Contact The Abbey Centre

ABBEY CENTRE BAPTIST CHURCH

To serve the social and spiritual needs of people in South Northants

Who uses The Abbey Centre?

The Abbey Centre is used by people of all ages, and for a great variety of activities ... from parent and day clinic and multiple-birth support group, through to the First Thursday over-60's Social and the three Age-Concern Day Centres. Provision is made for drama (for various age groups), music making (for 3 year-olds and up!!), uniformed organisations (well over 100 youngsters involved) less formal youth work (over 50 regulars ages 7-16), etc.

The Abbey Centre Users' Association is totally committed to making special provision for disabled or disadvantaged persons where appropriate, but even more to ensuring that all such persons are freely able to participate in the whole range of events and activities which the Abbey Centre houses. All areas of the premises are easily accessible by persons in wheel-chairs or with walking aids, and five wheelchairs are kept on site for those who need them. Three toilets with special facilities are available at strategic points in the premises and there are shower units in the changing rooms.

Specifically catering for disabled people are the Parkinson's Society who meet twice monthly, the day centres run in conjunction with Age Concern and catering for many non-ambulant persons, the Crossroads Care Attendance Scheme which places support carers in homes with disabled/chronically ill persons. Carefree Holidays who use our premises as an ideal collecting point for disabled persons who are accompanied by a more able-bodied person. We also cater for a number of other groups with particular needs, though they would probably not appreciate being called disabled or disadvantaged. For example, there is a high incidence of marriage break-up and isolated parents in our area (perhaps allied to a high incidence of negative equity). The wide range of child care and young persons' activities we offer is literally a life-saver for some.

We offer youth activities most nights of the week, and through our Youth @ Risk project cater for a 14-25 age-group who are at odds with school, work, home and society in general. A basic literacy and numeracy training programme for all ages operates at the Abbey Centre. As well as these and many other activities which, to varying degrees, specifically aim to serve disabled/disadvantaged persons, we aim to make all our activities user friendly for all members of our community. It is hard to think of any group in the Abbey Centre which does not include and/or serve, in some way, people who are disabled or disadvantaged, or members of minority groups, or people with special needs.

Our stated aim is TO SERVE SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS IN SOUTH NORTHAMPTON. I believe we do this in abundance, and hope you will want to be associated with what we do.