ORGANISERS behind the White Horse Day Centre, the local luncheon and social club for over 60s in Westbury, have expressed their gratitude to Westbury Town Council following a decision to give the day centre a £3,000 grant.
The money was given as a way to plug the funding gap left from Wiltshire Council who, earlier in the year, announced that grants for lunch clubs across the county would be cut in half in 2023 and in the following year, grant funding would be removed entirely.
Sue Ezra, chair of the White Horse Day Centre has said that the £3,000 given to them by the town council is half of the amount of funding they would traditionally receive from Wiltshire Council, but she says it is a ‘lifeline’ that has secured the future of the day centre for another year.
“I can’t thank the town council enough; they’ve helped secure a lifeline for our day centre and have allowed us to fight another day. It feels wrong having to accept money from somewhere like a local authority as we know they have limited funds, but the situation we find ourselves in is that Wiltshire Council wants to forget about us and the good service we provide.
“The funding concerns are certainly a worry but by no means are they a threat; we are determined to find a long-term solution to this.”
Sue added, “Money from the town council means we are no longer fretting about our immediate future. We intend to keep this club going right until the last penny is used. This centre is so important to the social aspect of our members, everyone has a good time here and recommends it to their friends, so we must be doing something right!”
Wiltshire Council has said that luncheon clubs will have the opportunity to bid to join a list of council vetted providers of day care as members of a list known as an open framework. Wiltshire Council leader, Richard Clewer, has previously said that the move to the open framework will provide a more “equitable” system.
However, Sue explained, “To apply for funding to keep us open in 2024, I have been told that I need to apply to this new open framework. The issue that I am told we will find is that the competition for grant funding will be much fiercer and the likelihood of us getting the full amount is slim. They don’t make the application process easy either, the document questionnaire is long and it feels like we have to justify why we exist- surely that’s obvious!”
Volunteers needed and Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration plans:
The White Horse Day Centre is always on the lookout for volunteers to help out – even if it’s just an hour or two a week to help by making teas or help with the cleaning. If you’d like to get involved or want to find out more information, please call Sue Ezra on 07816 991 960.
The day centre also has plans to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee on Thursday 2nd June. Sue says, “We’ve had a think about what we should do for the Jubilee as we know it’s an event that will mean a lot to many of our members. I don’t want to give much away as most of it is a surprise, but we have a few activities lined up, and we’ve decided that one of the best things we can do is to hire a huge TV so they don’t miss a thing.
“We will also have some tasty treats and a special lunch for members, not to mention a few ideas that I’ve kept under wraps so far.”
The Day Centre always welcomes new members and you can join by contacting Sue Ezra on 07816 991 960. The White Horse Day Centre can be found at Grassacres Hall, Eden Vale Road, Westbury BA13 3NZ. The Day Centre runs every Thursday from 10am to 3pm, and for just £9, members enjoy a three-course meal, plenty of conversation with other members and organisers and a range of popular activities such as quizzes, games and bingo.
