Airedale Centre
Address:
The Square, Airedale, Castleford WF10 3JJ
Co-ordinator: Sue Watton or Jane Carter
Telephone: 01977 724040
E-mail: SueWatton@wakefield.gov.uk
Introduction to the Centre
The Beginning
The Airedale centre stands on the site of the old Airedale Library which was "erected to meet the cultural needs of the inhabitants of Airedale and Ferry Fryston some 16,00 people living in 4000 homes. The library cost £18, 394, including grounds, plus £5,000 for initial book stock. The Library was officially opened on Thursday 12th April, 1962 and opened to the public on Friday 13th April, 1962. The Library was built by the Direct Labour Department of the Corporation. The Library had a car park for staff and visitors and also a covered cycle shelter, which held 13 cycles.
The grounds where laid out by the Parks Department. The Architects were Messrs. J. G. L. Poulson of Pontefract, Middlesbrough and London. His Worship the Mayor Alderman Colin Drews J.P. opened the Library. The Deputy Mayor Alderman J. Smart J.P proposed a vote of thanks. The Library closed 21st December, 2001 and was demolished by the contractors to make way for the new Airedale Centre.
Adult education provision was offered at the High School by Castleford Women's Centre later to become Castleford Community Learning Centre (CCLC). They were there from 1990 to 2002 until the school pupil numbers increased. The Head of School decided the rooms that CCLC used for their classes were needed for the school.
New Beginnings
The Library and Adult education section of the centre opened 18th November 2002 with limited opening hours and services. The official opening was 28th February 2003. The Centre cost approximately 2 Million pounds. The Architect was Jonathan Cook of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council Design Department. The building contractors were Wates Ltd Construction. Councillor Peter Box opened the Centre. There were several speakers.
Official opening - Mike Dixon who officiated giving an introduction to the centre and the vision, followed by an introduction to the speakers who were:
Cllr Wayne Jenkins
Cabinet member for Lifelong Learning and Culture,
Chair of the Wakefield Learning Network Management Board
'Say goodbye to Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!'
Mike Grady
Chief Executive Eastern Wakefield Primary Care Trust,
Lead partner for Sure Start Ferry Fryston and Airedale
'Joining up locally'
Cllr Peter Box
Leader of the Council
Official ceremony to be performed Cllr Box to receive a plaque from Sir Jack Smart symbolising the progress of the community from the old into the new full of hope and opportunity.
Detective Superintendent Brading
Secure by Design Award presented to Wates Ltd and WMDC Design Services.
Yvette Cooper MP
Celebrating the achievement and local benefit, fit with Government policy.
Sir Jack Smart who was The Deputy Mayor for the original Library's opening in 1962 gave a vote of thanks.
Mike Dixon concluded the formal opening, thanking everyone for attending and invited them to look around the centre and have lunch.
The new Airedale Centre is a unique Library Learning Centre. The adult education side of the centre is one of 26 network learning centres being developed through the Wakefield Learning Network Partnership led by Wakefield Council. Situated at the corner of Fryston Road and Queens Park Drive, the centre is in the first phase of the £12m network bringing information technology to communities across the District as part of the UK Online initiative. Its location puts it at the centre of community life. It has been developed to meet needs identified by local people through a range of community involvement and consultation events.
The Centre enables local residents access to:-
- a community learning centre with a new library and adult education centre
- a Sure Start Centre for Ferry Fryston and Airedale and a Childcare Centre
- Links with the existing Family Centre
Project funding has been secured from a variety of sources including the Department for Education and Skills Capital Modernisation Fund, New Opportunities Fund; European Objective II, Single Regeneration Budget, Landfill Tax, The Learning and Skills Council and Sure Start.
Partners in the strategic initiative are Wakefield Council's Adult & Community Education Service, Wakefield College, Pontefract NEW College, Workers' Education Association, Voluntary Action, and community partners.
Cllr Wayne Jenkins, Wakefield Council's Cabinet Member for Education, said: "The Wakefield Learning Network is going to have a dramatic effect on communities throughout the District, from the point of view of opening up opportunities for learning and encouraging greater social interaction.
