The Red Cross Centre
The Welcome Club was started at the Dickinson Institute circa Autumn 1952 by Mr George Wilcox and on 23rd February 1957 the Welcome Club and the Red Cross joined together to run the Welcome Club on a more professional basis and to agree committees.
Mrs Percival was elected chairman of the Welcome Club with Miss Barton-Smith remaining as treasurer. One of the first actions of the committee was to thank the Croxley Residents for agreeing to publish an article to advertise the Welcome Club's new agreement.
Mrs Percival was elected chairman of the Welcome Club with Miss Barton-Smith remaining as treasurer. One of the first actions of the committee was to thank the Croxley Residents for agreeing to publish an article to advertise the Welcome Club's new agreement.
The Croxley Resident 1958
It would appear from the article below that it was the Croxley Green Residents Association who were keeping the building of the centre on the local agenda.
April 1965, number 85 edition of the Croxley Resident.
April 1965, number 85 edition of the Croxley Resident.
NEW COUNTY LIRARY AND WELCOME CLUB
The Association has been watching the piece of land at the corner of New Road and Barton Way, set aside for this purpose, wondering how long it would lie idle. Until the Council meeting of 9th March it looked as if the club section might never come about owing to money difficulties. The Council have, however, come to - the rescue to make sure the whole scheme goes through. They agreed to make a loan of £2,500 over and above their other contribution. The terms of this loan are yet to be agreed. We understand work should start on the site in less than six months from now.
July 1965, number 86 edition of the Croxley Resident
BRITISH RED CROSS SOCIETY
CROXLEY GREEN WELCOME CLUB APPEAL
Hon. Treasurer: A. J. JEFFERY
7 OLD BARN LANE, CROXLEY GREEN.
As you may have read in the local press, there is
to be an Old People's Club and Red Cross Centre, adjacent
to the new County Library on the corner of New Road and
Barton Way, Croxley Green.
In spite of generous grants from the County Council
the Urban District Council and the British Red Cross Society
there is still £3,000 to be raised in order to complete the
cost of building, furnishing and equipping this Old People's Club and Centre.
This project will provide the following facilities:
1. Social Club for all pensioners. (Potential membership 200 - 250).
2. Specially equipped bathroom for al! handicapped persons with V. A. D. in attendance.
3. Chiropody treatment room.
4. Medical Loan depot where nursing aids may be hired for short or long periods.
5. Red Cross office open daily for advice on nursing and welfare matters.
6. Future amenities. Once established, it is envisaged that the Club will provide:
Daily Dinners
Meals on wheels (in co-operation with the W.V.S.)
During the week July 19th - 24th the enclosed envelope will be collected.
We do ask for your most generous support of this appeal.
5s. per head from the whole population in Croxley Green would see us there!
Thank you so much.
CROXLEY GREEN WELCOME CLUB APPEAL
Hon. Treasurer: A. J. JEFFERY
7 OLD BARN LANE, CROXLEY GREEN.
As you may have read in the local press, there is
to be an Old People's Club and Red Cross Centre, adjacent
to the new County Library on the corner of New Road and
Barton Way, Croxley Green.
In spite of generous grants from the County Council
the Urban District Council and the British Red Cross Society
there is still £3,000 to be raised in order to complete the
cost of building, furnishing and equipping this Old People's Club and Centre.
This project will provide the following facilities:
1. Social Club for all pensioners. (Potential membership 200 - 250).
2. Specially equipped bathroom for al! handicapped persons with V. A. D. in attendance.
3. Chiropody treatment room.
4. Medical Loan depot where nursing aids may be hired for short or long periods.
5. Red Cross office open daily for advice on nursing and welfare matters.
6. Future amenities. Once established, it is envisaged that the Club will provide:
Daily Dinners
Meals on wheels (in co-operation with the W.V.S.)
During the week July 19th - 24th the enclosed envelope will be collected.
We do ask for your most generous support of this appeal.
5s. per head from the whole population in Croxley Green would see us there!
Thank you so much.
