History of the Kings Cross Project
The Kings Cross Project was established in 1991 by a group of local people associated with the United Reformed and Methodist Church who approached NCH for funding under its Church Initiative Programme. The NCH agreed to provide pump priming funding for a worker for three years and then entered into a partnership agreement with the management committee of the project, which comprises local people and local CVS manager, other churches in the area and service users of the project (all of whom are local people).
The project initially spent six months undertaking a needs assessment within the area by working alongside local people to identify community needs. The committee then prioritised the recommendations and the project began to develop its work in the most under-resourced areas of Widnes. Trinity Church was built incorporating our offices into the design. The name Kings Cross is derived from two of these areas namely Kingsway and Simm's Cross.
The project has grown and developed over the 12 years since it was established and is now independent of NCH. It currently offers services tailored to locally identified needs as well as community development work. All of the services are provided in partnership with service users and local people direct the work of the project through the management committee.
We now employ ten full time staff, 10 part time staff plus around 34 active volunteers.
About Widnes
Widnes is a town in the North West of England. It is, together with Runcorn, part of the borough of Halton. The river Mersey divides these two towns. Runcorn has developed as part of the "new town" strategy, whilst Widnes retains large areas of Victorian properties and public buildings. In recent years Widnes has undergone a regeneration process because of the demise of the traditional chemical industry. The town centre has been redeveloped with new shopping areas and leisure facilities. However, a variety of research reports have confirmed that Halton (which includes Widnes) still has specific problems. The borough has above average rates of unemployment and the highest entitlement to free school meals in the county of Cheshire. The area also scores alarmingly high on the health and poverty indices ratings nationally. The two wards of Riverside and Kingsway feature highest in the top 10 deprived wards in Halton. (Halton Family Support Strategy October 2002).
Aims
The Kings Cross Project exists to enhance the lives of children, young people and families in areas of inner Widnes by working alongside local people through community development principles to find local solutions to locally identified needs.
Objectives
- To research local facilities and needs in Widnes.
- To work in partnership with local people, other agencies and community groups in meeting the needs of the local people.
- To encourage and support local people to take part in the life of their community
- To assist local people to set up projects, which will promote self-advocacy, broaden horizons, give choices and reflect the needs of the local area.
- To enable local people to have access to training relevant to their needs which is accessible to all
- To establish and provide services that meet locally identified needs
Legal Status
The Kings Cross Project is a Company Limited by Guarantee and we are in the process of applying to become a registered charity. We are currently exempt under the Charities Act as the Kings Cross Project is a Church based project. It is registered under the Methodist Church's statutory instrument 180 of 1996 and is accepted as a charity for tax purposes under reference XR226936.
Management Committee
- Rev. Dr. Paul Beetham, Chair of the Project
- Connie Smith, Deputy Chair and Church member
- Judy Alderson, Solicitor in local practice
- Janet McCollam, Trinity Church member
- Rev. Jeff Engel, Anglican Minister and Counselling supervisor
- John Oldershaw, URC Mission Development Worker
- Rev. Ray Jones, St. Mary's & St Paul's C of E Churches
- Debbie Dalby, Halton Voluntary Action
- Tommy Glynn, Local Resident
- Pamela Wallace, Local Councillor
- Pauline Lee, Community Member
- Viv Batty, Church Member & Local Resident
- Carole Cank, Community Member
- Rev. Janice Collier, Halebank & Hale C of E Churches
What Does The Kings Cross Project Do?
- Youth Development in Halebank
- Teenage Pregnancy Counselling
- Community Parents
- Volunteer Scheme
- Halton Speak Out
- Self - Advocacy
- Crèche Work
- Child and Adolescent Therapeutic Counselling
- Peer Education and Healthy Schools
- After School Clubs and Summer Fun Days
- Family Support work
- Women's personal development - feelFREE Group
- Parenting Education and group work
- New skills Taster training
- New Opportunities for adult learning
- Adult Counselling
Our Partners
- Local people
- Residents Associations and Forums
- Local Churches
- Halton College (http://www.haltoncollege.ac.uk/)
- Halton Regeneration Partnership
- Sure Start
- Children's Fund
- Halton PCT
- Halton Health Partnership
- HITS (http://www.hits-halton.org.uk)
- Halton Voluntary Action (http://www.haltonva.org.uk)
- NCH (http://www.nch.org.uk)
- Merseyside Open College Network (http://www.mocn.co.uk/)
- Halton Education Directorate (http://www.halton.gov.uk/education/)
- Halton Social Services
(http://www.halton-borough.gov.uk/socialservices/) - Halton Early Years and Play
- Halton Leisure Services
Our Funders
Of money, of time, skills, knowledge, experience, and care…
- Local Churches' donations
- Methodist Connexion
- Halton Health Partnership
- Halton Social Services
- Halton SRB 5 Programme
- North West European Fund
- Greater Merseyside IAG Partnership
- Learning & Skills Council
- New Opportunities Fund
- Children's Fund
- Sure Start
- Active Communities Unit
- Henry Smith Trust
- Lankelly Foundation
- Lloyds TSB Foundation
- Local Children's Network
- Widnes Lions Club
- Individual donors, volunteers, and Trustees.
We can only do our work because of the support of our funders and donors. We want to say a big thank you and give you our commitment to provide the best services possible through the most effective use of all our resources: money, people and buildings.
