Protest against closure of hub for learning disabled adults

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Transcript

00:00Save our hub! Save our hub!

00:11We'll just tell us a little bit about what you guys are all doing here today and why the hub is so important to people.

00:30Brilliant. So we are here representing the service users of the Industrial Hub in Peterborough

00:36and the Industrial Hub provides an essential day provision for vulnerable adults with learning difficulties in Peterborough.

00:44They go there, they have a wonderful community and they have jobs there.

00:49They make things mainly out of woodcraft. They make lovely crafted items that get sold.

00:54They also make kindling that get sold. They have an allotment. They'll go and grow vegetables and make soups and things.

01:01So it's just an amazing community that's been broken up and there's a lack of pathways for these vulnerable adults to go into.

01:09So we're here today to raise the issue and put it clearly on the map for Peterborough.

01:14Yeah, because I've picked up to speak to a lot of people. There's a lot of people that have no idea if the hub was to close.

01:18You know, what will these people do next?

01:20So there's a lack of pathways for quite a few of them.

01:24So our service users do tend to be slightly older and there isn't a clear pathway for them to go into.

01:33If there is some sort of provision, it's quite often unsuitable. It's not something they want to do.

01:39And it may be full and they might be waiting lists for it.

01:43Yeah, and you see the effect first hand with your brother as well, who is the service user himself.

01:47Yeah, he's had a real breakdown in mental health recently. It's had a ripple effect across the community.

01:53There's been a lot of distress caused, particularly in the way that this news wasn't communicated to the service users as well.

02:01There's been a real lack of dignity shown to them, a lack of compassion.

02:05And it's been a family that's formed over 30 years. Not everyone's been going for 30 years, but it's had a strong phase for the past 30 years.

02:14And it's just devastating that it's closing.

02:17Yeah, a group of you guys are going to fight back and say, do all you can to help the hub.

02:22That is the plan. We've been overwhelmed by the support from the residents of Peterborough and actually beyond.

02:29It's been amazing that Peterborough has thrown their arms around this service and just said,

02:34we're not going down without a fight and we're going to do as much as we can to try and keep it open.