About The Grange Centre
The Grange is a centre for People with Disabilities and provides vital services supporting people with learning disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives. In 1927 ‘The School of Stitchery and Lace’ was founded by Miss Julia Sweet. A talented needlewoman, she was a pioneer in teaching skills to young women with disabilities so that they could gain employment and support themselves. In 1938 the school moved from Leicestershire to Great Bookham Surrey and later became known as The Grange Centre.
The Grange is a unique charity based in Surrey, offering accommodation, care support and a wide range of skills training and activities all on one beautiful 8-acre site in Bookham. Their services are most suited for people with mild to moderate disabilities. They are a regulated care provider, a charity and a housing association – Residential Care for those with higher care needs, Supported Living for people working towards independence and Skills & Activities – a wide range of training, work experience and mini businesses.
The Grange’s vision: The Grange wants to lead the way as a provider of choice for people with learning disabilities, inspiring our local and wider communities.
The Grange’s purpose: We support people with learning disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives.
The Grange Centre's Challenges
The Grange is contacted almost daily by people looking for residential care facilities for a family member, or to take part in our day skills session, the main challenge we face is being able to fulfil everyone’s requests.
The Grange Centre's Achievements / Goals
The Grange’s impact means that they support 135 people in total, with 72 people in supported living and 15 people in group living. They run 90 skills and activity sessions weekly that non-residents can attend, these include creative arts, horticulture and woodwork, embroidery, fudge making and catering.
Recently they unveiled to the public The Courtyard Café, a fully operational café where hot food is made from scratch, whereby the people they support gain experience in preparing, cooking and serving food to the public enabling them to go out into the community and gain work experience or employment.
The Grange hopes that in the future they will be able to raise money for a new learning and development centre which will include a much larger café offering many more opportunities to the people they support there.
Recently, one of their residents, Jamie received an award from the Nation Trust for 15 years of voluntary service.
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