Whitstable Umbrella Community Centre

1
Whitstable Umbrella Community Centre

• Currently situated in St. Marys Hall, a 104 year
  old building, near the centre of Whitstable Town.
• As an Umbrella Centre we provide social support,
  meetings and activities for those suffering from
  Mental Health problems.
• As a Community Centre we provide a wide range of
  activities for the whole community.
• We are supported by grants from KCC and CCC but
  the majority of our funds are raised from the
  hiring of the various facilities.
• The centre only has four paid part-time staff and
  is successfully managed through the work of
  numerous volunteers.

2
Introduction

• In order to be brief but positive, this
  presentation is centred on answering the
  following questions
• Why?
• Who?
• How?
• What?
• 
  Where?
• Questions that I am sure you have already asked
  yourselves but not necessarily in the same
  order.

3
Why was it done?

• The original Whitstable Umbrella Centre was set
  up as a meeting place for those with mental
  stress issues.
• Refreshments in the form of Coffee, Tea and
  Squash were sold and a simple one course meal was
  provided once a week.
• In 1997 the Centre was relocated to its present
  home in St. Marys Hall building with its
  numerous rooms. This change of venue also
  introduced the Community concept into its
  activities.
• As the new location had more space and better
  facilities, a review of the Café services saw the
  introduction of a varied menu providing a two
  course lunch on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• As time went on, Home Made Cakes and Biscuits
  were added to the goods on sale and there were
  even Christmas Dinners and Buffets arranged.

4
Who did it?

• At this time, all the Café activities were
  provided by hard working volunteers.
• With the expansion of activities within the
  Centre the demand for lunches increased,
  naturally this put a great deal of pressure on
  the volunteers.
• It was decided that a full time Cook/Caterer be
  appointed and that the lunch service be extended
  to cover five days a week.

5
How did we manage?

• Naturally costs had been kept to a minimum by
  using volunteers. How could we possibly afford to
  employ someone and still make a profit?
• The arrangement arrived at was to Franchise the
  activity.
• The caterer would buy and prepare their own food
  but not pay rent or utility costs and the Centre
  would receive 20 of gross takings.
• This allowed a person to set up a small business
  with very little overhead and possibly help to
  realise an ambition to be ones own boss.
• The Management Committee of the Centre cooperates
  with the Caterer to set the prices for the café
  items and all increases are agreed by both
  parties.

6
What are the Advantages?

• It is an in house service.
• The service was requested and is supported by the
  local community.
• Meals are priced for those on modest incomes.
• The Caterer is supported by volunteers for meal
  service and refreshments.
• Use is made of the Community Garden which
  provides a pleasant environment for al-fresco
  dining and refreshments.

7
What are the Disadvantages?

• Due to building limitations the Community Café
  cannot be setup exclusively for dining and the
  layout has to be disturbed.
• Potential customers have to be turned away on
  those occasions when the room is used for other
  purposes.
• The Kitchen and Dining Room are often hired out
  for evening and weekend events.
• Use by hirers can lead to possible problems over
  hygiene at the end of service clean down.

8
What have we achieved?

• A number of the volunteers have shown increased
  self confidence having worked with the public
  and in some instances this has led to further
  employment.
• The Centre as a whole has fund raised
  successfully for numerous things needed to run
  the Café.
• A grant was obtained from Kent County Council and
  we were able to refurbish the kitchen and storage
  areas with the help of volunteers.
• Currently the Cafe is proud to say that it has a
  4 star rating for Food Hygiene from Canterbury
  City Council.

9
Where do we go from here?

• A number of aspects are currently under
  consideration
• To introduce meals made with local produce cut
  down on food miles.
• To introduce reduced fat meals for healthy
  living.
• To join in a Fair Trade Campaign as Canterbury is
  a Fair Trade City.
• Although each of these is a laudable concept it
  has to be judged on customer acceptance and the
  cost of provision.