CASE STUDY - JUNE 2008

The Turn Project at The Balsam Healthy Living Centre in Wincanton

An example of a highly successful Somerset Access to Services project

The Balsam Centre is the only survivor of three Healthy Living Centres set-up across the South Somerset in the early years of the new millennium. Based in a rundown community hospital, the building was lost on the edge of a housing estate. Funding had been secured for staff in the first five years but with the end of this funding looming the centre was not attracting enough users and was far from financially sustainable.

The Turn Project was the second phase of major capital spend to raise the profile of the centre making it truly accessible, well used and vibrant with an improved range of health and social services. The project will help to build social capital and increase the capacity and scope of the Balsam Centre to deliver healthy living activities in South East Somerset.

This project completes the transformation of the centre, adding to work done in phase one to provide a training kitchen and Children’s Centre.

The main funder was the Big Lottery, investing £422,000, with Somerset Rural Renaissance investing £29, 225, having already invested £70,000 in Phase 1 to provide a training kitchen and equipment.

The Rural Renaissance investment supported three elements of the improvements: access and reception - providing the centre with a highly visible and level access to the building; café and meeting space - providing a dedicated communal space for healthy, locally sourced refreshments, informal meetings and a waiting area with computers available for public access; lift - giving easy access to both floors and all the services in the enhanced building.

In addition the extension provided: a teaching facility - enabling the provision of courses as well as a space to hire for training courses; consultation rooms – for the centre’s mental health project and the Children’s Centre family support work; studio - a room large enough for dynamic, physical exercise and film presentations as well as a much needed venue for hire in Wincanton town centre.

The building became fully functional until May 2008 with the completion of the lift, café and reception areas. Jobs have been created in the Children’s Centre. Training targets have already been over achieved with around 130 people attending courses to develop skills.

The increased space and modern, inviting nature of the centre means that many more people are making their way through the doors with over 2000 individuals recorded as using the services since the project began. New user groups are being established ad the centre is also attracting a new community of users ie families with young children using the Children’s Centre.
The Balsam Centre works very closely with the nearby Growing Space, a project supporting adults with mental health issues which offers gardening instruction as well as providing organic produce to be used in the centre.

The main aim of the project is being achieved - to become a vibrant, well used facility with more rented space and sessional hiring enabling the centre to become sustainable in the longer term.

For more information on the Balsam Centre visit www.balsamcentre.org.uk