Cafe Orange Skills Centre gains Big Lottery and ALG funding
12th January 2006
The Big Lottery Fund (BLF - previously the Community Fund) has granted Carr-Gomm £244,674 over 3 years for a work training project in south London. The project has also received a grant from the Association of London Government (ALG) of £26,498 for one year.
Café Orange Skills Centre, run by support and housing charity Carr-Gomm, has been based at Telegraph Hill Centre for almost 6 years and has always relied on charitable funding.
“Last year we were lucky to get some small grants from Lloyds TSB and the Band Trust (a small, family Charitable Trust) but the BLF and ALG grants have put us in a more secure financial position for the next 3 years” says Café Orange Project Manager.
The centre offers training in catering skills for people with support needs such as learning disabilities and mental ill-health. People can also be supported to improve their basic skills of literacy and numeracy and learn basic IT skills. There is also an art group and the chance to socialise with other people in an informal environment.
The café is open to the public Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm at Telegraph Hill Centre (next to St Catherine’s Church), Kitto Road, London SE14
The café is open to the public and our “regulars” include local school children and parents and children coming to groups at the community centre next door. The café promotes healthy eating at reasonable prices.
Café Orange trainees can attend afternoon there are workshops and training sessions from 2.15pm – 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.
If you are interested in being a trainee or referring someone for training, please contact, Project Manager, Julia King, on 020 7732 8188 or pop into the centre for a coffee and a chat.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
- Carr-Gomm is an award-winning charity offering a range of housing and support services to 3,000 people each year across England. Many of the people who use Carr-Gomm services have a learning disability, mental ill-health, or a physical disability. Most experience poverty and would otherwise be homeless. We encourage all of our service users to work towards their own personal goals, and lead a better quality of life.
- Richard Carr-Gomm (our Founder) was recognised in 2005 by Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Beacon Foundation and the Pride of Britain awards, in recognition of his outstanding work for charity over the last 50 years. A blue plaque marking Richard’s work will be unveiled in Bermondsey early in 2006, one of eight plaques voted for by people in the Borough of Southwark, where Richard Carr-Gomm was brought up and opened the first Carr-Gomm house.
- Each of our projects is set-up in the community to meet local needs. We work closely with Local Authorities to address specific demands through services such as homeless hostels, projects for people with learning disabilities, self-contained flats or shared houses for people with a range of needs. We also offer 'floating support' services where experienced support staff visit individuals in their own home.
