CARESCO

The Story of CARESCO

Back in the 1970's an Occupational Therapist, Joy Robinson, started up a Lunch Club in an old modular building half of which had once been a domestic science classroom (the Homecraft Centre) on the edge of the secondary school campus. Around the same time a Social Worker, Ken Wilson, began a Day Centre for the elderly which was based in the Adult Common Room at Sawtry Village College (now the Community College).

In 1982, both clubs came under threat as decisions were made to move the founders on. A number of local individuals decided to form a committee to save the projects and the Sawtry & District Care and Resource Organisation (more commonly known as CARESCO) was born.

Later CARESCO also took over the Manpower Services Print Shop which occupied the other half of the old building and thus the Homecraft Centre became the headquarters with office space for the charity's Organiser.

The CARESCO Centre

Although the Homecraft Centre was already quite old in 1982 when CARESCO moved in, this building served us until the 1990's by which time it had became very run down, badly vandalised and eventually almost uninhabitable.

In 2000 CARESCO was successful in getting a lottery grant from the Community Fund for just under £120,000 to pay for a replacement modular building. Purpose built, the new CARESCO Centre is on land leased from Sawtry Community College and adjoining the car park behind the Parish Council-owned Old School Hall on Green End Road. The site is about 100 yards from where the old Homecraft Centre stood.

The CARESCO Centre was opened in April 2001 and is used by all the current projects with the exception of the Alconbury Thursday Club. Following a spate of vandalism, a security fence was erected around the back and side of the Centre, which enabled us to plant a garden in 2005 for the enjoyment of our users, volunteers and staff.

Read the Book

For more information about the history of CARESCO and details of how the organisation was set up and run in the early years, a book entitled 'The Story of CARESCO' is available. This was published in 1998 and written by Marjorie Dybeck, who was instrumental in the creation of CARESCO and was also the first Organiser.

The book offers useful guidence to anyone interested in setting up a similar charity in their own area as well as a fascinating account of the charity's history. Foreword by the Rt Hon John Major, MP.

Please contact us if you would like to order a copy of The Story of CARESCO, priced £6 (inc P&P).