Lower Grange Youth & Community Centre houses a diverse variety of different activities and services
Education and Skills Programmes:
We offer learning courses and life-skills / employability courses across all ages. We also promote healthier lifestyle and cultural activities which can become a catalyst for more formal skills acquisition through our welcoming and sympathetic community centre environment.
We have supported over hundreds of services users through education and employability programmes over the years. We work hard to help people understand and overcome barriers to employment such as ill physical and mental health, language & social skills, benefits & debt, travel costs, childcare issues, family circumstances, inter-generational worklessness, recovering from abuse or substance misuse, and low levels of confidence.
Courses include: Talk English, ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages), BTEC Childcare, BTEC Health & Social Care, Beauty Therapy, First Aid, Food Hygiene, Fire Safety / Marshall and Health and Safety in the Work Place just to name a few.. Most of these are commissioned by LGCA, some are run by local groups and activities are also delivered by partner organisations such as Shipley College and MR Training for community benefit.
Our Youth provision is at the heart of many of our activities and is shaped by young people to meet their needs and aspirations
Youth Provision Programmes:
Young people have stated that they want their voices to be heard and respected. They want meaningful involvement and input into the design and delivery of their services, provisions, activities and resources so that these can be shaped to meet both their needs and aspirations.
LGCA believes that working with young people to create local provision and activities will play a major part of regeneration of both their social and physical environment in Lower Grange. We aim to make it a more pleasant and active place to live, learn, work and socialise as well as provide the means for young people to actively lead in the development of future provision.
Youth Programmes include: Bradford City Twirlers (Majorettes Troup), Camouflage Crew (Junior Army Cadets), Lower Grange Young Peoples Project (Open-access Youth Club), MDA Project (Modern Day Awareness programmes) and play & activity schemes. We also deliver Activities for Pre-School and Younger Children at our weekly Lower Grange Play Group session.
At Lower Grange Youth & Community Centre, self-care is at the core of what we do
Older People’s Programmes:
Here at at Lower Grange youth & Community Centre, we want local people to be in charge of their own health and social activity. We trust that they are the experts in their own lives and our role is to support them to access resources, information and support to ensure that they and their families are at the forefront of deciding which self-care programmes we need to develop.
Older people’s programmes include: Art & Crafts, Basic Computer Training, keep-fit sessions, sewing classes and health MOT events. We welcome all your ideas and input for future provision!
Community engagement is about working together with local people to develop sustainable solutions to local issues
Community Engagement Programmes:
We believe that community engagement is key to our delivery as a means of developing better services, better use of resources and encouraging more community involvement and productivity, which builds positive relationships between the community and public services.
This approach is vital, where local people can have a voice and influence decision making at District level, which will shape our community by creating sustainable and lasting change. LGCA welcomes anyone who wants to contribute to these aims and we regularly celebrate our joint successes!
Community engagement programmes and events include: Refugee support & integration, festive / seasonal events, Dogs Trust events, social evenings, community trips (including our hugely popular summer programme), Community Fundraising, Remembrance and table-top sales.
Partnership working is at the heart of our values because by working with others, we are better placed to help service users and families achieve their goals
Community Forums:
We believe that our partnership approach work will enhance and improve opportunities that benefit local people by providing a ‘wrap around approach’ in the delivery of our project to better enable local people to deal with any challenges they are currently experiencing.
Community forums include: Bradford West Play Forum, Bradford Community Play Partnership, CAP (Community Alcohol Partnership), Lower Grange Fun Day Sub-Group, Bradford Council Ward Forums (Clayton & Fairweather Green Wards), Police contact point, Community Development Network and regular partnership meetings (which we encourage service users to attend).