George Wilcox, Founder & President, laying the first brick of the B.R.C. S. Welcome Club, Croxley Green 17th July 1965
October 1965, number 87 edition of the Croxley Resident
THE STORY OF THE WELCOME CLUB APPEAL
It is now three months since the Appeal was launched to raise £3,000 for this project and it is a long time since a local matter aroused so much interest. Unfortunately there are a lot of 'stories' circulating which are little better than fancy. As far as we are aware Croxley Green is leading the way for the whole country as this is the first time three bodies have combined to sponsor an Old People's Club. Outright grants have been made by the Herts County Council, Rickmansworth Urban District Council, and the British Red Cross Society; the latter participation being necessary before the other two could legally contribute. In addition to these grants the Rickmansworth Urban District Council agreed to make a loan of just under £3,000 otherwise the Club building would not have started. Naturally the Club wishes this loan to be fully repaid before the opening in just under a year's time. We should like to stress that all contributions to the Appeal will be used in Croxley Green and nowhere else. The plans include a hall which will be used in the day-time by the old folks and available for letting in the evenings at rents which will provide funds for running the Welcome Club. The first brick was laid on July 17th by Mr. Wilcox who has done so much for the Club and who was for many years a member of the Committee of the C.G.R. & R.A. Another way of contributing is to buy a brick at 2s. 6d. each which are being sold on the site on Saturdays. The names of all who contribute in this way will be recorded in a book to be kept in the Club.
April 1966 number 89 edition edition of the Croxley Resident published an appeal from the Welcome Club that clearly indicates that part of the building was paid for by local residents;
CROXLEY GREEN WELCOME CLUB APPEAL
The Treasurer of the Fund, Mr. A. E. Jeffery, writes
"You will be pleased to know the fund has now reached
£1,000-the half-way mark. Sizeable donations have
been given by the Red Cross and V.A.D. Associations
in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth, additional to a
block grant from the British Red Cross Society already
agreed upon. I have also received some every pleasing
cheques from young people-Girl Guides, Little Green
School carol concert, Yorke Road Infants' School, All
Saints' Church, and your Residents' Association. I hope
we shall get very near our target in time for the opening
of the new premises soon, and would hope that this
report might serve as a reminder to any resident or
organisation who would like to donate to the Fund."
(Donations should be sent to M r. Jeffery, 7 Old Barn Lane.)
The Treasurer of the Fund, Mr. A. E. Jeffery, writes
"You will be pleased to know the fund has now reached
£1,000-the half-way mark. Sizeable donations have
been given by the Red Cross and V.A.D. Associations
in Chorleywood and Rickmansworth, additional to a
block grant from the British Red Cross Society already
agreed upon. I have also received some every pleasing
cheques from young people-Girl Guides, Little Green
School carol concert, Yorke Road Infants' School, All
Saints' Church, and your Residents' Association. I hope
we shall get very near our target in time for the opening
of the new premises soon, and would hope that this
report might serve as a reminder to any resident or
organisation who would like to donate to the Fund."
(Donations should be sent to M r. Jeffery, 7 Old Barn Lane.)
July 1966 the Croxley Green Resident Magazine had an update on the Welcome Club and their new home;
CROXLEY GREEN WELCOME CLUB It is hoped that the new building in New Road will be ready for occupation by mid-July, but the official opening will not be until the autumn. The Rickmansworth Round Tablers are most generously donating the proceeds of their fund-raising events held during 1965-66 for the purchase of equipment and furnishings for the Club. We are reminded that Mr. Grain and his friends raised over £200 with which to give -replacements for losses sustained in the Guildhouse fire. The Appeal Fund is now reported to have reached £1,823. But remembering the target was £3,000 there is still a long way to go-and this is the capital contribution quite distinct from running costs. The most recent donation was one of 20 guineas, and the Appeals Committee are grateful and pleased that the Fund has done so well since it was launched in July last year. Even so, there seems good cause to think that further donations-no matter how large or small-may still be received before the Official Opening in the autumn. Could we stress, ever so strongly, that the Club is something that affects us aI!, for we shall all be potential members one day, and the efforts of everyone is an investment in the future of Croxley Green. (The Hon. Treasurer of the Fund is Mr. A. E. Jeffery, of 7 Old Barn Lane.) The running costs of the Club have been roughly calculated la be £1,000 a year. The Club will have to pay half normal Rates, and the cost of gas, electricity, etc. The hall will seat 200 people and have a stage. This will be the only part for letting during the evenings only, and will need to be let to help defray the overall expenses of the Club. Provisional charges and conditions have been drawn up and enquiries should be made to Mrs. G. B. Fenning, Russell Road, Moor Park, or to Mrs. J. P. Percival, Little Waterdell House, Croxley Green. As well as housing the Welcome Club, the new building will contain a specially adapted bath for the handicapped, a fully equipped chiropody room, a medical loan depot, and the divisional office of the B.R.C.S. which will be open daily for advice, hiring of medical loan equipment, and the advance booking for the Club's
