Blackthorn Good Neighbours is a community development organisation established 18 years ago to work with the community of Blackthorn and surrounds to address the impact of disadvantage improve lives and create a better place to live and work.
BGN works in partnership with other organisations to help deliver services and support and aims to help people to help themselves.
BGN is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee.
BGN's current services include:
Running 2 community buildings
1) Blackthorn Community Centre which Action for children use to run Blackthorn Children Centre - Monday to Friday 8.30 - 5. At other times it is used by local community groups including:
Youth groups - currently 3 per week, Rainbows, Breakfast club every Monday morning, Craft group and sessions for young people to learn craft skills. It is also hired out for parties and local agencies to use.
2) BGN Family Centre and Nursery - we run a nursery for 2, 3 and 4 year olds - mostly children using their free nursery places for 15 hours per week we currently have 73 children attending sessions. The Centre is also used for informal groups in the community - a Thursday coffee morning and classes and groups supported by Adult Education
Growing Together funded by local trust this has £1million of lottery money to spend - although we are halfway through the spending! BGN is the locally trusted organisation who administers the money and employs the programme coordinator. The decisions on how the money is spent are taken by the Partnership Board - made up entirely of local people and supported by the Programme coordinator. To date Growing Together has funded some projects to support young people , older people and has created new play areas and 2 youth shelters. Along with some environmental work to improve Swanhaven park.
