How the West Park Centre Looked after Everyone with Disabilities

newly installed disabled toilet

One of those hardest hit by the closure of the West Park Centtre is YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic [YSM]. This is, as it says on the tin, is a Yorkshire-wide organisation dedicated to the musical education of children and adults with ALL Special or Additional Needs.

Sue and props

We provided everything from fully trained music therapists to a music instrument library containing an entire original Javanese gamelan, a set of steel pans, sound beams, several resonance boards, marimbas, djembes, gathering drums, keyboards, guitars, specially adapted percussion instruments. And all this and much much more was housed in a specially adapted suite of rooms at end of the West Park Centre, named after one of our pioneers, the Gordon Parry Centre. Besides the musical insrument library, there was a book library, several storerooms of multi-sensory props,  a deliberately plain room for those on the autistic spectrum, and a Sound and Light Room [a deceptively simple name for a fiendishly complicated IT installation].

dismantling the Sound and Light Room

Up the corridor were the adapted toilets, hoists and hygeine suites; outside was a newly built wheelchair access to this lower part of the building; further up the building again was the disabled lift, and the splendid hall where the Christmas Singalongs, the Multi- Sensory Days and the like brought children and adults together with similar disabilities for great uplifting and educational music days or mornings.

Outside is the great huge commodious carpark, just 1/2 mile from the Leeds Ringroad and all routes North South East and West. Useful then also for delegates to attend the Music for Special Needs Conferences that we have been able host at the West Park Centre, and of course easy to find for charity members who come to attend and to present workshops at the six-times yearly meetings, and all the training sessions.

packing away gamelan and marimbas

gamelan boxed up

And when YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic members give talks and worshops in Leeds and around the country, as we do at the College of Music or for NAME [National Assocation of Music Educators], FMS [Federation of Music Services] or SMA [Schools Music Association], we could collect the equipment we needed for here.

loading up Bart

Making maximum use of the space, the equipment, and the staff knowledge and expertise, YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic shared the accomodation and many of the people with ArtForms Music Service Inclusive Music Department.

It took weeks to dismantle everything, pack it away and then squirrel it round our houses or in friendly schools [Richmond Hill, Victoria Park]. Some of it went to this  warehouse place down by the Gyratory. Storage? What use is that?

For nearly three decades, YSM has put on its wonderful Christmas Concert at Leeds Town Hall, hosted by Leeds own choirmaster, Simon Lindley; every year except 2010 when it snowed up a blizzard; for nearly three decades the Inclusive Music Department has presented the Christmas Singalong at the West Park. Every year except for 2012 that is.  And that's one generation of school children who won't get that chance back.
We need the Centre back now so that that is not two generations of children and adults with Special Needs who miss out.

What's a Few percent between Friends?

once the Office

Council meets next week to decide on the fate of the West Park Centre. Are they being given accurate information on which to base their decisions? We from the West Park Campaign Group think not. We took a look at the Report [Agenda details on public web site] and asked for comments. 

Here's one:
List of users (Appendix 2). Notable omissions, unless we've missed something, include GRTAS [Travellers' Education](second biggest user after ArtForms, several offices plus storage - just incredible that these aren't even included on the list), Leeds NUT (office, kitchen and meeting room I think), Victim Support (small room permanently available), PE & Sport team (office and large storage area) and the very large areas that were still being used as storage for Northern Ballet (and Opera North I think?). Also Leeds Talking Newspaper wasn't a once-weekly use - they had a little room permanently set up and they tell us they were paying ~£so much per month for the privilege. Not to mention the many internal LCC bookings for training and meetings!

