Work has started on the refurbishment of Loughborough Children’s Centre costing nearly half a million pounds. It is part of Lambeth Early Action Partnership’s (LEAP) ‘Capital Project’, a £4million redevelopment of 11 children early years spaces in Lambeth.
Their ethos is to improve the wellbeing of Lambeth’s youngest residents and to make sure that they are in good health consistently rather than having to treat illness after it arises.
The work includes a new outdoor space for play, a buggy store, a new entrance, as well as an improvement to the inside of the building. The work will create improved space for the delivery of health services and the refurbishment of areas for the delivery of stay and play activities, and groupwork.
To celebrate the work starting, Loughborough Children’s Centre staff, LEAP and local children took a tour of the facilities and a look at how the centre is developing.
LEAP’s Capital Project has been taking shape since November 2017 and Mulberry Centre, Max Roach One O’clock Club and St Stephens Children’s Centre have already been refurbed.
All work across the 11 sites should be completed by Autumn 2019.
LEAP works in four Lambeth wards (Stockwell, Coldharbour, Vassall and Tulse Hill) and is part of the National Lottery funded A Better Start programme set up by The National Lottery Community Fund.
The National Lottery Community Fund uses money raised by National Lottery players to help communities achieve their ambitions. From small, local projects to UK-wide initiatives, its funding brings people together to make a difference to their health, wellbeing and environment.
LEAP Director Laura McFarlane (pictured right) said: “It was fantastic to go down to Loughborough and see the work well underway. These improvements are going to make a huge difference in terms of the activities Loughborough Children’s Centre can put on and to the long-term development of children.
“It was really nice to have the children here and they all were really excited to see the progress and can’t wait to use the new facilities.”
The programme is working with parents, carers and the wider community over 10 years, using scientific evidence on how to improve children’s diet and nutrition, social and emotional development, speech, language and communication to test what works in real life.
A full list of the LEAP sites can be found below the video.
Full site list:
- The Mulberry Centre
- Cowley Early years Hub
- Tulse Hill Early Years Hub
- Brockwell One O’clock Club
- Max Roach One O’clock Club
- Mursell Early Years Hub
- Loughborough Estate Early Years Hub
- Jubilee Children’s Centre
- Loughborough Children’s Centre
- St Stephens Children’s Centre
- Liz Atkinson Children’s Centre
More information is available on LEAP’s website: www.leaplambeth.org.uk
