is inspired and guided by local needs and that we have a more familiar ‘face’ to our beneficiaries.

We worked closely with St Helens Volunteer Centre this year in promoting new opportunities, and have made stronger connections with Torus Foundation, the charitable arm of our local housing association.

Tel: 01744 754367

SNAPSHOT OUTCOMES

One volunteer felt inspired and confident enough after working with us to enrol on a Health and Social Care course at St Helens College.

Another volunteer is socialising more , has joined other wellbeing groups after almost ten years of being socially isolated, and has made new friends.

A third volunteer is reporting feeling less stressed at home from looking after a child with life limiting illnesses because she can refocus for a few hours each week and give back.

A fourth adult volunteer has reconnected with his childhood community centre and found a sense of meaning in actively helping young people to thrive.

Another volunteer is giving back to her community by serving as a trustee and shaping the planning and delivery of community projects.

A sixth volunteer is helping to support our Afterschool Club and working towards a Youth Work qualification via a college placement and is making great progress.

A seventh volunteer knows about what is going on in the community and is finding purpose and meaning in inspiring people to join new groups and activities.

Finally, another volunteer with ASD is improving and gaining skills by assisting regularly in the office and is helping us to monitor our project work.

We have a range of rooms available to hire for your group, activity or event at very competitive rates.
The large hall/gym space with sprung timber floor is perfect for sports and dancing activities as well as children’s parties with plenty of space for all your guests. The hall also has a staged area for music and performance at your event.

A large multi-use space on our ground floor. Easy chairs for a homely, friendly feel or tables and chairs for a large group activity space. The adjoining fully equipped 5* kitchen with serving counter is included in the hire of this room.
Fully equipped 5* rated kitchen could include use of our fridge, freezer, commercial oven, sink and serving counter. Please speak to a member of a staff for your requirements.

A light and bright multi-purpose space on our first floor ideal for group activities and meetings. The adjoining Multi-use room can also be booked with this room to provide extra space and facilities.
A small Multi-use room on our first floor ideal for small group activities and meetings.
A cosy, quiet room on our first floor which is ideal for small meetings, 1:1 interviews, tutoring or mediation sessions.

We have a range of rooms available to hire for your group, activity or event at very competitive rates.
The large hall/gym space with sprung timber floor is perfect for sports and dancing activities as well as children’s parties with plenty of space for all your guests. The hall also has a staged area for music and performance at your event.

A large multi-use space on our ground floor. Easy chairs for a homely, friendly feel or tables and chairs for a large group activity space. The adjoining fully equipped 5* kitchen with serving counter is included in the hire of this room.
Fully equipped 5* rated kitchen could include use of our fridge, freezer, commercial oven, sink and serving counter. Please speak to a member of a staff for your requirements.

A light and bright multi-purpose space on our first floor ideal for group activities and meetings. The adjoining Multi-use room can also be booked with this room to provide extra space and facilities.
A small Multi-use room on our first floor ideal for small group activities and meetings.
A cosy, quiet room on our first floor which is ideal for small meetings, 1:1 interviews, tutoring or mediation sessions.

About Us – Our Staff, Our Mission, Vision And Values
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https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/