CROXLEY GREEN WELCOME CLUB It is hoped that the new building in New Road will be ready for occupation by mid-July, but the official opening will not be until the autumn. The Rickmansworth Round Tablers are most generously donating the proceeds of their fund-raising events held during 1965-66 for the purchase of equipment and furnishings for the Club. We are reminded that Mr. Grain and his friends raised over £200 with which to give -replacements for losses sustained in the Guildhouse fire. The Appeal Fund is now reported to have reached £1,823. But remembering the target was £3,000 there is still a long way to go-and this is the capital contribution quite distinct from running costs. The most recent donation was one of 20 guineas, and the Appeals Committee are grateful and pleased that the Fund has done so well since it was launched in July last year. Even so, there seems good cause to think that further donations-no matter how large or small-may still be received before the Official Opening in the autumn. Could we stress, ever so strongly, that the Club is something that affects us aI!, for we shall all be potential members one day, and the efforts of everyone is an investment in the future of Croxley Green. (The Hon. Treasurer of the Fund is Mr. A. E. Jeffery, of 7 Old Barn Lane.) The running costs of the Club have been roughly calculated la be £1,000 a year. The Club will have to pay half normal Rates, and the cost of gas, electricity, etc. The hall will seat 200 people and have a stage. This will be the only part for letting during the evenings only, and will need to be let to help defray the overall expenses of the Club. Provisional charges and conditions have been drawn up and enquiries should be made to Mrs. G. B. Fenning, Russell Road, Moor Park, or to Mrs. J. P. Percival, Little Waterdell House, Croxley Green. As well as housing the Welcome Club, the new building will contain a specially adapted bath for the handicapped, a fully equipped chiropody room, a medical loan depot, and the divisional office of the B.R.C.S. which will be open daily for advice, hiring of medical loan equipment, and the advance booking for the Club's
One year after opening, the Welcome club had a membership of over 220 and were celebrating one year of happiness and success. The hope was that all members did not turn up at the same time as the hall could only hold 200.
(© Bucks Examiner) September 1971 saw open gardens to raise funds for the Red Cross
December 1970, a visit from Mrs Howard the District Nurse to the Christmas lunch led to an article in the District Nursing magazine. Even in 1970 the Welcome Club had 250 members and a waiting list of nearly 50.
Mr Ernie Simpkins, Club leader, with members of his working party shining the floor
|
Christmas dinner is a great event in the club calendar, the fun seems to have started here, even before the food arrives
|
Mrs Fenning (facing camera) with Mrs Howard, Miss Rowe and Miss Heyman
|
Waitresses queuing at the hatch have their own style of paper hat
|
Autumn 1975, The Croxley Green Resident (Official Organ of the Croxley Green Residents and Ratepayers Association) listened associations in Croxley Green who were affiliated to the Croxley Green Society. Amongst the groups, there were three from the Red Cross;
British Red Cross Herts, 56 Division, Mrs. D. Anderson, Yorke Road.
British Red Cross Herts Division, Cadet Unit, Mrs. J. Jollyrnan, Dorrofield Close. Croxley Green Residents & Ratepayers Welcome Club, B.R.C.S., Mrs. D.B. Craig Red Cross Centre, Barton Way.
British Red Cross Herts, 56 Division, Mrs. D. Anderson, Yorke Road.
British Red Cross Herts Division, Cadet Unit, Mrs. J. Jollyrnan, Dorrofield Close. Croxley Green Residents & Ratepayers Welcome Club, B.R.C.S., Mrs. D.B. Craig Red Cross Centre, Barton Way.
On 5th December 1977, Mr. David Vaux started his position a Honorary Treasurer of the Red Cross, Croxley Green
A letter to the Croxley Resident Spring 1996
1996 8th March The Inauguration of the Red Cross Centre Croxley Green and a letter to Mr. Spring archivist of All Saints Church
Dear Mr. Spring,
Though I do not live in Croxley Green, I have read with interest your ‘More memories of Connie Wheatley’ in the Resident. I was Red Cross Co-ordinator for S W Herts for many years & I have been connected with the Welcome Club for 38 years.