- The "40% unused" bit is meaningless and to be robustly challenged. Do they mean 40% of the rooms? 40% of the space? Tenants / tenants+regular bookings / tenants+regular bookings+ad hoc usage? Where are they getting these figures from? Regardless, it is simply not a measure of demand - from circa 2010 onwards, even before the mothballing, WPC was unable to take on any new long-term tenants because of the uncertainty surrounding the building's future - for the last two or three years there has been no indication of whether the building would still be there 6 months into the future, so it was impossible to guarantee people space on a long-term basis. We think people were turned away for this reason. And then, yes, once the enforced mothballing came along usage yet more restricted - eg last year, Elemental Kickboxing Academy wanted to move from the small room they were using to the second gym but couldn't because the gym was officially sealed off for business rates purposes. They were most unhappy about this, and eventually took the issue to their MP (Rachel Reeves). Admittedly one booking does not a financially viable space make, but it illustrates the problem. In summary, if usage was down post 2009 it was because the centre was strangulated by a mixture of external inaction and external meddling.

- The above also gives the lie to the statement later on in the report that retaining the whole building is not recommended because "A large proportion of the building has not been in use for sometime." (a) it's arguably not a large proportion, and (b) remind us whose fault that is again?

- As the building is left to stand empty, the costs of bringing it back into use are creeping up. Eg there is already a roof leak above one of the first-floor meeting rooms which has damaged the flooring and will eventually affect the room directly below. Similarly, leaving the water system idle in freezing conditions is not going to be good for the pipes. Without the excellent long-serving caretaking staff WP had to head these things off, the place is going to deteriorate rapidly without intervention.

- We need proper, tendered costings for the work that needs (emphasise NEEDS) to be done. The cost of sorting the electrics has swelled from £200k to £600k to £900k if the reports are to be believed. There is no proper substantiation to this, it's just a series of fag-packet estimates as far as I can tell, and yet it gets into print and it's taken as gospel. And through all this there's been no mention of the fact that parts of the building (middle of the travellers/ballet block I believe) have been rewired within the past 10 years following fire damage, and are therefore perfectly decent!
The last detailed condition survey of the building was in 2004. The total estimated cost (and it never reached the point of actually getting quotes) of doing everything identified at that point was around £2m, and this is the figure which has been bandied about since. What it fails to take into account is that not all of the work was high priority (eg re-glazing doors with safety glass), and some of it has actually been done in the meantime - eg the aforementioned partial replacement of electrics, new boiler last year, roof repairs etc. If they're seriously looking into future options for the building, step one is to start from scratch with the costings. For some reason Asset Management appears reluctant to do this!

2.10 The closure displaced a number of organisations and clearly caused disruption and inconvenience to a large number of existing users. However, work undertaken by City Development and Children’s Services has led to the temporary relocation of users. Artforms offices have been relocated to Merrion House with music service delivery taking place at City of Leeds School. The majority of external users have relocated to alternative venues, mainly in North West Leeds, that are suitable in the long term." Good grief, where to start! I wonder what the Blahs (for example) think of this bold statement. Got to admire their chutzpah in saying City Development (who did nothing for years then booted us out at a day's notice) have helped sort all this out. In fact, most of us were left to sink or swim, and if people have found alternative accommodation it's been largely off their own bat. Love the way they just shrugs off the fact that ArtForms went from being a totally integrated service, with all the benefits that implies, to having offices in the city centre, service delivery in LS6 (plus A-level Music Tech in borrowed facilities at Allerton Grange CLC) and the entire musical instrument hire stock in Holbeck! If services have survived, it's despite NC's input, not because of it.

- "4.6 [...] it is evident that, given the poor condition of the West Park Centre, doing nothing is not an option" Hmm... cheap shot maybe but I'm sure sure I've heard that before somewhere!

- Where are the 2009 condition report and the Arup report that are supposed to be attached to the cover report?

Desperately seeking venue

Dear Leeds

Who can provide a venue as good as West for this choir for children with learning difficulties and more  from all round Yorkshire? See letter from Sue, below:

-- I am a committee member of YAMSEN who were based at West Park. I'm finding it difficult to find a venue for our childrens choirs to meet for their monthly rehearsals. We have used St Chads Parish Centre but they have regular committments as do other churches in the area. The choirs recently sang at the Annual Lord Mayors Carol Concert in Leeds Town Hall but now have no venue to rehearse for other concerts throughout the year. The children all have learning difficulties and for them to perform and have fun through singing together means a lot more than some people can imagine. So, I'd like your help please --- a venue around West Park with mini bus parking for 6 buses --- wheelchair access and disabled toilet facilities --- Tuesday mornings, twice a month, 9-30 -- 12- 30
We had these facilities at West Park and more but whilst the council is making up it's mind what to do with the Centre I'd appreciate a venue for One Accord and Young Accord --- our choirs. I look forward to hearing from you --- Sue Tomassi --- 

