Learn and Share – Mercer House 1842, Lancashire
17.01.2016
This project is now complete – thank you to everyone for the support!
17.12.2015
Work has started on Mercer House improvement project. The budget is tight but the work will include reroofing the building and creating the loft space into another office and some storage. The project will be complemented with a lift so the every floor will be fully accessible. The pictures were taken just the other day. Respect goes out to the workmen from Byram Construction as we don’t think they have seen a dry day yet! Thanks goes out to Lancashire Environmental Fund (for your patience) and Hyndburn Borough Council staff for your support.
18.11.14
GREAT NEWS! The project has now moved on yet again! We have worked closely with the group to improve the building for the purposes of increasing community use. The demand is high on the building. Lots of community groups, statutory organisations and even businesses use the building on a regular basis. We have managed to secure funding to increase useful space up into the attic areas. The work will include a lift for better access, newly refurbished office / meeting and storage space as well as improvements to the roof. The funding is with thanks from Lancashire Environmental Fund and Hyndburn Borough Council and should be complete over the next 6 months.
Click the link below to view all the projects we have delivered, in partnership with Lancashire County Council, since 2012 (via the Central Gateway Scheme)
Client study Lancashire County Council
20.1.2014
Evidence from CLIF projects confirms that there is a strong mutually beneficial relationship between the twin activities of learning and volunteering in communities. This report presents the findings of work to identify the impact of community learning on volunteering, undertaken as part of CLIF. We are delighted that the Mercer House 1842 project has been included in this report – please click on the link below to view the report
This project was completed in 2014.
7.11.2013
An exciting month for NIACE – they are celebrating ‘Learning in Communities’ throughout the month of November. Be sure to ‘like’ them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @NIACE to view their daily links to CLIF Projects in a Box
17.10.2013
Workers Education Association Celebration Event – this was a great event and an opportunity to meet other projects that had secured funding. The additional funding from the ESF has ensured that the community learning activities can continue to grow at Mercer House. 74% of participants have progressed to further education/training , volunteering, placement work and employment! 1.11.13 We are delighted that Mercer House will be featured in the CLIF report highlighting the impact of community learning on volunteering 🙂
26.07.2013
The Community Learning Innovation Fund Celebration Event yesterday was a great success. Talk about delivering on a project – 150 volunteers, 87 learners and 2 people employed. Great work NIACE and Mercer House!
Well done again Mercer House! Just secured a further £12,000 from ESF to extend the employment and training on offer.
Mercer House 1842 are a community enterprise who reacted in a positive way when housing market renewal funds were withdrawn. They took on their role as volunteers to tackle the issues which their community faced and now need the training, information, structure and confidence to deliver much needed change within their community. Proffitt’s – Investing in Communities assisted the group in terms of working up a project proposal, identifying and securing funding.
Funding totalling £50,000 has been secured towards the project and this will enable them to employ a community development officer and a volunteer co-coordinator. The role of these staff will be to provide structure and training so people can develop into employment and promote social renewal.
The project will also enable the group to train and develop local volunteers so they are able to cascade their knowledge and skills to other community members which will enable people to respect their surroundings and realise the opportunities available to them. Everyone involved in the group is a volunteer and naturally pursuing an interest in the community. They are now at a stage where they will receive help in terms of co-ordination, training, capacity and quality of service provision. Everyone involved is willing to make a difference to the area which they live in, but they realised they needed to learn in order to do this properly. Good Luck Mercer House 1842!