A new space at a local leisure centre is putting services for people with learning disabilities at the heart of their community.
The transformation project has seen the old bar area at Garforth Leisure Centre refurbished into a community space that will host a range of activities for local people.
The new base is being used each day by up to 20 people who previously attended other centres across the city but are now able to have the service closer to home.
The refurbishment is part of Leeds City Council’s Fulfilling Lives project, aimed at helping people with a range of disabilities connect with their area by creating bases in key community buildings.
The model has already proved a big success at the John Charles Centre in Middleton as well as Pudsey, Rothwell, Aireborough, Kirkstall and Holt Park centres.
Councillor Adam Ogilvie, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, said:
“The new Fulfilling Lives space at Garforth really encapsulates what we are working towards with this project.
“By using our buildings more flexibly and creatively, we are putting services for people with learning disabilities right at the heart of the local community, helping those who use these spaces to connect with new people and opportunities.”
The transformation is part of a city-wide reorganisation of Leeds City Council’s Learning Disability Service which is seeing community bases set up in east and north Leeds.
Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, the council’s executive member for digital and creative technologies, culture and skills, added:
“Our leisure centres are often a hub for the local community so it’s wonderful that we’ve been able to use this space and create somewhere that people with learning disabilities can call their own.
“It will also help them to access a wealth of new sports and leisure opportunities on their doorstep.”
For more information about the council’s Learning Disability Service, please visit: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/LDCSS-learning-disability-community-support-service.aspx