When the late Mr George Wilcox of 92 New Road retired, he formed a small social club for his retired friends, they met in his house & he arranged small outings for them, this was in the early 1950’s, the membership rose rapidly & Mr Wilcox was able to hire the ‘Science Room’ in the old Dickinson Guildhouse. When the membership passed the 50 mark, Mr. Wilcox invited Mr Percival (Commandant of the local Red Cross detachment) to take over.
The Club met regularly on Saturday afternoons & on Wednesday afternoons (cards for the men, a sewing group for the ladies) Outings & a Christmas party were organised.
In 1963 discussion took place with Rickmansworth Urban District Council for a building on land earmarked for the Community on the corner of New Road & Barton Way. Mrs Percival instigated these discussions. In 1964 HCC architect prepared a brief for the building. Work started in April 65 the first brick laid by Mr Wilcox on July 17th.
The building was opened on 19th September 1966 & officially opened by the Bishop of St Albans on 20th November 1966.
(Photographs of both occasions are displayed in the hall).
The estimated cost was £21,423- financed by grants from HCC, RUDC & the BRCS leaving a deficiency of £2482 to be raised by public appeal by the 1st April 1967. This target was achieved by the enthusiasm & generosity of local residents, Churches & organisations, many people bought a brick for 2/6. The furnishings & equipment were generously gifted by Rickmansworth Round Table under the chairmanship of Julian Thompson, these cost £2,500.
The building was designated the Red Cross Centre with a 3-fold purpose.
1. Home for the Welcome Club and day centre.
2. H Q for the S W Herts Red Cross
3. Training Centre for the Croxley Green Red Cross Detachment
It should be noted that this was the first time a local district council, the County Council, a voluntary Society (ie The Red Cross) had combined to finance a building of this type.
There was already a large & active trained Red Cross detachment in Croxley Green, who started their training in the old T A hut on The Green and later in the garden room in the Samuel’s house, ‘Hawthorns’ New Road.
The Welcome Club had 250 members & a waiting list, they paid 6p per week subscription & 100 voluntary Red Cross members, including Connie Wheatley, in the building & cooked the meals.
The Welcome Club is still there, the much reduced in members- there is also a Sunnyside Club for the handicapped, there are large & efficient training classes in First Aid, the medical loan service still function & the monthly markets run by the voluntary marketeers raise £5,000 a year towards the running costs.
I hope this is of interest.
Yours Sincerely
PS. Mrs Wilcox became the 1st President of the Welcome Club & remained actively as such until her death at 104
Dear Mr. Spring,
Though I do not live in Croxley Green, I have read with interest your ‘More memories of Connie Wheatley’ in the Resident. I was Red Cross Co-ordinator for S W Herts for many years & I have been connected with the Welcome Club for 38 years.
When the late Mr George Wilcox of 92 New Road retired, he formed a small social club for his retired friends, they met in his house & he arranged small outings for them, this was in the early 1950’s, the membership rose rapidly & Mr Wilcox was able to hire the ‘Science Room’ in the old Dickinson Guildhouse. When the membership passed the 50 mark, Mr. Wilcox invited Mr Percival (Commandant of the local Red Cross detachment) to take over.
The Club met regularly on Saturday afternoons & on Wednesday afternoons (cards for the men, a sewing group for the ladies) Outings & a Christmas party were organised.
In 1963 discussion took place with Rickmansworth Urban District Council for a building on land earmarked for the Community on the corner of New Road & Barton Way. Mrs Percival instigated these discussions. In 1964 HCC architect prepared a brief for the building. Work started in April 65 the first brick laid by Mr Wilcox on July 17th.
The building was opened on 19th September 1966 & officially opened by the Bishop of St Albans on 20th November 1966.
(Photographs of both occasions are displayed in the hall).
The estimated cost was £21,423- financed by grants from HCC, RUDC & the BRCS leaving a deficiency of £2482 to be raised by public appeal by the 1st April 1967. This target was achieved by the enthusiasm & generosity of local residents, Churches & organisations, many people bought a brick for 2/6. The furnishings & equipment were generously gifted by Rickmansworth Round Table under the chairmanship of Julian Thompson, these cost £2,500.
