Save Leicester Deaf Centre

The Leicester Deaf Centre at 135 Welford Road is a vital resource for the deaf community of Leicester. The Centre is managed by Action Deafness. Action Deafness have run at a considerable loss for several years and plan to close the Centre within six months.

The Centre was built in 1960 by the Leicester and County Mission for Deaf People (now known as Action Deafness). It includes several meeting rooms, the Deaf Church and offices for staff. It is has ample parking and is well located for access by the people of Leicester. The deaf community use the building for a variety of social groups (Hard of Hearing, Sports and Social Club, Ladies Club, Special Needs, Youth Club (LDCS) and the over-50 Club), services at the Deaf Church and for help with Social Services and hospital and other appointments for those who rely on British Sign Language. For those who might feel isolated in the community the Centre is a second home.

Action Deafness has run up losses of nearly £1 million over recent years so that that the reserves are minimal. Because the Centre itself is costly to run, the trustees have decided to sell the site within the next six months and relocate to an, as yet unspecified, location in Leicester.

The deaf community have been concerned about the management of the charity for some time and have frequently sought meetings with the trustees. It therefore came as a bomb-shell when the trustees announced closure with no prior consultation with the deaf community – the recipients of the charity. There has been a dire lack of consultation and non-transparency by the Board of Trustees and CEO of Action Deafness.

The deaf community believe that this decision has been taken rashly and seek open dialogue to investigate alternative solutions to reduce the cost of running the Centre whilst retaining the current site and making better use of the facilities.