Foxton Forum: updates and new matters

Foxton Forum attendees and Sarah (front row, second from right).

Here’s a summary on the Foxton Forum that took place last Friday, here, at The Foxton Centre. Nine people attended to share ideas and provide feedback on everything TFC related. Our Community Social Worker Sarah was representing TFC staff and taking notes of suggestions, improvements and concerns raised during the Forum.

Firstly, they started by going through the updates from previous Forum.

• It was agreed that lined paper and pens would be made available at each forum meeting for the use of attendees.
• The attendees expressed their wish to have picnics and games in the park at least once a month during warmer months. However, the weather this summer was unpredictable. Moreover, there are difficulties with staff shortage. Saying that, Sarah promised to look into this issue and try to plan at least one day in the park.
• Another wish was to organise trips to the places that the service users would enjoy visiting. The attendees said they were happy to pay a small fee towards trips. Once again, staff availability is uncertain.
• Another idea about including more fun activities at The Foxton Centre is to hang a dartboard in the Community Café. This raises some health and safety concerns, because Café gets quite busy during the opening hours; mix that with sharp flying objects and we’re looking at a possible disaster. There were further suggestions to have a safe area in which to play darts and only use it for dart tournaments. However, nothing has been agreed on.

Darts: yay or nay?

• Staff have looked into a possibility to find volunteers or hire mountain leaders who would be willing to get our service users on mountain/fell walks as part of our project Natural Highs. Foxton Forum attendees suggested some local walks to lower the costs. The staff are going to look into this possibility and keep Foxton users updated.
• Literacy classes – The Foxton work closely with Preston College and can support people accessing further education through them.
• Budgeting sessions – Citizens advice bureau (CAB) have offered budgeting session in the past. Staff are going to contact CAB and see if this is still a possibility.
• A more certain activity at The Foxton Centre is Café user-led arts and crafts sessions. Bi-weekly sessions are going to take place alternating Fridays. Each session is going to have a different arty theme, i.e. crochet, origami, dream catchers. This will be a great opportunity for service users to share and improve their talents and skills.

Origami dragon, because – why not?

Matters arising

• Service users would like to get involved in making bird boxes to sell on the Market Stall. As always, there were concerns expressed about health and safety. This could possibly be solved by allowed one or two people to cut the pieces of wood and others would put them together.

A small house for a little bird.

• With regards to resources for arts and craft sessions, participants suggested locating resources outside of centre, for example, by asking for donations of unwanted wool, crochet needles, and other arts and crafts tools and materials. Discussion with marketing lead to happen about creating posters and promoting this idea.
• Concerns were raised about Café tables being set up too close to the pool table exposing diners to being caught by people playing pool. This is going to be passed on to the Café team.
• Attendees were pleased that there is enough space for a wheelchair to access the upstairs area. This must and will be continued.
• However, those using push bikes were complaining about the lack of space for them to access the Centre. Outside storage to lock the bikes and an inside area in the store room were suggested. Sarah has promised to feed this back to the management.
• Attendees would like more pool cues to be purchased, as the current ones are broken. It was brought to attention that the cues were broken immediately after purchase by cafe users playing pool. However, staff would feed this back and see if more cues could be purchased.
• 5 –a-side football is being played on Saturdays between 11am-12am to compliment the monthly football training offered at Play Football. This has been advertised in Café already and anyone is welcome to join in. Attendees also discussed other forms of physical exercise and possible classes being arranged. Staff advised that Foxton users can be supported to access local activity and leisure centres.

Every Saturday, 11am – 12pm.

• Attendees discussed development of community events and requested a Christmas fair to be arranged with the support and inclusion of The Foxton users.
• It’s been requested that more is put on Facebook, Twitter and official TFC website about upcoming events with reminders of what’s on that week also. Noted.

The next Foxton Forum meeting is planned on Friday, 9th October, 1pm. Everyone’s welcome to attend.