BOLTON'S Jubilee Day Centre has shed the 'day' from its title to become a fully-fledged Community Care Centre.

It is the latest in a chain being established by Bolton Council's Social Services, aimed at offering people wider and better carer and other services.

For those who want to know more, the new look Jubilee Centre - in Darley Street - will be showcasing its bigger and better facilities with a special open weekend on Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 3pm each day.

Unveiling

The unveiling will continue on Monday, with an open event from 3.30 until 9.30pm, when adults with physical disabilities, their families and carers and groups concerned with physical disability can pop in and talk to staff about the new services, and put forward their own thoughts and ideas.

Extra staff have been recruited to run the new services, a key part of which will be the extension of the carer scheme. They will also be able to give advice on a wide range of help which is available to people including how they can be helped to become more independent and lead a fuller life.

Staff at the centre are particularly keen to hear ideas from the people who will be using it. The Centre will act as a base for a number of activities such as a Bolton Disability Sports Team which is being formed to compete in a major sports meetings for disabled people at Accrington in June. People will be able to go along to the Jubilee Centre for training sessions.

But sports will be only one item on a packed agenda. Activities will also include competition groups, community education opportunities, a drama group, conservation volunteers, independent living, first aid and advice on mobility and benefits - it's up to people to tell Centre staff what they would like to see provided.

"It's a really exciting development which has seen a big expansion of what the centre has been doing very successfully over the years, but now we can do so much more. I would urge as many people as possible to come along and tell us what they would like," said Social Services Committee chairman Cllr Cliff Morris.

Granted

"The new ethos has been very much about improving the quality of life and accessibility to facilities that many people take for granted, but which people with physical disabilities and sensory disabilities cannot enjoy with the same freedom. We hope many of the new service ideas will come from users themselves during the open events.

"One of the biggest differences of course is that care and activities will be open in the evenings and at weekends, recognising that care and development and socialising do not end at 3.30pm Monday to Friday. We want to build on that to give people what they want," he said.

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