Memory box produced by Beeston Women’s Group, a peer-support group who meets at the Centre.

 

The Campaign to save the Centre

Self-organising groups successfully called upon local and central government political figures to support their fight to keep the Centre open. The Centre played a vital role in providing support and mutual assistance, and its closure would greatly impact service users and their families, causing significant hardship. 

Its survival was crucial due to the steady decline in community-based facilities for individuals with mental health issues. The negative impact on individuals deprived of crucial support and the increased financial burden on public resources, due to heightened health problems and social deprivation, would render closure an impractical economic decision.

“Members had a degree of power… and that power was only there because of the community.”
— Graham Bragg, former Centre manager

“I resisted closure because after struggling with mood swings for many years on my own, I found it to be an invaluable resource. The possibility of the Centre shutting down felt like a loss of my future. The Centre holds immense significance for me and has been a lifeline for many others for decades, which is why we fought passionately to keep it open.”

Centre user


“There was this perception that places like Middle Street excluded people from mainstream society, but in fact we opened the Centre for everyone. The council underestimated the fact that people who use mental health services have agency, are capable of independent thought and analysis. They felt devalued by the proposal to close the Centre and they fought back.”

Staff member


“That was a very unhappy time because we thought that we were all gonna all end up either out on the streets or going to somewhere which was designed for a very different condition. And yeah, that was frightening.”

Centre user


I think when I heard that they were going to close this place, I think my hackles were raised. I was terribly upset but I was terribly angry. And it brought up some fight in me that I’d forgotten. 

Centre user