The building was designated the Red Cross Centre with a 3-fold purpose.
1. Home for the Welcome Club and day centre.
2. H Q for the S W Herts Red Cross
3. Training Centre for the Croxley Green Red Cross Detachment
It should be noted that this was the first time a local district council, the County Council, a voluntary Society (ie The Red Cross) had combined to finance a building of this type.
There was already a large & active trained Red Cross detachment in Croxley Green, who started their training in the old T A hut on The Green and later in the garden room in the Samuel’s house, ‘Hawthorns’ New Road.
The Welcome Club had 250 members & a waiting list, they paid 6p per week subscription & 100 voluntary Red Cross members, including Connie Wheatley, in the building & cooked the meals.
The Welcome Club is still there, the much reduced in members- there is also a Sunnyside Club for the handicapped, there are large & efficient training classes in First Aid, the medical loan service still function & the monthly markets run by the voluntary marketeers raise £5,000 a year towards the running costs.
I hope this is of interest.
Yours Sincerely
PS. Mrs Wilcox became the 1st President of the Welcome Club & remained actively as such until her death at 104
2005 Christmas Lunch, The Welcome Club Christmas lunch for 2005 was causing a little concern for their Chairman Bill Mead. Sadly a major shortfall in the funds to make this event happen would mean a cancellation.
However, a chance meeting with Tony Monroe, and as a newly elected Parish Councillor at the time, he approached the Parish Council for financial assistance for the Welcome Club. This was approved and the council was pleased to award a £500 grant to make the lunch a success.
The images below show how special these occasions are, where mature residents can meet enjoy a time together and reminisce.
However, a chance meeting with Tony Monroe, and as a newly elected Parish Councillor at the time, he approached the Parish Council for financial assistance for the Welcome Club. This was approved and the council was pleased to award a £500 grant to make the lunch a success.
The images below show how special these occasions are, where mature residents can meet enjoy a time together and reminisce.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mark Saxon CGPC Chairman & Cllr Tony Monroe
|
A musical interlude
|
Busy volunteers in the kitchen
|
Saturday lunchtime 11th January 2014, Chairman of the Council Les Mead was invited to the Welcome Club Annual New Year Lunch in the British Red Cross Centre at 1pm. Arriving for drinks in the office at 12.45 and welcomed by the Welcome Club organiser Brita Blackwell. The Welcome Club is an organisation for over 55’s and is always looking for new members, they meet in the Red Cross Centre three times a week. Monday afternoons it’s Sequence Dancing, Wednesdays it’s Bingo and on Saturdays there are various different entertainments, organised by Peter Smith. There are also several days out to the seaside during the summer. The membership is only £10 per year. The annual lunch is arranged by the Red Cross and consisted of soup, jacket potato, cold meats and salad, with apple pie for desert, all prepared and served up by 10 wonderful Red Cross staff. The Welcome Club members all had a great time chatting amongst themselves. After lunch Brita and myself said a few thank yous to the helpers and Red Cross staff. Tricia Earp, Area Operations Director, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex, from the British Red Cross, said a few words and presented special long service awards to many of the staff. Brita received a 35 year award and she was really taken completely by surprise. The lunch finished with shanties and other folk songs from a group called The Old Plough.
With thanks to Les Mead
With thanks to Les Mead
(© Les Mead) The Welcome Club Saturday lunchtime 11th January 2014
(© Les Mead) The Welcome Club Saturday lunchtime 11th January 2014
|
(© Les Mead) The Welcome Club Saturday lunchtime 11th January 2014
|
Below is a letter published in the Watford Observer newspaper letter to the Editor (7th June 2021) from ex treasurer of the Welcome Club Mike Collins which gives a detailed history of the origins of the Red Cross Centre and Welcome Club and gives a good history of the Red Cross Centre in Croxley Green.
