Tetbury town works to rescue day centres left “running on a shoestring” after closure of Cotswold charity

With the closure of Cotswolds Volunteers on Friday, April 15, the two day centres in Tetbury were hit with no funding for staff or insurance.

Tetbury’s Wednesday and Friday club, which had been run by the Cotswold charity, has now been taken over by a local community group.

The Monday club, run by volunteers, had also previously received support from Cotswolds Volunteers and was hit by the charity’s closure.

A Tetbury Town Council meeting was called after the charity’s closure and it was agreed that a new charity would be set up to oversee the day centres in Tetbury and obtain finances for them.

In the meantime, the day centres’ running cost for the year, which includes food and transport, is being funded by local groups: the Tetbury Lions, the Tetbury Feoffees, and the United Services Club.

The new charity are hoping to secure enough short-term funding for the day centres for the financial year up until spring of next year.

Local businesses have also come forward for assistance and are looking to fundraise for the day centres through sponsored walks, calendars and other charity projects.

Penny Williams, co-ordinator of the Wednesday and Friday day centre and pictured below, said: “At the moment, we are safe, which is huge to everybody.

“Our day centre supports so many people: people with Alzhiemer's, people who are lonely, or people with medical problems.

"It's a day not spent in nursing home. It also helps family members who are carers.

"We rely on lots of volunteers. We have about eight volunteers we can call on at any time.

“Two of us are paid staff but we agreed to do our jobs without being paid for the first month make sure the day centre could run.

"When we were first told that Cotswolds Volunteers would close, it was a huge shock. But everyone was absolutely determined that the day centres would continue.

"We are very pleased with all the effort Tetbury town has put to keep the day centres. I look forward to keeping it going."

Councillor Kevin Painter, who is involved in the setting up of the new charity, said: “The day centres are very much running on a shoestring. It is the long-term future which poses the greatest challenge.

“The day centres are a lifeline and to some residents, the only chance they get to come out and meet other people.

“The Cotswolds Volunteers service, including the community transport, was originally run by local people who fundraised tirelessly until it was taken over. I think people deserve an answer as to what went wrong with the charity.”

He added that he hoped the community transport services, now taken over by a Cheltenham-based charity, will be run by a Tetbury-based charity in the future.

Richard Smith, Tetbury Town Council town project manager and president of Tetbury Lions, said: “The day centres would be impossible to do without, especially looking at the age profile of residents with the new developments like the Steepleton development.

“There is also a knock-on effect, it affects the families of clients as they are affected by being able to get some respite themselves.”

Cllr Stephen Hirst said: “We hope to get together sufficient income for the day centres to open permanently. We are looking to the NHS to continue the funding. It’s not an impossible amount of money.”

Cotswolds Volunteers had been funded by the NHS, and with its closure, it is hoped that this funding for day centres in Tetbury can continue.

Anyone with any ideas on funding the day centres is asked to get involved or donate by contacting Tetbury Town Council at 63 Long Street, Tetbury.