The mission statement from when there were cooking classes
An art area includes a potters wheel and a kiln left here when the centre
was abandoned - Four Seasons hope
to get this working again. There was also one of several kitchen areas
here
A small printing press and a large gas cooker along with lots of tables
Tables are still piled up in what apparently used to be a cafe area
which Four Seasons hope to reopen as a free cafe
And the start of a free library at the centre
The meeting room has been tidied up but an enormous amount of work rermains
to be done
I visited again around ten days later and found the place in much better
order already. Surrey failed to get an
immediate eviction order largely because they appeared to have lied
to the court and the occupiers were able
to show they had had a presence in the building for several months,
fitting thier lock in July.
This was once part of Harris's brewery complex, with some more buildings
still standing on the main road,
though the only use in recent years has been of its large car park close
to the town centre..
Staines and neighbouring Stanwell are very much more a part of London
than Surrey, with similar demographics
and similar social problems. There are people relying on the food bank
and others living camps in a local area of
common land, and a lack of spaces for community use.
Although electorally a strongly Conservative area there has been considerable
disaffection among local party
members, many of whom left the party in recent years to stand as independents,
though without winning seats
and many party members and voters are dissatisfied with the local MP
who seems to have little time or interest
for his constituency.
|