Many friends of Netherwood

Published: 7 April, 2011

• AS the co-ordinator of the Save Netherwood Day Centre Campaign I would like to say a huge thank you to all those who supported us in our fight to keep this superb facility open for the community of Camden.

Heartfelt thanks to all those who signed our petition and had a chat when we took to the streets of Hampstead, Belsize Park and West Hampstead

Thanks also to all those who took the time to sign our online petition and share their thoughts. 

In all more than 4,000 of you agreed that this specialist, purpose-built, centre for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementia should stay open.

Another special thank you is due to Janet Westgarth and Trevor T Smith for helping us get started with the street petitioning in such an innovative manner in the pouring rain.

Thanks also to Tom Foot of the New Journal for his dedication to and exemplary reporting of the Netherwood story.  

A campaign is only as good as its team and what a fantastic bunch you are! 

Viviana Fain-Binda, Lou Kourra, Sally Platt, Barbara Law, Margaret Clinton and many others too many to mention, thank you for your unstinting support, energy and creativity. Against all the odds Netherwood survives and that is down to your amazing efforts and the brilliant support from the people of Camden and way beyond.

Our campaign group will now be known as the Friends of Netherwood Day Centre and we will continue to support its valuable work.

JANE CLINTON
Save Netherwood 
Day Centre Campaign

They listened

• It is great news that Netherwood Day Centre has been reprieved (It’s victory as ‘lifeline’ escapes axe, March 31).

As ward councillors, my colleagues and I knew what an excellent job the purpose-built centre did and how important it was to fight for the centre; and back the excellent campaign run by users and their carers, led by Jane Clinton.  

But news of the reprieve does go to show that – contrary to many people’s expectations – the consultation run by Camden wasn’t just for show. 

Cabinet member Pat Callaghan listened to the loud opposition to closure and showed laudable flexibility and responsiveness to change course.  

The whole process is a clear demonstration that Camden can be a listening council.

Of course, we should remember that the reason the proposal was on the table at all is the savage cuts the government is making to council budgets, including social services. 

Tory group leader Andrew Mennear doesn’t explain how we can possible accommodate cuts of this scale without hitting front-line services.

It’s a shame that, when hundreds of thousands of people march and protest against their cuts, ministers make it clear that, unlike Camden Council, they don’t have the slightest intention of listening.

CLLR MIKE KATZ
Labour, Kilburn ward