Services:

• Older People
• Youth, Children & Families
• Mental Health
• Elder Care Canterbury

Successful first year for North Canterbury's "One Stop Shop" of Community Services

Presbyterian Support’s Ngawi Thompson Centre in Rangiora will celebrate its first anniversary with a function on June 16. The Centre, built as part of a joint project with the Presbyterian parish of Rangiora, brings together a wide range of services that were previously scattered around the district.

“Having everybody come together under one roof has been amazing,” says Regional Manager Valda Reveley. “One of the things I look forward to in the coming year is working with a wider age range and families.”

The Centre houses Presbyterian Support’s services targeted at older people, young people and their families in the district, including counselling and social work, meal deliveries, home maintenance and volunteer services. It provides purpose-built facilities for the Murray Club day centre for older people, and a home for the LINK mental health support programme, as well as offices for staff.

The Centre has become a focus for the community, with increasing use of facilities by groups such as the Alzheimers Society, Stroke Group, Nurse Maude, and the Arthritis Society. Office space is also available for community use. About 90 volunteers are involved in the Centre’s work, and more are needed, particularly to work with LINK and the Murray Club, Valda Reveley says.

The latest challenge for the Centre has been to introduce a new meal delivery service, as numbers had become too big for the previous service to cope with. “We looked at quality, choice, nutrition and variety, consistency, price and availability and have come to the conclusion that the best option is for us to offer a frozen meal service with continued support to those who may have difficulty in heating the meals,” Valda Reveley says. The Ezee Meals, provided by the City Mission in Wellington, include main meals, smaller lunch-type meals and desserts. The service was introduced at the beginning of June.