NEW COMMUNITY HUB OPENS IN BLACKBIRD LEYS

~ Local charity Oxford Hub opens a community hub on Windale Primary School site ~

~ Anneliese Dodds MP and Lord Mayor of Oxford attend special event to launch the new community hub ~

~ Oxford Hub will provide free activities including parent and toddler drop-ins, English language classes, and adult learning short courses ~

Anneliese Dodds MP and the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Lubna Arshad, joined local families and residents at Windale Primary School on Wednesday for the official opening of the newly re-located community charity, Oxford Hub.

Following the recent closure of the Blackbird Leys Community Centre for redevelopment, the Oxford Hub has re-located to the Windale Primary School site, housed in the academy’s former pre-school.

The charity facilitates community-led projects and volunteering opportunities for local residents to benefit the people and places around them. Oxford Hub runs a variety of activities including the Blackbird Leys Community Fund, which enables residents who have an idea to improve the lives of future Leys residents to receive funding in support of their idea.

The charity also runs after-school tutoring, a young person’s mentoring programme, free English language classes and activities to bring parents together in support of each other. In addition, it works with local GP surgeries to support people to improve their health and wellbeing in a holistic way.

The community hub, which is on the Windale Primary School site but separate to the main school building, is now open to all local community groups who would like to use the space and is welcoming residents. More information about the services and programmes on offer can be found here.

The Oxford Hub team gathered feedback at the launch event about the types of services children, adults and families across the local area would like to see on offer and will be working with community groups and local charities to get as many of these activities up and running. The full programme of activities will be available shortly.

Katie Geran-Haq, Head Teacher at Windale Primary School, said:

“We are delighted to welcome the Oxford Hub on to our school site and provide a space for the charity to continue their excellent work within our local community. We are looking forward to continuing to grow and build our partnership with the Oxford Hub over the coming years to ensure as many local families as possible can benefit from the fantastic services on offer.”

Amy Lockwood, CEO at Oxford Hub, said:

“We heard from local residents the need for a community hub linked to a primary school, to provide holistic support for families and local residents – and we’re excited to be able to bring this idea to life!

“There’s something for everyone, whether you’re interested in volunteering to help after-school tutoring or help at English language classes, or if you’re a local parent who’d like to come to our family drop-ins or join a short adult learning course.

“All our activities are free, and accessible to everyone locally, and we can’t wait to welcome you to Oxford Hub at Windale.”