' Every child matters'

Inner-North West

The West Park Centre was Item Ten on the local Council Meeting at the Cardigan Centre.  Me, Doug, Douglas, Janet and Ken went from the West Park Refugees Club. A few refugees who had hoped to come sent their apologies. A C and N C were there from Asset Management, presenting the report on the centre that the councillors had asked them [at previous meeting of 24 November] to prepare for this meeting.

Summarising the main points of this meeting: The councillors were generally disappointed in the thinness of the report. This was a two sides of paper including few pictures of decaying electrics in black and white with not too many pixels. They felt that they had given Asset Management enough time to give a few more facts eg about how many organisations used the centre, where they were now, how they were all now all storing their equipment and costumes, and keeping their activities going.


Doug, Ken, Janet and I spoke from the point of view of the West Park Residents' Association. The points we raised:

1. formal objection to the manner of the closure - most users came into work/community activitiy on Monday morning [5 November], told to pack up and leave.

2. that centre-users had been warned about the electrics forever [Cllr Atha said that he had in writing an opinion that the electrician was sent to close the centre], and nobody believed that anyone else believed that suddenly we were all about to be electrocuted.

3.  that the value of the centre was not properly appreciated, either the fabulous storage space, nor the great synergy of such diverse organisations as Musial Ark and Opera North rubbing shoulders together.

4. The effect on the users, not just on their ability to make a living [as jobs], or make a difference [the charities], but also on their mental health. Worst hit, by general agreement was Carole J, keeper of the Kiosk, who had over the years put her life into feeding the centre-users, and 90% of whose main income was from the council training courses. With the centre and her customers dispersed, there is no livelihood, and there is no income, and really no life.

5. We were very concerned that the building was "winter-proofed", especially since some of us have watched as Assett Management have stood by and let the weather finish off what Education Leeds started with the Royal Park building.

6. needed to remind the council that the West Park Centre refugees were either stuggling or failing to manage properly in their temporary homes, and in fact some of us haven't even got as far as having a temporary home.

7. there should have been contingency plans in place for this totally expected closure.

Orchestras used to play at West Park

The councillors asked that the bare minimum should now be put into the West Park Centre to get it back into operation.

The West Park Centre Report, Read Not All About It

The Russians closing the show!

Rick sent me the report on the West Park Centre. It's dull, and a short read. It seems deliberately bland and almost non-informative. I can't say that it explains why thousands of us had our lives turned upside down on November 5 [was that a good day to bury bad news?] and the weeks following as those of us based there desperately sought to rescue our possessions and our work lives from the armageddon that was surely our imminent electrocution!

Read all about it here:

http://democracy.leeds.gov.uk/documents/s86515/West%20Park%20Centre%20-%20Update.pdf

a small concert from the hall balcony 

We, who have worked at and from the centre for years have always been proud to keep this former school alive, and pleased to preserve somewhere, built at a time when hall was really a hall with a stage and a balcony, and when a cupboard was a medium-sized office.


Architecturally, aesthetically, West Park doesn't have many claims to fame, compared, say, to a building like Royal Park School [detained for many years now at Assett Management's leisure], but when you compare it to the poor quality and poorly-designed holiday camp prison schools that are our pieces of PFI rubbish, West Park surely is a jewel.

this cupboard was full of art equipment

Words like functional, low key, unpretentious, convenient, welcoming, light and airy - spring to mind.

the foyer, the first thing you see, with Carole's kiosk at the end

stairway to Seminar Room, light and airy

Here's the initial reactions of ex-WP users and councillors:

1.  The report going to INACommittee on Thursday evening

 did not disclose any factor or fact that called for  immediate closure. These were  the  conditions identified in 2009. That is there was no new information which required closure.

