A Wisbech community centre that has become a major hub and lifeline for thousands of migrant families is to receive nearly £100,000 from BBC Children in Need.
The BBC says the Rosmini Centre – that opened in 2009- will use the funding to help disadvantaged children and young people in the town.
A total of £99,531 has been awarded to support those youngsters “facing deprivation issues on a daily basis”.
The BBC says they hope this will “increase confidence, aspirations and help the children and young people integrate and share cultural experiences”.
Anita Grodkiewicz, manager of the Rosmini Centre, said: “The funding will enable us to continue working in partnership with organisations to identify the needs and address the issues our children and young people.
“As a result, we’ll see a stronger and less divisive community.”
Melinda Connelly of BBC Children in Need said: “It’s always extremely gratifying to award funding to projects, such as this one in Wisbech, that makes a tangible difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.
“In the coming months the centre will work with young people in the area who need it most, which without the help of our fundraisers wouldn’t be possible.”
The new funding means that Children in Need now funds 19 projects in Cambridgeshire.
The Rosmini Centre is next to the Catholic Church in Queens Road was the vision of the late Father John Doman, the parish priest from 2004 to 201.
Thanks to a grant of more than £300,000 his vision became a reality in 2008 when work began on the Rosmini Centre as it stands today.
The money was given by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the centre was officially opened in 2009.
At the time he said: “It is not a Catholic thing; it is not a migrant thing, it is for everyone.
“This will be totally independent from the church. A community centre should be open to the community and that seems to be the right way to go about it.”
The centre began life in 2005 by Father Doman and a colleague to cope particularly with the influx of newcomers from Eastern Europe.
As many migrants are Catholic, the church became a natural magnet for those coping with the problems of living away from their families.
The church was called upon to provide emergency accommodation, help and support accessing local services and even resolving parking disputes.
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