Work underway on £5.1m specialist children’s centre in Gloucester
The Chamwell Centre Charity has appointed building contractor Speller Metcalfe to deliver a £5.1m, state-of-the-art children’s centre in the grounds of The Milestone School in Longlevens, Gloucester.
The Chamwell Centre is set to provide inclusive exercise, sports and leisure facilities to support pupils of The Milestone School and disabled children and adults from across the county.
The new centre will feature a full-sized hydrotherapy pool to replace the school’s existing and outdated pool, a climbing wall, trampolining gym and indoor and outdoor play areas. There will also be an exciting two-storey therapeutic soft play and sensory room, designed to be accessible to all, which will provide visitors with opportunities to exercise through play. Specialist medical facilities at the centre will include consultation rooms for visiting doctors and nurses and a multi-purpose physio and occupational therapy suite. A large, two-storey atrium, café and informal meeting and social spaces will be available for community use, including a ‘Changing Places’ bathroom to ensure the needs of all visitors are catered for.
The Chamwell Centre Charity Trustees recently held a ceremony on-site at The Milestone School to mark the start of the construction phase, with pupils, families, supporters and donors joining together to watch the school’s Head Boy and Girl bury a time-capsule containing special mementos and building plans for the new centre.
Family-owned building contractor Speller Metcalfe, who work from offices in Gloucester, Wolverhampton and Malvern, have extensive experience in delivering accessible, extra-care facilities, including a student accommodation block for young people with disabilities at National Star College in Cheltenham which was awarded the title of ‘West of England’s Most Inclusive Building.’
Joint-owner of Speller Metcalfe, Andy Metcalfe, said: “Speller Metcalfe are delighted to be working on this fantastic project to realise The Chamwell Centre Charity’s vision of a groundbreaking, fully inclusive facility which is set to support the needs and transform the lives of disabled adults and children across Gloucestershire.”
Chair of The Chamwell Centre Charity Trustees, Dr Marie Owen, congratulated Speller Metcalfe on their successful bid to build The Chamwell Centre. “The charity very much looks forward to working closely with the Speller Metcalfe team in achieving our vision to enhance the well-being of all those with disability by providing opportunities to improve physical fitness, to access a range of therapies, sports and leisure activities, and to increase social opportunities within The Chamwell Centre.”
A fundraising appeal to support the project was launched by the charity in October 2016 and has received almost £4m of the £5.1m total build cost to date. To find out more about how you can support The Chamwell Centre Charity, visit: https://chamwellcentre.org.uk/
Construction work will start in the next few weeks and is scheduled to be completed by early 2020.