That there is evidence which I have been promised but not yet received which indicates a pre-determination to close the Centre. This evidence when received will be published.

the figure required for re-opening are extreme and exaggerated.  A report by an electrical projects engineer  dated 8^th October 2012  gave a breakdown of the costs of dealing with the electrics  which in his words were : In summary the installation requires renewing;  the that the report  includes a list of things to be done which do not need doing.

The report does not give any figures indicating the cost of this sudden closure nor  does it explain why there have been many visits to the Centre  by many individuals who should not have been allowed to enter a structure so dangerous it had to be closed immediately without warning.  Indeed the day after the panic closure a large group of Russians were allowed to use the Centre as normal despite the imminent  danger suggested. For this reason  I ask that this Report be not received until these inconsistencies have been cleared up. B 

2. . .  if the centre was such a death trap all these years, who was responsible for the well-being of those within it?  I would suggest this represents gross negligence on the party responsible and would be very interested to know who it was.. G

3. . My thought precisely. They can not have it both ways. Either it is safe and should not have been closed or it is unsafe and has been unsafe for years and someone has allows lives to be endangered. I want to know which is the truth. L

4. Read it but not really any wiser. D

packing vans in the carpark

What closing the West park Centre meant to three tenants

On a regular basis, the West Park Centre drew into its old classrooms and corridors many  satisfied customers, not just local to West Park, but from all round Leeds and further afield [as the commentaries to follow will show].

Rest of the Best rehearsing in West Park Rehearsal Room

I asked Blah, Blah, Blah for their first thoughts:

Other than having to out of the blue find an office and rehearsal space plus storage space for the rate we were on in West Park, which is impossible and therefore destroying all our budgets for the foreseeable future, nothing much! As a small company and registered charity who rarely generate much profit, our budgets are incredibly tight and this sudden move will have permanent consequences for our financial situation in terms of our daily running costs. The impact is immeasurable, but hopefully won’t lead to our demise. Pavla

Sophie practises at West Park Centre; Sophie plays Notting Hill Carnival

Speaks for itself, this comment, I think. I asked Sue Tomassi from YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic for her reactions:

what the closure meant to everyone --- well ---from a YAMSEN committee member ---

packing, labelling and finding safe and accessible places for 10 rooms of equipment --- transport to get them there

finding and risk assessing venues for 3 choirs rehearsing for the annual Lord Mayor's concert  in Leeds Town Hall on Dec 5th

making sure the entries for the art competition were re-directed to Merrion House but then they had to be collected

finding a venue for 400 art entries to be judged

cancelling one choir rehearsal as there wasn't time to find another venue so transport issues with the schools involved

talking to vulnerable adults on the phone as they were worried how they could get to new venues

not doing anything I usually do for 2 weeks --- I do have a life!

and just from my point of view, I was in West Park for 10 days packing sorting and moving --- physically hard work --- I'm a volunteer so needn't have done it but the nature of most people faced with a problem is to sort it out, however,I am very angry about the way everyone at West Park has been treated and especially for David, Carol and Paul who have lost their jobs overnight --- it's very easy to sit in an office and say we'll close this building but it takes much more to come out and meet the people the closure affects and to tell them the truth, so maybe they can be invited to the next meeting or we go to them? --- Sue

library - so where's this going?

This from Mavis:

YAM  ACTIVITIES

As coordinator of YAMSEN Adult Music Activities I want to say how hard we  are finding the situation with the West Park Centre being closed and being closed so suddenly. . . .

We are very committed to YAMSEN working as a team of Volunteers and we are all aware of the importance of being able to talk, share and plan  -we have no central point to meet- equipment is all over the place and we are finding it very frustrating.

The YAMSEN Adult Music Team (known as YAM) look on social interaction as a vital part the YAM Activities which take place on a Friday morning. There is so much more to the purpose of Friday morning YAM Activites. This involves,  over 60 Adult customers with Learning Disabilities, plus support workers and volunteers. Over 90 people in all. We are feeling very isolated without Carole’s Kiosk – this is becoming more important to us as time goes on. The activities alternate between Off By Heart Choir  and workshop Activities.

