Hope and care in Essex

For over a quarter of a century, Trinity Family Centre in Westcliff has been improving the quality of life for people of all ages, cultures and abilities. The centre reduces social isolation in this part of South Essex by building community and providing affordable facilities in a safe, friendly environment with a Christian ethos. Now a charity in its own right, the Trinity Family Centre remains a part of the Trinity Methodist Church that founded it.

The centre is located in a three-story building adjacent to the church. On the ground floor, the centre contains a catering kitchen, an activity space and community fridge along with a foodbank. The first floor contains an IT suite with computers and games, while the top floor offers an indoor sports space with room for drama and dance classes, basketball and even five-aside football. The synergy of facilities at the Trinity Family Centre allows it to provide support for whatever stage of life visitors are at.

‘POP In’ (People on Pensions) is the group for older people to enjoy a home-cooked meal and find some company along with activities and a weekly quiz. ‘Welcome In’ is the parent and carer baby-and-toddler group that operates three mornings a week, while ‘The Family Club’ provides an affordable opportunity for families to spend quality time together with access to a range of games and sports with internet access in the computer suite. On a Tuesday we have our community cafe, where people can get a very affordable home-cooked main course and dessert. There are also weekly activities for adults with learning disabilities.

On average, 250 people use the centre each week. These days Trinity has six members of part-time staff and around 25 volunteers, with the service costing around £90,000 a year to operate. Running the centre as a separate charity from the church makes it easier to receive funding. Jacky Walton is treasurer for both the Family Centre and the church, “If the Centre were to hit financial problems and the church was responsible for funding us, we could take the church down as well and that's why it's vital that we are financially independent. But we are totally connected; the Trinity Family Centre and the church are like a married couple.”

The Trinity Family Centre came about after the church kitchen was condemned and £360,000 was raised to remodel and update the church buildings. Lifts were installed, along with a catering kitchen and many new facilities but nobody knew what to do with the place after it had been improved.

Viv Robson is senior steward for the church and a founding trustee for the Trinity Family Center. She explained how the Centre came into being, “Jacky and I went to a stewards’ meeting and were sitting outside when she said, ‘I've got an idea we should open this church for the local community.’ We printed some leaflets and advertised for people to bring their families for £1. Nobody came. The second week, three mothers arrived. And that's 26 years ago. All we offered then were hotdogs and burgers with serviettes. Life changed when we started to offer chips!”

The Trinity Family Centre developed to alleviate some of the issues families had with housing in the area explained Jacky, “We had parents come in with their families and many of them were living in flats with no outside space. The kids didn't have anywhere to go, they were hanging around the streets. The young ones didn't want to go to a conventional nursery as their parents couldn't afford it so we opened up a couple of mornings a week which then expanded to include an afterschool club. We've still got one of the original parents who came in; she brings her grandchildren now.

“They might not come to a Sunday service, but Trinity is part of a church and the fact that they come in here, means they don't feel threatened and are relaxed. There are some people we've known over the years who've had issues with churches, yet even they have gradually become at home here.”

Viv was keen that the Trinity Centre remained affordable, “One of the things from day one was that it's got to be cheap, we didn't want anyone not to be able to afford to come here. It started off as £1 a night and now it's £1.50. We could justifiably put the prices up, and some of those who make grants have suggested that we could, but that the remit has always been that it was affordable.”

There is also a shop run by the charity which serves two purposes. It generates income which is then ploughed back into the services provided by the Family Centre but perhaps more importantly is also a source of quality, low cost clothing and other items for the families and residents living in the area.

The Family Centre has a positive impact on the wellbeing of those people it serves. Margret attends POP In for those who are older and comes most Mondays. “It gets me out of the house, I mix with people and they are very friendly here. It is the one time of the week, I know that I will be meeting people and I get a good meal.”

John’s wife recently died and he comes to the centre to find friendship, “I was walking past one day and I chatted to the chap who welcomes people and he invited me in. It is an enjoyable place, we have a laugh. Without the centre I would be stuck at home watching the TV.”

The Family Centre works alongside local organisations to provide the widest support. SECH (South Essex Community Hub) and the Family Centre work in partnership to provide the HAF program (Holidays, Activities, Food) for children and young people up to the age of 16 . The HAF program provides activities and food during the school holidays, with 15 children and young people being fed over the recent half term. The pilot program was such a success that the centre will be running it again for four weeks during the summer holidays. The Centre has also worked alongside other local agencies such as Southend Association of Voluntary Services, Trustlinks and Southend University in the last few years.

Every Christmas free meals are provided to anyone in the community who wants to come along. This includes homeless people, senior citizens, families with children and increasingly people who would otherwise have been spending Christmas alone.

Deacon Sarah McDowall is one of the ministers at the church and has pastoral responsibility for the centre, “My role is to support the staff and the volunteers, as well as the service users that come in,” says Sarah.

“Great people come to the Family Centre. Many don't have anybody to talk to and my role is just to listen but I never tell anyone what they should do. I'm a Christian minister. Sometimes the conversations we have are really deep, and at other times just silly when we have a laugh.

Clients say to me that they're happy about the Christian setting, it's not threatening, it's safe.

“It’s not just the clients who have seen their lives changed by their involvement with Trinity Family Centre, it’s also the staff and volunteers. That’s a testimony to how God works. People grow, because they've got that example that they're loved and they've all grown as people in the time we've known them.”