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No. 78 September 1988
Kids invade council committee
"We want our after-school club back - please!" Children and parents protest on the steps of the Thamesdown 's Civic Offices
Big Volunteer Fair comes to Link Centre at end of month First event of its kind in Thamesdown Dozens of voluntary organisations are putting themselves on display to the public at the end of the month and they will be doing so in West Swindon. On 27th and 28th September up to 100 voluntary groups will be showing off what they do in a first ever voluntary bodies fair at the Link Centre. The fair is a chance for officers from grant making bodies to find out about the work of voluntary groups over the last twelve months. In the next financial year about £500,000 will made available in grants from Thamesdown Borough Council, Wiltshire County Council and the Swindon Health Authority. Meetings between grant givers and receivers have taken place annually for many years. In an effort to make the general
Thamesdown Council's Arts and Recreation Committee on 11th August was taken over for a few minutes by a group of Toothill parents and children who turned out to lobby the councillors. Thirty-six children accompaParent Kim Bryant, who nied by 14 parents packed a hoped to address the councillors, crowded committee room in a left the meeting fuming. "1 feel bid to persuade councillors to very angry with our treatment. pay more attention to the need We were not aloud to speak and for an after-school club in Tooth- it would have been better if the chairman had recognised us by ill. A club funded by the Man- speaking to us or the councillors power Services Commission helping our cause. We were igclosed down in April after two nored and made to feel we years operation in the old com- shouldn't have been there." Toothill councillor Tony Free munity centre on Dunwich Drive. According to parents it said there was a "desperate had proved the value of super- need" for after-school provision vised after-school activities for because of the very high numchildren and was a great help to bers of under us in the area. single and working parents. "It was amazing to see seven "We need financial help from year olds confronting experithe council," said parent Diane enced councillors. They were Stuckey. "We can use Toothill speechless," said fellow councilFarm as a place to meet, but need lor Ricky Midwinter. "The group funds to pay for club leaders." will have our continued backThe parents had received a ing. -The proportion of 5-10 year letter from Director of Arts and Recreation Denys Hodson stat- olds in West Swindon is twice as ing that the Council's finances large as that of Thamesdown as did not allow for new projects in a whole. They form l3.5% of the the middle of the financial year, population in West Swindon but they decided to make their against 6.6% across Thfeelings felt to councillors any- amesdown. In the west there are over 2,650 in the age group; way. The chair of the meeting Tony around 700 live in Toothill. Mayer said he was delighted to •A report on after-school play see so many young people get- provision will be put to the Recting involved in local politics, but reation sub-committee of Arts their cause would be considered and Recreation on 14th Septemat a Recreation sub-committee ber, 7p.m. in the Link Centre. meeting on 14th September at the Parents across West Swindon Link Centre. He then moved on are invited to attend to discover what action is to be taken. to the next business.
public more aware of the valuable work voluntary organisations carry out across the Borough, the organisations are being given the chance to show off their work and hopefully attract more volunteers. Altogether 120 organisations receive grant aid from the public authorities. Some get as little as £20, others receive up to £40,000 a year to support staff, premises and activities. The range of groups displaying their wares is very wide and will include Age Concern, the Council for Racial Equality, the Hard of Hearing Club, Gingerbread, Thamesdown Voluntary Services Centre (TVSC), Swindon Tinnitus Group, the Rape Follow the progress of West Swindon Crisis Line, the Well Women based ice hockey team Swindon Centre and many more. Wildcats during the 1988/89 season with a colourful 'Cut out and Keep' (Continued on page 3) fixture list on page 12.
Let's Go Wildcats
