History

Figure 1: – Pervious building: Sangat is currently based in.

 

 

Sangat Day Centre started in 1994 and they were based at the Muslim Community Centre on Emily Street.

Sangat Day Centre was moved from Muslim Community Centre to Youth Link building in 1997.

 

 

Figure 2: – Sangat Community Centre Building at Present.

The Sangat Centre is a community centre in Keighley. It runs day care for elderly people and people with learning disabilities, health awareness courses, English classes and homework clubs. The name Sangat was chosen because it means togetherness and the Centre aims to involve a range of different people from all walks of life, ages, and racial and religious backgrounds.

Centre seeks to empower the local communities by its creative and innovative projects, which involve the local people at all levels, from users to management committee members. Sangat is situated in what is now a predominantly Asian area; its ethos is to provide services to all the area’s diverse communities. It occupies a position of trust and respect in the minds of Keighley people and its various services are vital to the self-esteem and well being of a cross-section of the Keighley community.

Sangat seeks to work with all age groups to improve their quality of life in terms of better health, improved social conditions, educational opportunities and economic well-being. Sangat is playing an important and pivotal role in community development, one that is widely recognised, in supporting the Local Authority’s Social Inclusion and Building Communities Action Plan.

In addition, Sangat plays essential role in empowering the community to provide a range of opportunities for volunteering, to become stakeholders in the wider community, connecting communities and promoting community cohesion.

 

Chart 1: – Shows amount of paid staff and volunteers worked in Sangat from 1994 till Present.

In 1994-1996 the Community Centre operated with 2 members of paid staff and a larger number of volunteers. It had received good support from the other voluntary services in the area and was used by a large number of organisations to reach a wider audience than more traditional venues that was provided.

The Centre was taken as a high priority, the responsibility to enable members of the community to achieve their place as stakeholders in society. Advice and counselling was key areas of activity.

Women’s activities, both social and educational were always plays an important part, but the growing area of work was with the youth of the community.

Sangat Centre was established by a group of community members seeking to establish a community-based organisation that could work for the betterment and enhancement of the local community.  

 The outcome from this vision was the establishment of Sangat Day Centre for Asian elderly for whom no provision existed at the time.

With a small amount of money £10,000 from Bradford Social Services. The Centre was established and thus a small foundation was laid for the development of Sangat, as we know it today.

Lotteries funding secured and this allowed for further jobs to be created and an advice worker was now incorporated as part of the services provided. It was not long before the popularity and services provided by the Sangat were outgrowing the premises.

By the end of November 1997 the Sangat had moved into its new premises at Marlborough Street, which it slowly began to renovate and develop. By this time Sangat had a range of activities running in the new premises, 7 days a week: in addition to the Day centre, there was an advice service, activities for women and activities and courses for young people in holidays and at weekends.

 

 

 

 

The first planned activity was the Day Centre for the elderly in 1998-1999. The Day Care Centre was funded by Social Services who recognised that the plan put forward by Mr Rabani on behalf of the Association, helped them to extend their services into the Asian Community. Ten places were funded but in very short time, up to thirty users a day were regularly visiting the Centre. Talks, seminars and excursions were all included in the services.

Staff and volunteers from the Community were recruited and trained. The majority of users in 1998-1999 were male and female and for young people, both in educations, study support and leisure activities.

Sangat activities that were run in 1998-1999 were Advice Work, Day Centre, Health Awareness, Benefit Advice, Social Outings, Meals, Users involvement, Cultural Events, Neighborhood, Building Improvement, Women’s Day, Mini Bus, Training, Asian Adults with Learning Disabilities, and Day Care for elderly women.

Sangat’s main focus is to develop local base activities to serve the deprived communities in Keighley and district but in the process, Sangat have helped many organisations at regional and national level. In total 8 day centres and 2 community centres have been established throughout the country, and many organisations have been supported to secure long term funding.

Over the years Sangat has become a lead organisation in Keighley through its enabling and development role to empower the local Asian community.

Sangat has made positive strides in the field of creating mutual understanding between people of different cultures and religions in order to harmonise co-existence in multi cultural environment.

One of the milestones was to purchase Swire Smith Building to secure a permanent base for Sangat community based activities.

Activities in Sangat that were run in 1999-2000 were: Day Centre for elderly male and female, Asian Adults with Learning Disability, Welfare Rights Advice, and Study Support Project, English Language Classes, IT and Skills Training classes.