The letter reads:-
Croxley Red Cross Centre
As a Croxley Red Cross volunteer since 1981, Treasurer of the Welcome Club from 1981 until its transfer to Watford and Three Rivers Trust (W3RT) in 2016, and a Trustee of the Hertfordshire Branch of the Red Cross (HRC) from 1993 to 1996 I can explain the background to the current controversy over the future of the building Residents at the demonstration
Parish Councillor Mitchell & Brita Blackwell from the Welcome Club
The Centre was built by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) in 1965/66 on land owned by Rickmansworth Urban District Council (RUDC) designated for community use. This followed a consultation between the RUDC, HRC and HCC. The cost was just under £21,500 with the funding shared between RUDC, HRC, HCC and public subscription. On completion the building was leased to the British Red Cross national organisation (BRC) for 99 years at a fixed rent of £50 a year. The lease contains a number of covenants the most important being (1) that for the duration of the lease BRC use the building primarily as and for the purpose of a club and social centre for old people known as the Croxley Green Welcome Club and (ii) that for the duration of the lease BRC keep the building in good and substantial repair and condition and give it up in such condition on expiry of the lease. Other covenants restrict the non Red Cross purposes for which the building may be used. Management of the Centre was delegated to HRC and it was soon open six days a week from 10 am to 5 pm offering a variety of services. The hall was also in use most evenings. BRC was very proud of the Centre and it was featured in a three page article in the December 1970 issue of Nursing Times, a Red Cross publication. I have a copy.
In 1994 BRC began a process by which the various branches operating as separate charities under the national umbrella would be merged into a single charity. This process was known as “Unification” and completed in 1996. Also in 1994 BRC changed its policy on clubs for the elderly and the like and said that these would no longer be supported. HRC was instructed to transfer the Welcome Club to a separate organisation or, if this was not possible, to close it. In view of the lease covenants the HRC Trustees refused and after a review of the lease by the legal department the Welcome Club was allowed to continue as a Red Cross club.
From about 2005 BRC began to drastically cut support of the Welcome Club. In July 2016, after immense pressure from BRC, the Welcome Club members reluctantly agreed that the club be transferred from the Red Cross to Watford and Three Rivers Trust (W3RT). In practical terms they had no alternative. I was told in an email from a senior member of the BRC management team, and I quote, “As discussed previously the Red Cross no longer runs this type of club. The club will remain a main user of the building, as per the lease, and the W3RT will provide the support that is needed”. Other emails confirmed that Welcome Club use of the building would be free of charge. To me “as per the lease” means to expiration of the lease. Yet I understand that in May 2016 BRC was already talking to officials from Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) and W3RT about the possibility of W3RT taking over the building, but that TRDC terminated those discussions about a year later. I was told at the time, although I have no evidence, that this was because the possibility of development of the site for housing had arisen. Five years and no progress.
BRC clearly wants to terminate its lease early and according to Councillor Sokalski is asking for “a large sum” to give up its rights. In the past BRC has told me that giving the Welcome Club free use of the building together with operating the Mobility Aids service meets its liability under the covenants. I disagree. Of course there have been huge changes in society over the past fifty or so years and many of the services offered originally are no longer appropriate or required. Nobody disputes that. But it is reasonable to assume that if BRC had not changed its policy new services would have been developed to meet the needs of today. A dementia club perhaps offering activities and companionship to sufferers and a few hours respite for their carers. I know from personal experience that something like that is desperately needed.
For BRC to meet its obligations is a huge financial liability and I believe BRC should pay an appropriate penalty for release from those obligations. The only reason that BRC can suggest it be paid “a large sum” is that TRDC is considering housing development. Yet in the approved Croxley Neighbourhood plan the building is designated for community use so why change it? Government guidance, as I understand it, is that such a designation should only be changed in “material circumstances” although these are not defined. The government target for new housing in Three Rivers is 620 a year for 15 years ie 9,300 dwellings. Can six small flats really be considered as “material” in that context?
Croxley Parish Council (CPC) has offered to take over the building and run it for the benefit of the whole Croxley community but has received no response from TRDC. Why is that? Surely a joint TRDC/CPC feasibility study to look at the economics/management/logistics etc of a community centre would be a useful first step.
