St Thomas’s Community Network is a community learning centre, registered as a charity, with a brief to develop education, training and community activities in an informal setting. The constitution dates back to 1990, although it had started locally before that. In the charitable objects it states that our aims are to develop the capacity and skills of members of the community, in such a way that they are able to participate more fully in society.

The centre is based in Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council premises of the former Blue Coat School in St Thomas’s Ward, Dudley, which is deemed to be disadvantaged and that has the highest deprivation indicators in the borough and includes a diversity of communities.

From the beginning, when local people set up Action Groups to address issues about the environment, young people’s activities, health, older people’s needs, employment etc. We have grown to be a successful centre delivering training in a number of vocational areas, a thriving day Nursery, a provider of learning and work placements for people over 14yrs of age, a place for local sports groups to train and the venue for after school and holiday clubs for children.

There are two projects that work away from the main site; the Furniture Store where donated furniture is restored and passed on to people on benefits or on a low income and Hillside Herbs which is developing an acre site for the growing of herbs and vegetables using organic methods through horticultural training. In the plan for the next eighteen months is moving the Furniture Store onto the main site. Social activities for families are also held throughout the year.

The Network faces a number of challenges; the area has suffered from the economic downturn over the last few years and has lived with an uncertain economic future. Against a background of less than favourable conditions individuals and the community groups have had considerable successes in identifying and addressing local needs.

Seven years of Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) funding allowed a substantial piece of work to be completed in developing people and getting them into employment. Many moving stories were told at a celebration event at the end of the funding period, where individuals told the gathering, how they had been shy and lacking in confidence and after engaging with us had achieved qualifications and in many cases life changing experiences which enabled them to get jobs. This has now developed and the brief has been widened to include social and leisure activities, which are often the starting point for those unused to formal learning situations.

Whilst working through local Colleges (in particular Dudley College) we do not attempt to compete with them. We recognise that we have a specific role; that of working with people, often returners to learning, who lack the self-confidence to go to large institutions and who need to spend some time assessing their priorities and their potential. We are able to offer smaller classes and a range of additional support on site making our beneficiaries feel part of St.Thomas's Community Network well as of the neighbourhood.