Community Nursery under Threat

Are you also aware that the Nursery are not allowed a key to the main doors at the hall. Yet another user has a key to let himself in on a Saturday to provide a yoga service! Also this person is also a committee member and provides a service from the centre at the same time! Something as mentioned i was told is not allowed. I guess some people have privileges? Does this sound fair and equal?

Was you aware that the HHCA are paid a Grant from the council each year of over £14,000 that pays for the rent? The Association need to comply to a Grant Agreement each year in order to continue this grant! This is not been complied with in many ways yet they are still awarded this grant?! I wonder how?

Also just to make everybody aware that i got suspended from the committee in July 2013. In the constitution it states i would get the chance to an appeal at the NEXT committee meeting. I turned up and was then told this is not how they operate and i would need a meeting with an independent group of people to make my appeal?! Well there is no policy or procedure that states this of course its just what they suddenly decided at the time. I also got told i could no longer even be a committee member anymore because i help run a business at the Hall???!! And it would go against the lease if i was an officer on the committee which all of a sudden ALL committee members are?! No that isn't the case there are "committee members" and then the executive members ie chair, secretary, treasurer are the "officers" and NOWHERE does it state that i could not be a committee members. They seem to make things up as they go... We also asked a few local people who would really like to help out and be on the committee and had them apply to be on the committee.. they send in letters stating why they wanted to help out and not 1 person even got a reply??!!! The committee don't even have a secretary because numbers are that low yet they ignore these applications! In fact one of these potential committee members is involved with a lot of youth projects in the area and would have been a major asset. He approached the chair lady one evening to ask how to apply and was told rudely "where to go" basically! Very nice! it's a joke and a very bad one at that!

It would be nice to know when the next AGM is taking place... if anybody can find this public information i would be amazed. I would be surprised if it has even been a topic during these private meetings!

The HHCA Chair became good friends with the owners of the dance school, who offer an amazing service also to the local community i might add, and a most of the committee members are associated in some way to the dance school. The reason many of the committee members became members was because the chair knew them from going to the dance school and rightly asked them to help out. So from the very start of the newly elected chair nearly 3 years ago Cllr Gillies told us she had been "sent in" to overlook everything that goes on at Highfield Hall Community Centre and was involved in creating the new Lease and constitution for the association. These documents are very much tailored to make things difficult for User Groups of the Hall to be actively involved with the running of it. Ok this seems fair but ideally its the user groups best interest to want to help the community centre flourish and become more popular which in turn benefits the community. Also the user groups are already giving the community a service in any case. What is the reason for this sudden need to change things when it wasn't broken in the 1st place? 3 years later and if anything things have become worse! Now it's time to fix things i think?!

It shows the ignorance of the committee when they are saying sign an agreement that states they can refuse us entry to the room at any time or simply leave. Parents have to find another nursery or give up work, other nurseries are likely to be further away, if they haven't got a car it means the expense of bus fares,children suffer with a complete and sudden change to their nursery surroundings and loss of friendships they have made. Staff have to find new jobs. All because six unqualified, inexperienced committee members say so, without just cause.

The play area is never open next to the community centre and no reasons are given to why! Been closed for many months now? WHY?

I got suspended from the committee in July 2013 for apparently breaching a confidentiality policy ALL committee members where forced to sign. Something that i was not happy to sign knowing it would give the association the power to get rid of me easily for NO reason given to me as yet. I have asked on many occasions for my right of appeal but it is getting me nowhere! Its a joke!

I remember the difference that the nursery made when they moved in. The centre was on the brink of closure with smashed windows and dowdy front doors. It seemed to come to life.

The way this association are treating the nursery is completely disgusting. They are providing a service to the community, which is what i thought a community centre was there to do?! They all have their hands up one anothers backs and there isn't a legal or even decent explanation as to why they are so set on ruining not only the business, but the education of the poor children within the setting, three of which are mine!

I will be adding some email quotes and proof via links soon to support this petition and to show how poorly things are being run at Highfield Hall

Why are the committee meetings all confidential at ALL times? User Groups of the centre are not allowed to be at meetings or even shared any information from meetings. It would be nice to be able to discuss the needs of usergroups at meetings?

Its a community play area, we should know why it has been closed for so long. What a waste. The committee treat this just the same as they do all their business, in secret. I have never know a body of people who run a community centre to be sworn to silence. And as far as being inclusive, its more like exclusive to their family and friends only.

Its a disgrace, a 'Community Centre' trying to force out a Children's Nursery

I fully support the nursery and their excellent work with the children in their care. They should be helped in this and not hampered. So many people in the area will suffer if this nursery has to move or close. This is supposed to be a community centre, the clue is in the name. It must be run to serve the community not the few who seem to think it is their own little kingdom.The Council must be very unhappy with this strange attitude of secrecy from the committee.

I cannot understand how any decent intelligent person can not understand how a nursery doesn't come under the label of a community based operation. Have any of the committee got children or grandchildren, do they attend a nursery? Can they not understand that allowing parents to work increases financial and independant well being. Which improves homes and environments for the people of our community. The nursery needs to find the support of the Harper green councillors. Cannot understand why they haven't done that yet. Any decent ward councillor for this area would want to help the local nursery.

The committee involved a Farnworth councillor by the name of jean gillies. Have lots of evidence to support the opinion that she was not supportive to the nursery, but the councillors family are on the committee and run a dance business there. I tried to complain about the councillors involvement because I believed it to be inappropriate but that was just damage limitation, the committee are not a really good example of members of the wider community they are simply to close nit to be un biased in what they consider to be fair for all. In fact the chair lady used our nursery for several years until both her younger children went to school, she certainly understood the need then, but when getting them in the lime light for a dance class, her priorities changed, instantly I might add.

I am puzzled as to why there seems to be a problem recently, when, as far as I am aware, Highfield Hall as been providing a service for a number of years that satisfy the divergent needs of the community.

The nursery provision is needed for parents who need to work but, is also an extremely important educational amenity for the children of the community. The children learn socialisation skills with a variety of ethnic groups at early stages of their education . They learn to empathise and to respect others . They develop mentally and physically , surely this is the kind of community which should be developed not dismissed. Isn't a Community Hall for all the community, not a select few few?

Yes it has been closed for 5 months now and then a few months before that.. i'm sure there is a good reason but when we ask for the reason we get no answers. This is a public's Park yet the association don't like to answer simple questions!