The workshop mornings have recently been redesigned to meet the needs of  so many people with diverse Special Needs. This has involved  4 or 5 different rooms which . . . we have recently set up training for our volunteers to be able to lead some of the sessions with smaller groups.

That is not possible now.

We have one big room and one smaller room –no where now to train people –this again is where Carole’s Kiosk and the foyer and our Gordon Parry Centre formed a fantastic Resource.

Part of the aim of Friday mornings is to help the customers develop their individual social skills. They have loved being able to order snacks and drinks independently whilst in a safe environment.This has always been an invaluable way of seeing customers  gain so much confidence.

The YAM Committee had the programme planned for the Year –we now have hours of preparation ahead of us to revamp each alternative weeks workshop –much of our equipment is not now easily accessible.

This approach from me is only the point of view from the YAM Activities. YAMSEN covers so much more  -an incredible amount of work done with Children –training teachers , students ,and many others who want to be able to give our special people the chance to shine through music making.

We need a base urgently to be able to fulfil these essential needs.

Many of our customers are unable to express themselves verbally –there is a lot of frustrated behaviour showing because it is the only way they can show how uneasy they  are with the changes we have had to make.

a view of the West Park shops now selling less sandwiches

Leeds City Council have a huge burden to carry  to people who live in Leeds and  are being deprived of the best Community Centre because of lack of planning –it is inhuman to close a centre with no notice when we all know a decision could have been made within the last 12 months giving everyone a reasonable amount of notice.

I am ashamed to live in Leeds

Mavis West –coordinator of YAM Activites

Vice President  of YAMSEN.

The West Park Centre, what again!

Letter to West Park Centre, as published in YEP Thursday 29 November 2012

gyms and playground-carpark

Well [re YEP 15 and 16 Nov], replacing the West Park Centre’s ancient electrics may cost up to £600,000. This is over twice the estimate that I heard two weeks ago. Either way, it’s a frightening large sum. But rather less than knocking down a capacious iconic building with a education covenant on it. And human terms, rather less than seeing how many minority social and ethnic groups you could alienate at any one time.  When Asset Management asked Cllr Lewis to sign West Park off, in one go they made homeless the Leeds National Union of Teachers, the Irish Arts Group, the Travellers Education team, and two charities for Arts and Music for adults and children with Additional/Special Needs YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic and Music Ark. Also permanently placed here drama group, Blah Blah Blah, and video makers: Nexomedia plus, of course, the main building user, Leeds ArtForms [Music and Arts Service]. And not forgetting the kiosk run by Carole.

dismantling the sound and light room

On a regular basis, nearly all the City of Leeds Youth Music groups rehearsed and gave concerts here; a local church booked WP every Sunday for eternity, Opera North and local professional and amateur orchestras parked for nothing in their hundreds and skipped into the hall, dragging their cellos behind them. Before the Ballet discovered the true meaning of city centre parking costs they tutu-ed around the old school gyms, and only this month the City Varieties gang was set to follow their footsteps.

the Ladies

At West Park you could weight-watch, give up cigs or gambling, train school staff to safe-guard, well you could hire a room from this council-run property and know that any profits [did I say profits?] weren’t filling the pockets of any private business-person.

the Disabled toilet

The electrics at West Park have been questionable for years. Despite this we were allowed to build and run a recording studio at one end of the building and a sound and light room for people with Additional/Special Needs. There was a disabled lift and ramp, two disabled toilets complete with hoists. Did I mention the storerooms? A storeroom in a 50s building would house two headteachers in a PFI build.

Thank goodness they saw the Russians coming and let them and their children who had travelled from all over the UK and from Eastern Europe have their afternoon at West Park, which hadn’t been broken on Friday and wasn’t any more broken on Saturday.

Yours sceptically, Victoria Jaquiss FRSA [ex-West park centre user] 

[Words not published in YEP in unbolded italics][don't usually feature pics of toilets in blogs, but you need how well-appointed it all was]