He said: “At least if we can get a group together
to start thinking of ways to keep the centre running we can say that we tried
to do something about it.
“Adult education services were pulled out of
there last year and if the centre closes, the library will go as well, along
with the other groups.”
The father-of-two, who runs before and after school
services at BluecoatSecondary School in Terry Road, Stoke,
hopes he can get a willing group together to prevent the centre from having to
close.
He said: “The centre has not had a committee for
almost four years and no-one else has come to the table since.
“It needs an urgent upgrade and we need to make
sure every room in the building is being rented at a proper rate. At the moment
a room can be hired for £2.50 an hour, and in a year that amount of rental is
not going to cover anything.
“We just need residents who care about the centre
to get involved, and to get some young people involved as well, to get them
interested in their area and doing something useful.”
Councillor Tony Skipper (Labour, Radford) is
backing Mr Ruddock’s desperate plea.
He said: “This is an important local facility in
Radford and I want to ensure that as many local people in the area get
involved.
“There are lots of services run from the centre
and although some money has been spent on doing it up, the council has allowed
it to be run down.
“But it’s essential that it is safeguarded, and
given the central location of it, it has potential and a great future.
“So we need as many people as possible to come
along to the meeting.”
The meeting will take place at the centre in
Jubilee Crescent, Radford, on Tuesday June 30 between 6.30pm and 7.30pm.
Residents will be able to give their views on what they want to see done in the
centre and share ideas on how to save it.
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