Month of May!
What a month it has been for connectNEL and Centre4! There’s been some big changes, and it’s certainly kept us on our toes!
What’s kept us busy this month?
Financial Support
Once again, our busiest calls have been for financial support – more and more people are needing support for Attendance Allowance (AA), Personal Independence Payments (PIP), as well as, pension queries and debt advice. connectNEL and the Centre4 Advice team have been answering these queries and completing any applications required to help support our clients, when they need it the most.
Household Support Grants (HSGs)
We’re proud to be a referral partner once again for the North East Lincolnshire Council Household Support Grant. If you aren’t aware, the payment is available for people 16+ to help with the cost of energy, food, household bills and essentials. The scheme reopened 13 May and closes 30 September. Our advisors have already been making applications for clients, with a huge success rate. With this scheme, we’ve also been able to help people with awareness of hospital transport costs, budgeting and debt management, and support for getting back into work.
“Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” – Ayn Rand
Grand opening – Refurbished welcome space!
Working with JemBuild and Hodson Architects, Centre4 revealed the brand new Welcome Space on 18 May. Gone is the old reception desk and dated, cracked sofas! Now, we have an open space to meet and greet, with comfortable furniture to wait, chat and have coffee. We have privacy booths for meetings, and an amazing community room, complete with piano, aptly named the Winchester Suite.
Speaking of coffee, you can buy a wide range of drinks and sweet treats from the new barista coffee bar – Canopy Kitchen at Centre4.
The connectNEL team have been hard at work meeting and greeting members of the community and professionals alike. We love the new space and the opportunities it may bring.
Welcome home.
Centre4Youth!
Dozens of young people from across the Nunsthorpe, and the wider Grimsby community, were invited to put the first spade in the turf for the brand new Centre4Youth build on 3 May. The ground has officially been broken!
We’ll be providing activities and services for thousands of young people aged 11 – 18. It’s hoped the building will be open in 2025. A time capsule was also buried at the ground breaking ceremony, which will be unearthed in 2054.
The future is bright.
Breaking News!
Centre4 were proud to host a live broadcast of Sky News Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge on 29 May. Sophy spoke to four local panellists about the forthcoming General Election, which takes place on 4 July. This was a huge surprise for us, and who knows – they may be coming back with leading political candidates!
If you missed the broadcast, don’t worry – you can watch it online.
Thanks for reading, from all of us here at connectNEL!
