New community base for people with learning disabilities opens

A new space at a local
leisure centre is putting services for people with learning disabilities at the
heart of their community.

The transformation project
has seen the old bar area at Garforth Leisure Centre refurbished into a
community space that will host a range of activities for local people.

The new base is being used each day by
up to 20 people who previously attended other centres across the city but are
now able to have the service closer to home.

The refurbishment is part
of Leeds City Council’s Fulfilling Lives project, aimed at helping people with
a range of disabilities connect with their area by creating bases in key
community buildings.

The model has already proved a big success at the John Charles
Centre in Middleton as well as Pudsey, Rothwell, Aireborough, Kirkstall and Holt
Park centres.

Councillor
Adam Ogilvie, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, said:

“The new Fulfilling Lives space at Garforth really encapsulates
what we are working towards with this project.

“By using our buildings more flexibly and creatively, we are
putting services for people with learning disabilities right at the heart of
the local community, helping those who use these spaces to connect with new
people and opportunities.”

The transformation is part of a city-wide reorganisation of
Leeds City Council’s Learning Disability Service which is seeing community
bases set up in east and north Leeds.

Councillor Lucinda
Yeadon, the council’s executive member for digital and creative technologies,
culture and skills, added:

“Our leisure centres are often a hub for the local community
so it’s wonderful that we’ve been able to use this space and create somewhere
that people with learning disabilities can call their own.

“It will also help them to access a wealth of new sports and
leisure opportunities on their doorstep.”



For more information about the council’s Learning Disability Service, please visit:
http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/LDCSS-learning-disability-community-support-service.aspx

ENDS

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