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Community LifeYou are in: London > London Local > Barking and Dagenham > Community Life > Charity forced to close its doors Charity forced to close its doorsLebo Diseko A Dagenham charity, which has been helping people with learning disabilities for 10 years, is having to close its’ doors.
The Osborne partnership has helped hundreds of people turn their lives around by helping them train for work. But the charity is to lose its current building in December, when it will be bulldozed by the council in order to make way for renovations to the Valance house museum. The blow comes just weeks after they lost out on a contract worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, to provide an employment service for people with learning disabilities. The Osborne Partnership has a unique approach to working with people with learning disabilities. The charity has high expectations of the people they work with, helping them reach their full potential by working towards goals such as attaining NVQ certificates. For many, it’s made a real difference to their quality of life. Ian Wall from the Osborne Partnership told me the difference their work has made: “One of our most memorable stories … [was] a gentleman who works with us called Brian… He came to work with us and he'd sit down, wouldn't take his coat off … wouldn't talk … [Now] he’s got … confidence that his mum didn't even think he'd ever have… He’s talking a lot more and he’s one of our hardest workers.” For Ian it’s about building the self esteem of the people they work with. “It’s about coming to an environment where [someone like Brian] feels safe, knows he can work… knows he’s not being stared at… He comes to work like me and you, he’s got a job, he’s got a role in life”. But the cost of finding a new building could cost more than the charity can afford. “We need to find between 70 and 100 thousand pounds per annum to rent a new building” Ian told me. If they don't they could be forced to close, which would mean people like Brian could soon find themselves without a place to go each day. To learn more about the work the Osborne partnership do watch my interview in full by clicking on box at the top of this page. If you have any thoughts please email me at lebo.diseko@bbc.co.uk. last updated: 27/12/2007 at 15:52 You are in: London > London Local > Barking and Dagenham > Community Life > Charity forced to close its doors
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