Deeplish Community Centre is an integral community asset, offering a wide range of services in a friendly, safe and welcoming environment, that contribute to the growth and regeneration of the area .
Deeplish is an exciting area of Rochdale that has always embraced and celebrated diversity, and promoted development. It is an area in which residents live and work, also attracting many visitors due to the thriving small businesses and convenience of other key community assets.
Established in 1989, the centre provides an important hub for the local community and is often a focal point for people in need of help to access support or front line services.
The centre aims to serve the community and improve the quality of life of its residents, and the groups who use it, by providing a range of educational, social and learning activities that help to promote community cohesion, empowerment, integration, employment and health and wellbeing opportunities for local people.
Social inclusion is also promoted alongside supporting elderly and vulnerable people facing barriers due to age, health, language and disability, helping people to socialise, learn new skills and achieve their full potential. The centre also provides welfare advice services in community languages and helps with support for people managing finances and dealing with welfare rights.
Other opportunities and activities provided include a Sunshine Pre School, English classes, language skills development and confidence in communication, a Health and wellbeing Group, Driving Theory Classes, a Mother Tongue Teaching & Cultural Studies Group, Localities Meetings, Computer Classes, a Diabetes Awareness Programme, Junior Youth Club, Coffee Mornings, Welfare Rights Advice and Local Councillors Surgeries, a Steps to Success Tuition club, a Ladies Engagement Group, Deeplish Area Women’s Network (DAWN) and Pakistani NADRA cards surgery.
Deeplish is densely populated and one of the most disadvantaged inner-town wards in Rochdale. With a high concentration of elderly, unemployed and vulnerable adults, it was one of the worst covid -19 affected areas.
A vast majority of local residents are from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and include refugees and newly arrived migrants from eastern Europe. Many were simply stuck in their homes during the pandemic and this had a detrimental impact on general health and mental well-being.
Throughout Lockdown, the centre set up and rolled out a community engagement and outreach work strategy in order to support vulnerable local people, especially the elderly and those impacted and experiencing serious crisis.
There was a huge increase and demand for support from those in need of help with financial/welfare matters, food support, social mobility issues, anxiety and mental health support with the elderly, people with disabilities, members of the BAME community, families experiencing poverty and those living alone all receiving the centre’s support.
Deeplish Community Centre provided food parcels for poor, deprived and isolated individuals and local families as well as welfare advice and counselling sessions for those affected by Covid-19 and struggling to cope.
Deeplish Community Centre has been shortlisted for the Connecting Communities Award to be presented at Forever Manchester’s Birthday Party on Friday 18th March 2022.
The award is given in recognition of a person or group of local people who have formed a project or put on an activity which brings people together, benefiting others in their neighbourhood.
Click here for more details about our Annual Birthday Party.
Date added: 19th December 2021
