So What Is the Balsam Centre?

The Centre is owned and managed by Wincanton Community Venture, a local independent charity which receives funding from differing sources. 

The Centre was originally set up by members of the local community to fill a recognised gap in health, social and therapeutic activities and services in Wincanton and the surrounding rural area. As a Healthy Living Centre we are open to the entire community and we work to promote health and wellbeing. We do this by providing activities that are easy to access, enjoyable and give individual support and help to people as necessary. Such activities are generally free of charge. These include opportunities that lead to better diet, increased physical activity and improved emotional health.

In September 2007 we also became a Sure Start Children’s Centre which has proved a perfect marriage, combining the Healthy Living aspects of our work with child focused activities and family support. The Children’s Centre includes an excellent day care nursery with an Early Years specialist teacher and is managed by experienced and caring staff. 

The Centre provides an ideal town centre venue with its modern hall, a range of meeting rooms and some specialist areas such as a fully equipped training kitchen and IT suite which are all available for hire. There are a wide range of creative and activity classes, groups and sessions for adults and children happening every week.  We are always open to suggestions for new groups and activities.  

We have grown enormously in the last ten years, from running a small number of projects rattling around in a large building to becoming a thriving and bustling centre that often seems short of space (even after significant expansion and refurbishment in 06/07)  For this we have to thank members of the community who have helped to shape the venture and have demonstrated the need for our services and crucially the funders who over the years have enabled us to provide them, especially the Big Lottery, South Somerset Health and Wellbeing Partnership, South Somerset District Council, Somerset Primary Care Trust, The Melville Family Trust,  Somerset County Council, Rural Renaissance  and Wincanton Town Council.

We work in close partnership with a number of local agencies such as local health professionals, schools and community development workers to provide a wide range of health and social activities, including our wonderful Well Bean outreach project; supporting families and older people to grow their own food, take more exercise and improve their emotional health and wellbeing. 

All of the work of the Balsam Centre is aimed at helping you to get more out of life, whether through a better understanding of how to support your child’s development, learning new skills, enjoying time out of doors, meeting new people, having somewhere to turn at a difficult time or providing you with the opportunity to become a much valued volunteer. So to see in detail just what we have on offer, take a good look at our website, pop in to visit us, or give us a call.

Tel 01963 31842
http://www.balsamcentre.org.uk/

Sue Place

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