A PETITION of more than 600 names calling for the re-opening of the Open Door Family Centre in Okehampton was presented to MP for West Devon and Torridge, John Burnett, this week.

The centre, which was closed in May after Devon Social Services ended its contract with NCH Action for Children, had been offering a range of support services at Tenby House for over 20 years.

Although social services has assured the Open Door Family Centre Support Group that services such as the open access groups, clothes store and toy library will continue — be it in a re-organised way — members are concerned for the future.

Chairman of the support group, Liz Westlake, said: 'Once the family centre was closed we made it our priority, whether social services helped us or not, to set up schemes in our own right.'

The support group has received funding to take on the running of the children's playscheme and re-open the toy library. Both will be operating from Tenby House which is owned by NCH Action for Children.

Mrs Westlake said it was important that all the family centre services were kept in the same premises as they had always been.

She said: 'Parents do not want to be pushing pushchairs around the town and racing to catch buses to go to different venues at different times.

'A family centre needs to be in one building.

'Tenby House is a perfect venue for families — it has a garden, lots of room and is safe and accessible to everybody. But we need to know whether NCH is planning to keep the building or sell it, in which case we will be looking for a new venue.'

John Burnett said he was already in touch with Devon County Council about funding and was scheduled to have a meeting in September with NCH to discuss the future of the building.

'I cannot emphasise enough how worthwhile this place is,' said Mr Burnett.

'It is so important for children to learn to play and work together and relate to one another. This is a crucial aspect of the work that is done here.

'Where children do not have an opportunity to develop their social skills, it can result in tremendous social problems for them as they grow up.'

Parent Elaine Chasty said she started coming to the centre when she had a small baby because she did not know anybody.

'This place has been a life-line for me — there is always somebody to talk to and share your problems,' she said.

'If you go to a health visitor they only have a certain amount of time to spend with you but the family centre was always just there.'

Bringing up two young daughters, after his wife died, was a struggle for Hyder Pirwany but without the family centre he said he would have been a 'much lonelier' person.

'It was amazing,' he said. 'It was such a friendly place and the children could mix with other children and I could talk with other single parents.

'We could also purchase nearly new clothes here — there was a little bit of everything.

'In time of stress going to the family centre was a great relief.'

Picture by Ian Snell