A MUCH-LOVED South Littleton base for adults with learning disabilities has launched an ambitious bid for £50,000 to help towards the purchase of its forever home.
Freedom Day Centre has been tasked with raising £100,000 to secure its Shinehill Lane home and has launched an array of fund-raising activities to reach its goal.
In addition to bidding for a Wychavon Legacy grant, the devoted volunteers have been handed a huge boost with the Hilda Farr Trust promising a staggering £50,000 by December should volunteers raise the same amount by the end of 2022.
A Go Fund Me page has also been set up in a bid to boost the coffers further and convert the current six-month hire of the building into a home of their own.
Volunteers have renovated the site in the hope of securing freedom for Freedom.
Freedom is a family-run group which was established in March 2016 when it opened a disco for adults with learning disabilities following the closure of the disco in the heart of Evesham.
In the past six years, the initial disco has expanded into a desire to bring those with a learning disability together, to enjoy an evening out and then into a regular meeting place.
As a result, volunteers led by the hard-working Tracey Hemming grew an initial disco into the Freedom Day Centre which opened its doors in July 2017.
“Our aim is to help our service users to gain new skills, grow in independence and become more involved in the community,” Tracey said.
“We host a variety of activities which meet educational, social and therapeutic needs.
These include maths, English and science, computer courses, sensory relaxation, swimming, art and design, woodwork, football with our football team (Freedom United), gardening with our local church and at our allotment, cooking in our kitchen and working in our café.”
“We also do group outings such as day trips to theme parks, zoos and museums. We were also invited to the houses of parliament by our local MP for a day out which was fantastic.
“By donating to our project you will be ensuring Freedom lives on for many years to come,” she added.
Recent years have also seen the introduction of Café Freedom, the centre’s ‘inclusive’ café to meet everyone’s needs which serves homemade meals at an affordable price and include daily meal offers throughout the week.
All proceeds from the cafe go back into our day centre and every penny raised will move volunteers closer to their dreams of owning their own ‘home’.
Visit www.gofundme.com/f/a-new-home-for-freedom for more on the fund-raising efforts.
