Goscote Greenacres, Walsall, is to close due to lack of funding

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Goscote Greenacres, Walsall, is to close due to lack of funding, leaving volunteers with learning disabilities nowhere to go.

Transcript

00:00OK Paul, so you're the manager here at Gosford Greenacres in Walsall, just explain what's

00:07going on today.

00:08Well I'm the manager until 3 o'clock today, unfortunately we've hit issues with funding

00:12and we've had to lay off all the paid staff and all the volunteers with learning disabilities

00:17will have to find somewhere else, so we'll be officially closing, the site will continue

00:22but in a lot smaller format.

00:25So what's happened then, where's it got to go, what's happened?

00:28We haven't got any funding to cover the cost for the staff salaries here, I've been writing

00:33funding bids for the last 6-8 months, putting one or two in every month, haven't been successful.

00:37I went to the council to see if they could offer me some stopgap funding, they said no,

00:42so basically we've had to let all the paid staff go and really reduce the level of service

00:46that we offer.

00:47So there's literally nowhere to turn really?

00:48Yeah, no.

00:49Yeah, how long have you been here?

00:50I've been here 13 years, since 2012.

00:52Crikey.

00:53And I believe you've had some other bad news as well haven't you over the week?

00:56Yes, I lost my mother as well.

00:58I lost my mum and my job last weekend, it wasn't the best of weekends.

01:02Absolutely.

01:03So what does the future hold for Gosford Greenacres now?

01:07The committee are hoping to continue running it in a scaled back format, they're going

01:13to try and sort that out over the next couple of weeks on what that will look like, but

01:18yeah, we won't be doing garden maintenance service, we won't be doing so much work with

01:22adults with learning disabilities, they still hope to be able to do a plant sale on the

01:265th of May, and maybe sell vegetables for the summer, but that's up to them on what

01:30they can do, because they've only got volunteers to deliver whatever they can.

01:33So regarding the adults with learning disabilities, what do you think is going to happen to them

01:37now?

01:38I don't know.

01:39I don't know.

01:40That's one of my biggest heartaches really, that there is no alternative provision for

01:44them.

01:47But what about yourself, what's the future hold for you?

01:49I don't know, I sign on on Monday I suppose, trying to look for work, trying to find something.

01:54I may try and do a little bit of gardening, just to try and tidy me up over the summer,

01:58but I need a permanent job really.

02:02What do you think could have happened to the site, I mean regarding, I know you've had

02:08no financial help, but what do you think could have happened, what do you think the solution

02:14could have been?

02:15If I'd been successful in one of my funding bids, or the council would look to support

02:19us, I'd plan on growing, you know, we wanted to set up a woodworking hut for men with mental

02:27health issues in the area, we've been running a men's mental health fishing programme, which

02:31is just, you know, 15 people have signed up for that, it's really popular.

02:36I wanted to develop a woodland craft area, we've got lots of plans going forward, all

02:40to try and boost our income streams, you know, I wanted to do bird boxes and habitat boxes

02:44to sell planters and stuff to try and increase our income, but that's all probably going

02:49to go now.

02:50Yeah, it's all gone, it's all gone.

02:51Well, all the best anyway, mate, hope it all works out.

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