New Sensory Garden Opens
A groundbreaking sensory garden has been unveiled in The Norman Jackson Children’s Centre in Hampton Hill.
It is the first of its kind in the borough, and one of the few in the country, to combine natural attractions, such as water walls and allotments, with musical technology and audio equipment. It is also the borough’s only outdoor facility designed specifically for children with sensory impairments.
The garden is the final phase of work at the Centre, which opened last September. It will provide outdoor space for families that use the centre, increasing the number of activities and classes on offer.
Cllr Christine Percival, Strategic Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Children’s Services on Richmond Council, said: “Everything in the garden has been designed to encourage children to develop their senses, and will prove valuable to our work with children with sensory impairments.
“A lot of work has gone in to providing the right features – and the local community has had a real impact; children at the centre have told us what they would like to see in the garden, local residents have helped record stories for the audio booths, and many of the features have been made by local designers.
“This is a great addition to what is already an extremely popular centre. Now there is the outdoor space we hope families will get even more out of their visits, particularly during the summer.”
Parents in Hampton say the children’s centre has helped to turn their lives around in a recent Government inspection. Government watchdog Ofsted paid a visit earlier this year.
The centre has been open since January 2010 and provides a varied programme of support and activities for families with children under five, especially those from the most vulnerable backgrounds and situations. The centre works to give children the best start in life and improve outcomes for all families.
Inspectors praised the good levels of advice and support available - for example, the wide range of courses to help parents develop their parenting and life skills, including ICT and safety in the home. In addition, they praised the outreach work based at the centre. This was considered ‘essential’ by many parents who took part in the inspection. One commented: “I don’t know what I would have done without the Centre.”
The inspectors particularly praised the staff at the centre, finding them welcoming, friendly and dedicated to providing support to a wide range of users.
The Norman Jackson Children’s Centre is open Monday -Thursday from 9am to 5pm and on Friday from 9am - 4.45pm. For more information about the centre, call 020 8979 0858 or email: normanjacksoncc@richmond.gov.uk
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New books and £84,000 saving for library
Hundreds of new books are hitting the library shelves thanks to new arrangements which will also save taxpayers £84,000.
By joining the leading library stock supply consortium, better prices are being negotiated due to the economies of scale. Back office improvements are expected to yield further savings.
Cllr Pamela Fleming, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Libraries need to be kept relevant and up to date if we’re to maintain the service our residents expect.
“We were concerned our former book supply arrangements did not always meet the standards we hoped for, and did not provide value for money. The Council has now joined a consortium which gives us much more scope for new books while at the same time saving us money.”
The new agreement means stock is chosen by experts at the consortium although the Council will still be able to respond to local demand for particular titles if needed. CBC is the largest library stock purchasing consortium in the UK, meaning it receives some of the most competitive trading terms available wich it can pass on to local libraries.
