A Community Base

Showing the love of Christ in the community ...

Meeting Great Social and Community Needs...

We have set up a much-needed Family/Child Care Centre and Community Base in a badly-deprived area of our county.

We raised and spent £140,000 establishing community rooms, a kitchen and extra toilets. We installed new heating and electrics and now the centre is home not only to the church family but also to...
Alcoholics Anonymous,
Friends of Oak Hill Park,
A thriving open youth club,
Coffee morning
Community Toddler group,
A weekly self-defence group,
The Community action group, Woodnook Forum plus many others.

We are a community group working in partnership to reduce deprivation in our community. The group includes Woodnook Forum, supported by Hyndburn Council, Christ Church, a residents' association and a community association. Christ Church is the senior-leading partner. All the other community groups are in support. They each have their own independent management teams and we all meet together in the Woodnook Forum bi-monthly.

Sure Start
We are now set to open up a half-a-million pound community care project with Sure Start Hyndburn to provide quality child care, training for single mums, IT facilities, pre- and ante-natal care, training in parent skills, and whatever else is needed in the community. This will be fully operational with several full-time and part-time staff by Sept 2006. The vicar has become one of the trustee directors of Sure Start Hyndburn.

Our area
Central and Barnfield in Accrington.

In the Nineties, Central was in the worst 7% of English wards. 40% children had free meals. 42% more deprived than average (Jarman).

At the same time in Barnfield - statistics were 20% of children in no-earner households. Most underperforming schools in area. Violent crime 311% worse than county average. Juvenile nuisance 170% worse. Domestic disputes 128% worse. 25% of homes have pensioners, many of them on their own and unable to cope alone.
Thanks to the work of the community, including the church, those statistics have greatly improved and both wards have been lifted out of the worst wards section.