A brand new community space for people living in Somers
Town has opened within the Francis Crick Institute.
The St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre will help to
improve health and wellbeing locally by offering a range of
services that have been developed with Somers Town residents and
which complement successful services already on offer in the
area.
The services will include a job hub, activities for under-fives,
courses in English as a second language, employability workshops,
Citizens Advice services and healthy living classes.
The Living Centre is the first community space to be built in
Somers Town - one of the most deprived 25% of neighbourhoods in
London - for more than 15 years.
The 450 m2 centre on Ossulston Street is part of the newly
constructed Francis Crick Institute building. It is supported by
the institute and is run by the Living Centre Partners, a group of
Camden community organisations appointed by the Crick to manage the
centre.
The Living Centre aims to be the reference point for a
successful community health initiative in Camden, London and
beyond.
Sarah Elie, from the Living Centre Partners, said: "The Living
Centre is a unique and exciting opportunity to help reduce
inequalities in the local area, to make the most of local skills,
resources and knowledge, and to work with the Francis Crick
Institute and its partners to benefit the community.
"At the heart of the centre is a sustainable organisation that
works with the local community to create a vibrant, well-used and
welcoming community space, delivering a range of affordable,
good-value services that seek to improve wellbeing, and complement
existing services in the area."
Katie Matthews, Director of Public Engagement at the Francis
Crick Institute, said: "The Crick's mission is to help to tackle
some of the biggest health challenges facing humanity, from heart
disease to cancer. Through our support of the Living Centre, we
will also help improve the health of the local community. This is a
new template for how institutes like ours can support their
immediate neighbours, and we very much look forward to working with
the Living Centre Partners on such an exciting project."