"Individuals and groups will be able to use the latest technology to access information and take advantage of the courses on offer in their own neighbourhoods with support for childcare. This should lead to greater personal fulfilment and also open up possibilities of jobs and career development which had previously proved difficult."
The week prior to the opening the Library invited all the local schools to take part in a week of events to create a number of banners (which now hang in the Library), compose poetry and hear stories. Airedale Junior, Oyster Park Junior and Redhill Junior created the banners and composed the poetry. Airedale Infants, Redhill Infants and Townville Infants came into the library for stories.
Moving on
Rainbow library
The launch of the Rainbow library took place on Tuesday 11th May, 2004.
The purpose of this special area of Airedale library is to encourage local families who have children under the age of five to access the library and all it's facilities.
An 'Early Years Librarian' was appointed in November, 2003 to promote and provide a quality library service. Also to implement sure start objectives and since then a number of family orientated events have taken place.
Various dignitaries were invited to the launch, which included Councillor Graham Phelps, Colin MacDonald, Head of Cultural services, Cath Threapleton from the library service and also Shaheen Khawaja and Gill Golding who represented both local and regional Sure Start programmes.
Three local nursery classes joined the celebration. Approximately 80 children from Redhill, Townville and Airedale nurseries came along on the day to enjoy stories and songs and were offered refreshments during their visit. Each child was given a 'goody bag' as they left with a free book inside.
The library continues to offer innovative ideas for story times and also delivers materials and services through other outlets other than the library along side other agencies.
In Good standing
The Centre offers a wide range of services for a wide age range of local people from birth to our more mature residents some of who are in their 90's.
SureStart are within the Centre and have a broad choice of activities, help and support for families with children under 4 soon to broaden their target age to under 5's.
Café Plus is based in the centre and is open 5 days a week.
"Art In The Centre" is located in the Café and offers a free display space for local artists and community groups.
Neighbourhood Nurseries provide full day childcare for working parents in the area and sessional childcare for students within the Centre.
The library offers wide ranging services aimed at the local community. These include books, talking books (on tape and CD), music CD's, DVD's, CD ROMS, videos and much more. There is also free Internet access provision 7 days a week. There is special Internet provision on Mondays from 4.30pm - 7.30pm for over 18's and Wednesday evenings there is the "I-Zone" with safe quizzes and activities on the computers for under 18's (limited places). Adult Education also use these computers for Open Access sessions for students. Statistics for 2003/04 are Total members 3084 (adults 1665 & children 1419), total issues 56624 (junior 0-4 4434 & SureStart 0-5 14), Internet sessions 2003/04 - 12829, CD Rom usage - 70, word-processing - 271.
From December 2004 the library service provide a study support worker to help children with their homework. The sessions are Tuesday to Thursday 2.30pm - 4.00pm.
There is a Lone Parent Advisor provided by Castleford Job Centre who will help lone parents to get back into employment Wednesdays 10.00am-2.00pm.
The Library service through their connection with Information Advice and Guidance Service provides a worker. This worker gives help and advice on Job Search, interview techniques, CV's and applications. He is in the library Wednesday's 10.00am - 12.00 noon.
Adult Education runs courses that are stepping stones for getting local residents back into work, to improve their job prospects, to improve their literacy and to enrich their leisure hours. The courses on offer range from basic skills courses (Maths, English, IT etc) to GCSE Psychology plus a wide range of craft classes (painting, cake decorating, family history, creative cards, soft furnishings and dress making). A range of computer classes from the very basic to the well qualified. So far this year we have 354 students on our courses.
We are also working closely with The Young People's Services to create a drop in information point. This project is in its early stages and proved a little too successful to begin with.
Schools use the library and classrooms (when available) to tutor children who have been excluded from or cannot attend normal school.
We also work closely with local midwives to provide drop in service for local people in a relaxed and friendly setting.
The number of visitors to the Library and Lifelong section of the Centre was 151, 944.
Connected to the Centre is Airedale Family Centre, which is part of Social Services, who deal confidentially with families with children under 10. We offer courses for parents and also rooms for confidential meetings between parents and children in a neutral setting.