Centre for Independent Living takes shape
A former day centre for people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments is undergoing a £500,000 makeover to become Hartlepool’s new Centre for Independent Living, or CIL.
A consultation carried out on behalf of Hartlepool Borough Council named the Havelock Day Centre building on Burbank Street - which first opened its doors almost 40 years ago in 1972 - as the most suitable location for the new centre. The building has been fitted with new windows, lighting and carpets and has undergone several structural changes in readiness for its new role.
Health, wellbeing and empowerment
A key recommendation from the 2005 Cabinet Office report Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People, CILs focus on helping people who are living with a disability to maximise their health and wellbeing and take part in community life. There are more than 47 CILs across the United Kingdom.
Hartlepool's CIL, due to open early in 2011, will become a ‘one-stop shop' for disability-related advice and its newly refurbished offices will be home to voluntary and community sector organisations offering advice and information, advocacy support and practical help with managing the individual budgets that play such a large part in making social care more personal.
The spacious hall in the centre of the building will be equipped to host meetings, public consultations and training events, while the bistro in the adjoining room will offer hot and cold snacks, meals and refreshments to visitors and staff. Further along the corridor, a new suite will provide visitors with the opportunity to try various daily living aids with help and advice from a qualified occupational therapist.
Peter Gowland, chair of the Health, Community and Independent Living for Life (HCILL) partnership, said: "Independent living centres are all about empowering people. We established Health, Community and Independent Living for Life to lead the CIL project and we are delighted that the newly refurbished Havelock Centre will be opening shortly.
"The new centre is the result of a substantial amount of campaigning and effort, and we are looking forward to a long and successful partnership with all of the agencies and individual clients and volunteers who will be involved in the centre's operation for many years to come."
More information
To find out more about the development of Hartlepool's Centre for Independent Living, contact:
- Chris Horn, project officer at Hartlepool Borough Council on 01429 523687 or email , or;
- Peter Gowland, chair of Hartlepool's Health, Community and Independent Living for Life project on 01429 262641 or email