Premises Project

Why cant we stay where we are?

Our existing Centre is arranged quite awkwardly over a number of floors and is not an ideal building.  We have tried to make it accessible for the disabled but there are still significant limitations for disabled Volunteers and Visitors. Our immediate environs have changed dramatically over recent times and we are now surrounded by bars and a nightclub.  At night this can produce a very noisy environment, which makes our work with quiet telephone callers, who may be contemplating ending their life, extremely difficult. 

The future of our present Centre is uncertain because it is likely to be adversely affected by redevelopment proposals.  The timetable for this redevelopment has been set back by the current recession, but it will take place at some stage.

Why not lease new premises?

If we were to lease new premises when our present lease runs out in 2012 it is very probable that we would have to pay very much more than we do now.  This could mean that more of our volunteers’ time would have to be diverted to fundraising activities.  The associated risk would be that less time would be available to be spent on our core activity of taking calls from those vulnerable members of our local community who need our support with a possible rise in the number of suicides locally. There is also a real danger that a shift of emphasis from supporting vulnerable people to fundraising would see many of our volunteers leave. If we do not have enough volunteers we could cease to be a viable charity.

Why buy a building?

Raising running costs to fund a charity is not easy. We have determined that if we were to be able to own our premises we can minimise the annual cost to the community we serve because our running costs will be significantly less. This in turn means we can provide a more secure service to those people who need us in the future.

How much will it cost?

We have set a target of £360,000 to enable us to purchase a property to accommodate our Centre.  It is difficult to know how much it will cost when the time comes but that is our best estimate. 

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