Community Learning Centre Offers Plenty Of Good Advice

Published on: 24 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 28 Jun, 2019

Guildford’s new community learning centre has got off to a flying start.

The launch day of the Community Learning Centre at the Park Barn Centre on June 13.

Its launch date on June 13 saw eight people being enrolled at the drop-in hub, hosted by the Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership (SLLP), and based at the Park Barn Centre.

Dave Pascoe from SLLP said: “The first people we helped were looking for support with a number of things including a small business, internet use and general IT skills.

We can help people with all of these things and more, or where necessary signpost to a suitable organisation. We were visited by around 15 different partner agencies on the first day who were keen to understand the purpose behind the centre and how they can reach out to others.”

The learning centre, that operates on Thursdays from 10am to 2pm, offers free advice and guidance around a whole raft of issues people face in their lives.

These include support with the basics of smart phones and laptop computers, feeding a family on a budget, managing money made simple. cutting out smoking, reducing / stopping alcohol, health and well-being.

Embedded within this learning will be functional skills such as maths and English, plus IT awareness in preparedness for future employment or simply to be more confident in general life skills.

The learning centre hub, that operates on Thursdays from 10am to 2pm, offers free advice and guidance around a whole raft of issues people face in their lives.

The hub is being funded in conjunction with Project Aspire, the community grant scheme set up by Guildford Borough Council.

Dave Pascoe added: “The aim is to provide free learning, advice and guidance on anything that makes life challenging in an informal atmosphere for the whole community. The Park Barn Centre is a safe and family-friendly environment with its own soft-play area for children. Please be aware that the soft play area is unsupervised.”

Volunteer helpers will also be welcome to help run the hub. People with a background in Citizens Advice, financial awareness in terms of managing a home, drug / alcohol support, mental health and wellbeing and IT training (using laptop computers / understanding a smartphone, etc), will be ideal. Reasonable expenses will be paid.

More details from Dave Pascoe on 0790 4909013. Email: dpascoe@surreysllp.org.uk