Jubilee Centre: Ceremony to mark the start of work on the new Jubilee Centre

A groundbreaking ceremony took place to mark the start of of the new £6m Jubilee Centre development at the former site of Firwood School, off Crompton Way.

The new centre will provide support for adults with disabilities, predominately those with learning disabilities.

It will feature a therapy pool, specialised therapy rooms and a café.

It will serve as a replacement for the old Jubilee Centre on Tennyson Street which remains open to ensure continuity for service users.

The design for the new centre has been developed through the council’s partnership with Clear Futures and will now be built by Robertson Construction.

They will be implementing a social value impact plan for the project to ensure the construction phase benefits local people and supports the local economy of Bolton.

The completed hub will be operated by Bolton Cares.

Cllr Adele Warren and Cllr Andy Morgan

Once completed, the new Jubilee Centre will be the flagship community hub as the council and Bolton Cares work to transform and improve the life opportunities for adults across the borough.

The council has been working with all partners to review what services are needed now and to anticipate future demand in order to make the services more sustainable.

Bolton Council’s 2022/23 budget has also taken £965,000 of proposed cuts to adult day care off the table, after the council opted to use additional government funding to protect services for the most vulnerable.

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Cllr Andy Morgan, said:“The new Jubilee Centre has been designed with the help of service users and their families and will meet the needs of the community both now and into the future.“That same principle is also being applied to day services and day opportunities across the borough and we continue to work on plans to transform the way we care.

“We aim to make care more responsive and sustainable to ensure that service users lead fulfilling lives and remain as independent as possible for longer.

Cllr Morgan and Cllr Warren with service users David Grundy and Zena Grundy

“I know many people are attached to the existing Jubilee Centre, but this ground-breaking project will be a fantastic community facility and we are working in partnership to ensure the move to the new building goes as smoothly as possible.”

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Cllr Adele Warren, said:“The council’s regeneration project goes beyond the town centre and is about improving people’s lives as well as places.

“The new Jubilee Centre will transform a disused site into a place where adults with disabilities can get the care and support they need.

“The building design was praised during the planning application process and the centre will be built to a very high environmental standard.”

Jackie Tait, Director of Operations at Bolton Cares, said: “We are delighted and excited to be part of this development and believe we will be able to offer fantastic services to the people we support and the wider community.”