I did go to a Community Centre while I was visiting Oakleigh, a suburb of Melbourne where I attended a Swimming Aerobics class.  Nice as it was, I never returned as I felt nauseous in the bath!  I suffer with motion sickness very easily and I fear that even the gentle movement of the water together with the mild exercise brought on yet another bout of nausea.  This wretched aliment often ruined a number of activities that I had hoped to enjoy!

Oakleigh Centre

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The Community Centre that I am perhaps most familiar with was one in West Orange, New Jersey.  This was a Jewish Centre, which today is now known as JCC Metro West. but had a different name when I used to visit it.  Although I am not Jewish, as I was friends with one of the members, I was welcomed there.  I always enjoyed my visits to the JCC, as it was called, and took part in many of its activities.  There was coffee and food, which was always tasty together with nice folks.  Also there were films, presentations and lectures with discussions, which I especially enjoyed.  Sadly, once my friend, who was the mother of an ex-student of mine, passed away, I have never returned.  I am sorry about this, as I met some very interesting people at the Centre and still miss talking to them.

JCC Metro West, West Orange, New Jersey

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When my parents retired, they decided to go to the small Community Centre close to where they lived in Langley.  They went to the Retiree-Group several times, but it proved to be especially cliquish and my mother eventually left in disgust.

Langley Pavilion

It seemed that wherever mother chose to sit, she was greeted by other members telling her that she had taken a long-standing member’s seat and was asked to move!  Out of politeness, my mother moved, but after this happened each time she visited the Centre, she decided that there was NO seat for her in the place and concluded that she would better off staying at home.

The Erstwhile Slough Public Library was once used as a Day Centre for retirees during the 1970s.  Whenever my parents went shopping in Slough, they would stop off at this Centre in the hope of enjoying a cup-of-tea and some conversation.  Sadly, once more my poor mother found herself constantly choosing a seat belonging to someone else and asked to vacate!  Naturally, this did not prove a particularly welcoming environment for my poor mother and quite soon she gave up stopping-off.  It seems my father was content to go there on his own following my mother’s refusal to return and stand rather than sit since all he wanted from the Centre was his cups-of-tea!

The Old Slough Public Library as a Day Centre

Of course I found my poor mother’s encounters to be highly amusing, not because I found the behaviour of the oldies to be acceptable, but because my mother was very amusing when she recounted her visits.

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Now that I am retired, I am sure that should I dare to enter such a Day or Community Centre and try to join an Old People’s Group, I would no doubt find No seat for me either.  Rather than put myself through such an indignity and also fearful that I would most certainly lose my temper with the oldies, I have decided not to put myself into such a position.

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OXFORD HOUSE …….
FINALLY MOVING FROM A SETTLEMENT HOUSE
TO A COMMUNITY CENTRE ……. OH!

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The East End of London had suffered much damage during the Second World War and was in great need of rebuilding with a particular emphasis on new housing.

Bethnal Green, as a result of its close proximity to The Docks, suffered much from bombing.  When I was a child, I remember enormous areas of bomb-sites, now being used as playgrounds by the local children, in place of where old houses once stood.

Between March 1953 and November 1956, we lived in a small flat on Paradise Row, which looks onto Paradise Gardens and is on the other side of Cambridge Heath Road and Museum Gardens and St. John’s Church.  Apparently the London County Council decided that this house was no longer suitable for people to live in and we were whisked away to a relatively new house in Langley, just on the outskirts of Slough.  Although our new home was only about eighteen miles from Central London, it felt as if we had moved to the wilds and I remember feeling isolated and lost!

(Although the old house in Paradise Row was considered unsuitable to housing in 1956, I note that the house if still there with a family or families occupying it.)

We were not the only ones to be rehoused for during the 1950s and 1960s, much of Bethnal Green was rebuilt, as part of the plans for Slum Clearances, with many housing estates being erected.  This led to the formation of a number of  Community Associations where Oxford House was to become closely involved.

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To read more of Oxford House during the 1960s, I recommend that the article written my Ms Maja Bevk entitled: Oxford House in a Changing World

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During this period, it became common for those working at The House to no longer be University graduates coming to live there and learn by working in the community.   In addition, money coming into The House had been greatly reduced compared to earlier years causing The House to struggle to make ends meet.  Unfortunately, the financial situation proved to be so bad that The House was forced to close for three-month in 1972.

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Oxford House managed to continue along during the 1970s and 1980s and managed to get its back on an even keel.  This was achieved through the diligence and hard work led by a series of Heads with Peter F. Scott C.B.E. as chairman.  Mr. Scott held this position from 1980 until 1990 when he retired.  During his tenure, Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, became The House’s patron and was present for the centenary celebrations.

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Oxford House or Oh!, as it is now referred to, continues to maintain its position as the centre of the Community and still provides services and projects arising from the needs of the changing local community.

Bethnal Green has always been a home for new immigrants to the U.K.  As of 2011, the largest ethnic group living in the area consists people of Bangladeshi descent, which makes-up 38% of the population.  White British makes-up 30% with other groups, including Somalis, Black Africans and Black Caribbeans, making up the remainder.  With the change in the demographics of the area, new customs including festivals are now seen and celebrated each year.

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Although the charitable objects of Oxford House and Oh! were, and are, essentially the same, and still mention religion, the influence of expressed Christian teachings and ideals began to be expressed less from the 1920s, and very much so by the 1980s.

Sadly, The Chapel had fallen into a poor state and in great need of repair with the outbreak of the Second World War.  Seemingly The Chapel had never been filled during services, but continued to be held despite its poor state.  Repairs were made following the launch of a special fund and fully restored and completed in 1997.  Despite this, services ceased to be offered in The Chapel when it was deconsecrated.

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Oh! holds cultural events and its gallery often offers an exhibition representing an aspect of the multi-cultural society that now makes-up London and the world.   Oh! also continues to provide a centre for the arts and a place where societies may meet.

Oh! is still a place where a community member may find Community Health Projects, Pensioners’ Clubs, Youth Work and Art Workshops, as well as meeting place for new immigrants needing help, for example, during the 1990s, Somali groups escaping the ravages of the Civil War were able to come together.

As a result of these current activities, it may be seen that the Board of Trustees of Oxford House is continuing to work along the lines set down in the original mission and vision of its founders well over one hundred years ago ……. and long may it continue to do so!

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The following information was sent to me by Mr. John Ryan of OH! (Oxford House):

Today, Oxford House concentrates on three main areas of work to meet its purpose:

1. As a community space by managing a variety of office (30 charities & social businesses have offices) and venue/hire space for the local community, charities and social businesses;
2. Offering a volunteering programme that develops employability skills, learning opportunities and builds community;
3. As a place for heritage and the creative arts by running an arts centre and heritage and arts activity programme using our theatre, dance studio and art gallery.