12:40pm Wednesday 17th March 2010
CASSIE Jones is a bright young woman enjoying a successful voluntary career that helped her get over the tragic death of her biker brother Craig.
Simon Hough is an intelligent man who works hard and fights for the rights of disadvantaged people.
But these are just two of the people facing the scrapheap if a Northwich charity is axed.
Workspace, in James Street, must find £53,492 by the end of the month or it will close for good. It is a workshop that makes horse blankets, dog coats and a variety of pet accessories but, more importantly than the goods it sells, Workspace employs people with mental health problems and gives them dignity, self-confidence and a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
It is run by mental health charity Making Space and has received local authority funding since it was set up more than 10 years ago.
But this funding has been reduced during the past three years and will be cut completely at the end of March.
Simon Hough, 43, who has worked at Workspace since 1999, said: “If this place shuts we would all go back to how we were before we came here – staying in bed all day, not having a purpose in life, not shaving or cleaning ourselves.
“But this gives us an outlook and we’re socialising with people.
“This place has turned lives around.”
As well as working at Workspace and helping run courses for others, Simon helps the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust and sits on panels to help improve services for people with mental health problems.
Cassie Jones, 22, is in charge of embroidering names on horse blankets and is proud that staff at Workspace will try their hand at making anything they are asked for. She loves her work so much that since her paid placement ended in 2008 she works there as a volunteer.
She lost her 23-year-old brother Craig in a crash at the Supersport World Championship race at Brands Hatch in August 2008.
She said: “I have Asperger’s, which affects one in 30,000 boys and is three times as rare with girls, and every case is different. Workspace gives you a chance to meet other people like you.
“After my brother Craig died you don’t think about work but coming in here helped me cope with it.
“This is the only real time I leave the house, apart from the odd shopping trip with Mum.”
Workspace employs six supported permitted workers, seven full-time workers and two part-time workers, as well as running courses that have attracted 70 people in the past five years.
Town councillor Tom Davies has been touched by each worker’s story and is committed to keeping Workspace open.
He said: “It would be a crying shame if this place closes. This whole thing is so worthy of saving and developing – these people have been through enough trauma in their lives.
From Page 1 “If we can get the money together it will give us the chance of making the place self-sufficient.”
Cath Murray-Howard, director of development at Making Space, said: “The local authority has been reducing funding quite significantly over the past three years and Making Space has been trying to make up the gap by making more money.
“This year funding has been completely pulled.
“Workspace is not about making lots of money but about making a difference, but the gap in funding is too big to fill.
“If anyone can help to keep it open we will work with them – we would support keeping them open.”
A spokesman for Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) said: “The former county council and CWAC have been working with Making Space to modernise the employment offer for adults with mental health problems.
“This included a contract with Making Space to employ two employment development workers – one in Cheshire west and one in Cheshire east – to support adults finding work.
“Over the past few years, Making Space has been working towards the setting up of their workshop on an independent financial footing in the form of a social enterprise.
“It now seems this is no longer possible and Making Space has decided to close the workshop.
“The supported development worker for Making Space will continue to work in the area to support adults finding employment and the council remains committed to helping adults with mental health problems find real employment options.”
Anyone who can help save Workspace, either with donations or fundraising ideas, should ring 01606 330420.
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