In 2000-2001 the funding had been secured from Keighley Single Regeneration Budget, The Department of Further Education and Yorkshire Forward.
The major milestone in 2000-2001 was to secure funding to refurbish the Cater House (ICT Centre).
The activities that run successfully in 2000-2001 were Day Centre for elderly male and female, Asian Adults with Learning Disability, Welfare Rights Advice, Study Support Project, English Language Classes, IT and Skills Training.

Sangat received funding from SRB, the Department of Further Education and Yorkshire Forward in 2001-2002.

One major exciting development of Sangat has been secured funding from British Telecom Lifelong Learning Award in partnership with Keighley College and Keighley Community Learning Club members to establish video link via the web with Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

Manager of Sangat visited Mirpur in November 2001 to find a suitable partner. The Islamic Foundation College in Mirpur Azad Kashmir was selected as partner organisation to develop Video Conferencing facilities in Mirpur.

The activities that were run in 2001-2002, Arranging Flower Baskets, Advice Work Keighley Festival, Summer Scheme, Study Support, Women’s Development, Islamic Study and Sewing Classes.

In 2002 – 2003 refurbishment of Cater House was completed, and ICT Centre was fully running.

Elderly Day Centre activities, ESOL and Sewing classes, Study Support Project and Advice work has been extremely busy in developing and delivering quality service to our users through other key agencies.

Sangat Centre in was conjunction with Keighley Powerful Whispers in 2002-2003, organised by a multicultural event under the theme of Connecting Communities. More than 150 men attended the event from Muslim and Christian denominations.

Partnership with Warm Front had benefited over 500 households in 2003-2003 in Keighley from the Government funding.

In 2003-2004 the regular activities have grown and expanded the Elderly Day Care, Study Support, Advice and Women’s Development had all endeavoured to provide a quality service to the community.

Unfortunately in 2003-2004 it was a case that some of the funding had come to an end and the management had to make the bitter decision to cut the staff working hours. Nevertheless the Sangat had still kept its doors open to the public five days a week.

In 2004-2005 financial year began with high hopes and the Sangat successfully gained commitment from Airedale PCT for financial support for our Advice work to continue its hard work to improve quality of life of Sangat.

The regular activities have expanded, Community Development and Empowerment, Health related Community Development for Asian Men / Women, Carers Day, Mother & Baby Clinic, Educational and Training Development, Elderly Day Care and Sangat Study Support Club to provide a quality service to Sangat.

Helping to improve the quality of life such as: – 1200 energy saving light bulbs were distributed in within Keighley to those on benefits, Central heating grants, Home improvements grants, Free Flower baskets to improve our living environment funded by Yorkshire Water Trust and British Gas Trust.

In 1997 the Advice Service dealt with 82.5 clients per month, which then steadily increased, to 176.16 per month in 1998. Since there it has been a phenomenal rise in numbers an at times we struggled to manage with own success. Our monthly figure of clients attended to stands an average of 411.66 clients per month.

The activities in 2005-2006, were Day Care for the elderly, Advice Work, Women’s Development, Health Promotion, Finding Employment and Homework Clubs has grown and expanded.

NTG project was in partnership with the support of QED Bradford was running successfully in 2005-2006.

Every small amount counts towards a better quality of life, 12000 energy saving light bulbs were distributed within Keighley to those on benefits (N Power). Central heating grants (Warm Front). Elderly stay put in the community grants. Home improvement grants and Water rate assistant grants in 2005-2006.

New arrivals programme has had a new lease of life and is now run from the Sangat offering classes in IT and English for free plus help with job search.

Unfortunately in 2007-2008 one of Sangat large projects the NTG scheme that was run in partnership with QED Bradford has come to an end. QED were unsuccessful in securing further funding but Sangat have since formed other partnerships with QED.

The Day centre for the elderly, mother and baby clinic, advice and Sangat homework club coupled with Sangat youth provisions continue to offer the very best service.

The work on new toilets begun in July 2007 and was completed by the end of January 2008.

Once again we have had a successful year. The number of existing projects has seen continuous success and new projects have been incorporated into the programme. Furthermore these have been complimented over the year with the Health Awareness Programme, exercise for life for men and women and the New Arrival Programme.

Also an English Speaking Board (ESB) registered centre we have throughout the year with great success held a class on Saturdays for ESOL level 1/2 candidates for ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) and Citizenship.

Since funding has been available the Advice Project has started to flourish.

The organisations that have been working in partnerships and given their moral and financial support to Sangat from 1994 till present are: -