Lisa Harrison, manager of St Margaret’s Centre, received a group of us in the Centre on the evening of 22 June, to explain the work of the Centre, which supports around 250 people with mental health problems, offering courses to improve their health and well-being – allotment gardening (we are delighted that the Centre now has two allotments being gardened by Centre clients under Joy Brindle’s brilliant leadership), woodwork, arts and crafts, music and dance, and many others. Thanks to new funding from Point North, the Centre is starting to extend its actiivities throughout County Durham. Lisa’s talk left us in no doubt that she is an inspired and inspirational manager. The brilliant atmosphere in the Centre whenever I visit it, or on the Centre’s allotments on a Wednesday morning when the clients are working there, amply confirms that it is doing truly amazing work. We should be proud to have such a partner – and neighbour.
And we should also support it. Patronise the Old School Café in the Centre (open 9.00-2.00, Monday to Friday). Great atmosphere, great food. There is an option to Pay Forward, i.e. pay for a drink or a meal for someone finding money in short supply. Patronise the Old School Woodcrafts (turn left inside the front door, go through into the woodworking shop and turn right) – excellent and exclusive, crafts, furniture and greetings cards, and you can also commission work from them. Find out more at https://www.stmargaretscentre.co.uk/