Mike Collins
The letter reads:-
Croxley Red Cross Centre
As a Croxley Red Cross volunteer since 1981, Treasurer of the Welcome Club from 1981 until its transfer to Watford and Three Rivers Trust (W3RT) in 2016, and a Trustee of the Hertfordshire Branch of the Red Cross (HRC) from 1993 to 1996 I can explain the background to the current controversy over the future of the building Residents at the demonstration
Parish Councillor Mitchell & Brita Blackwell from the Welcome Club
The Centre was built by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) in 1965/66 on land owned by Rickmansworth Urban District Council (RUDC) designated for community use. This followed a consultation between the RUDC, HRC and HCC. The cost was just under £21,500 with the funding shared between RUDC, HRC, HCC and public subscription. On completion the building was leased to the British Red Cross national organisation (BRC) for 99 years at a fixed rent of £50 a year. The lease contains a number of covenants the most important being (1) that for the duration of the lease BRC use the building primarily as and for the purpose of a club and social centre for old people known as the Croxley Green Welcome Club and (ii) that for the duration of the lease BRC keep the building in good and substantial repair and condition and give it up in such condition on expiry of the lease. Other covenants restrict the non Red Cross purposes for which the building may be used. Management of the Centre was delegated to HRC and it was soon open six days a week from 10 am to 5 pm offering a variety of services. The hall was also in use most evenings. BRC was very proud of the Centre and it was featured in a three page article in the December 1970 issue of Nursing Times, a Red Cross publication. I have a copy.
In 1994 BRC began a process by which the various branches operating as separate charities under the national umbrella would be merged into a single charity. This process was known as “Unification” and completed in 1996. Also in 1994 BRC changed its policy on clubs for the elderly and the like and said that these would no longer be supported. HRC was instructed to transfer the Welcome Club to a separate organisation or, if this was not possible, to close it. In view of the lease covenants the HRC Trustees refused and after a review of the lease by the legal department the Welcome Club was allowed to continue as a Red Cross club.
From about 2005 BRC began to drastically cut support of the Welcome Club. In July 2016, after immense pressure from BRC, the Welcome Club members reluctantly agreed that the club be transferred from the Red Cross to Watford and Three Rivers Trust (W3RT). In practical terms they had no alternative. I was told in an email from a senior member of the BRC management team, and I quote, “As discussed previously the Red Cross no longer runs this type of club. The club will remain a main user of the building, as per the lease, and the W3RT will provide the support that is needed”. Other emails confirmed that Welcome Club use of the building would be free of charge. To me “as per the lease” means to expiration of the lease. Yet I understand that in May 2016 BRC was already talking to officials from Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) and W3RT about the possibility of W3RT taking over the building, but that TRDC terminated those discussions about a year later. I was told at the time, although I have no evidence, that this was because the possibility of development of the site for housing had arisen. Five years and no progress.
BRC clearly wants to terminate its lease early and according to Councillor Sokalski is asking for “a large sum” to give up its rights. In the past BRC has told me that giving the Welcome Club free use of the building together with operating the Mobility Aids service meets its liability under the covenants. I disagree. Of course there have been huge changes in society over the past fifty or so years and many of the services offered originally are no longer appropriate or required. Nobody disputes that. But it is reasonable to assume that if BRC had not changed its policy new services would have been developed to meet the needs of today. A dementia club perhaps offering activities and companionship to sufferers and a few hours respite for their carers. I know from personal experience that something like that is desperately needed.
For BRC to meet its obligations is a huge financial liability and I believe BRC should pay an appropriate penalty for release from those obligations. The only reason that BRC can suggest it be paid “a large sum” is that TRDC is considering housing development. Yet in the approved Croxley Neighbourhood plan the building is designated for community use so why change it? Government guidance, as I understand it, is that such a designation should only be changed in “material circumstances” although these are not defined. The government target for new housing in Three Rivers is 620 a year for 15 years ie 9,300 dwellings. Can six small flats really be considered as “material” in that context?
Croxley Parish Council (CPC) has offered to take over the building and run it for the benefit of the whole Croxley community but has received no response from TRDC. Why is that? Surely a joint TRDC/CPC feasibility study to look at the economics/management/logistics etc of a community centre would be a useful first step.
Mike Collins
© Chris Mitchell The Red Cross demonstration Saturday 29th May
|
© Chris Mitchell The Red Cross demonstration Saturday 29th May
|
As part of the campaign Cllr Mitchell organised a demonstration that took place on Saturday 29th May outside the Red Cross Centre. There was a good attendance from a cross section of residents to show their support for safe guarding the centre. As part of the campaign an electronic petition has been raised by the Parish Council.
Below are documents that are in the public domain that are copies of the lease between Rickmansworth Urban District Council and the British Red Cross Society that was signed on 14th November 1966 as well as the Title Register and Title Plan.
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
