9:14pm Sunday 15th November 2009
By Melanie Vass
SCORES of residents turned out in force to show Christchurch council exactly what their local community centre means to them.
Around 200 residents, many armed with placards and banners, staged a noisy protest outside the threatened Mudeford Wood Community Centre.
They ranged from parents and toddlers, who use the local playgroup, to pensioners who play bridge and socialise at the centre.
And all were convinced that closing the centre would rip the heart and soul out of the local community.
Christchurch council is currently carrying out consultation on the future of the centre, which they claim is poorly used and expensive to run.
Options include closing the centre and redeveloping the land or possibly improving the building.
Theresa Fereday, 27, whose mother runs the Mudeford Wood playgroup, said: “I’ve used the centre since I was a child and would hate to see it disappear.
“It is the heart of this community but it is not advertised properly by the council.”
And mother-of-three Anne Clarke-Jones, who works at the playgroup, said: “We would have nowhere to go if this centre closed. There are excellent facilities here but the council has not invested in them and does not advertise them.”
George Reed, 72, said councillors had “no right” to close the centre and added: “There’s not one councillor brave enough to show their face here today.”
And John Cole, 74, who uses the centre for his Age Concern group and bridge club, said: “Our elderly members would have nowhere to go if the centre closed.”
Organiser Dawn Brookes was delighted with the turnout. “The council has misjudged the public’s mood on this one,” she said. “We want them to put some investment in and work with us to promote the centre.”
Leader of Christchurch council, Cllr Alan Griffiths, has stressed that no decisions have yet been made and that people’s views will be listened to.
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk