The Chichester depot of Covers Timber and Builders Merchants has recently supplied materials for the Bell Tower Drop-In Centre, at Chichester Cathedral, which has just opened its doors.
The centre is the brainchild of the youth minister at Immanuel Church, Rachel Wheeler, who was approached by one of the children she teaches. This raised questions about the care of children after school hours. A student survey was undertaken which showed that 630 pupils (from years seven to 10 at school), often didn’t have a parent at home at the end of the school day and over 600 pupils spent more than two hours in the city centre on Friday afternoons.
Many students stated that they would like a centre operated by friendly staff who could offer advice on a variety of things. On the basis of the survey results, Ms Wheeler opened communications with the clergy at the church and local councillors, and started planning for the drop-in centre.
Covers supplied kitchen units, a sink and tap, plus worktops for the centre’s kitchen area, free of charge.
Ross Rablin, branch manager at Covers Home Ideas in Chichester, said: “The Immanuel Church Drop-In Centre will be a great facility for local children to use after the school day has ended. We were more than happy to help how we could, and by supplying kitchen equipment this means that the centre will have a great cooking area for snacks and drinks. It’s also great that the kids now have somewhere safe and warm to spend time, before going home.”
Ms Wheeler added: “This centre will be a valuable resource for local school children, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of donations from local companies such as Covers. I’d also like to say thank you for everyone’s support.”
