Foxton Centre Chief Executive, Tim Keightley looks on as Preston City Council Chief Executive, Lorraine Norris cuts the ribbon to officially open the centre

The Foxton Centre which was badly fire damaged earlier this year has now been fully refurbished and the wonderful work of the organisation is back in full steam, to not only continue their essential and much needed community work as before, but with new and exciting ideas for the centre.

The newly refurbished cafe with its fresh and inviting appeal

It is now 45 years since curate Bryan Foxton, along with the parishes, the Diocese and local government worked together to create the Foxton Centre in its original incarnation. Since then the centre has changed and evolved in many ways and today serves as much more than just a simple place of sanctuary for those who have become marginalised within the community.

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Some of the Foxton Centre volunteers working in the kitchen

To the right, Foxton Centre Chair, Ray Thomas congratulates all involved with refurbishing and helping out with the set-up of the facilities. To the left, centre manager, Tim Keightley displays a cheque for £633.12 donated by the staff of Natwest Bank from a sponsored event

The newly refurbished centre cafe has a wonderfully friendly atmosphere which includes a coffee bar area where those affected by homelessness can have a free brew along with a hot nutritious meal for £1 or a sandwich for 50p. There is also a relaxation area where there are books to read or social activities can be enjoyed. A suite of computers are also available for users to learn how to create CV’s and how to complete job application forms.
One of the current activities of the Foxton Centre is the holding of a market stall in various places such as Preston Market where cafe-made crafts, bric-a-brac and the like, are sold to raise funds.

Team leaders tell the guests and visitors of their roles and involvements with their support networks

Each leader of the various groups of volunteers involved with the Foxton Centre explained to the guests and visitors present at the opening event, the function of their individual support networks and the effectiveness of what they do in approaching young people and how they gain their confidence by being understanding of their unfortunate plight in life.

Foxton Centre’s BIBA award for ‘Most Inspiring Business of the Year’

It would be impossible to summarise what the Foxton Centre does in a single report. There are so many different support networks that they provide to those people who are subject to  homelessness, have fallen into sex working, suffering from alcohol dependency or any other form of marginalisation in life. The centre relies wholly on volunteers and donations to survive. There is no doubt that without the dedication of the volunteers and the generosity of donations the Foxton Centre would not be able to continue the marvellous work they do and it comes as no surprise that they were the winner of the BIBA’s ‘Most Inspiring Business of the Year’ award in 2014.

Your can find out more about what the centre does at the Foxton Centre website or their Facebook page.

All image credits to Gillian Lawson.

Were you aware of the Foxton Centre and what they do? Let us know in the comments below.