Silver surfers learning centre closure

Benefactor sought to save popular Silver surfers centre

The Board of Age Concern Waltham Forest deeply regret having to report the closure of the Silver Surfers Centre in Walthamstow Village this month following almost seven years of excellent service by staff and volunteers providing ICT (information and communication technology) access and training to older adults in Waltham Forest.

Age Concern Waltham Forest has been a pathfinder in the provision of ICT training to older people, bringing over £508,000 into the borough over the past seven years for the Centre and outreach work. Unfortunately, only one of Age Concern Waltham Forest‘s funding applications was successful for ICT access and training from April 2007 and this does not provide enough to continue to run the Centre.

Mike Pettit, Chair of Age Concern Waltham Forest, said

Everyone at Age Concern Waltham Forest is saddened that such a popular and over-subscribed Centre is having to be closed. The Board and Staff have tried to come up with a financially viable plan to enable the Centre to continue, but there is just not enough funding to do so. Our only hope now is for a benefactor to provide substantial financial support to the Centre before the end of this month.

Age Concern Waltham Forest is in negotiation with the remaining funder in the hope of coming up with a plan to continue to provide some ICT training to older people at alternative venues in the borough over the next 2 years. Age Concern Waltham Forest has provided over £40,000 to Silver Surfers from its independent fundraising over this financial year to keep it open until the end of March and to give more time to the search for more funding.

12 March 2007