Our History

We have been providing support to people for over 40 years. Here’s a quick look at our history.

1970s As part of Cambridgeshire County Council St Peter’s was a large adult training centre in Eye, near Peterborough offering services for People with Learning Disabilities in the Greater Peterborough area. The centre provided factory-style work tasks which included horticulture and woodwork skills for 150 people of mixed abilities and skills with learning disabilities.

The Council also ran the Supported Placement Scheme, employing people with disabilities who then worked in partner organisations. We still support people in their work places that were in this scheme today. In fact Peterborough City Council’s longest serving staff member is part of this scheme.

1980s St Peter’s expanded to accommodate 165 people special needs’ service for people with complex and profound needs. A community work group started, providing work placements in the community and the Lighthouse which was a drop in and signposting service started to develop.

The 1990s was big period of change and reflection and practice development began. The Lighthouse and Work Skills Development Unit style of the service developed and St Peters closed which led to 30% of people with learning disabilities being supported by the private sector. 439 Lincoln Road, 49 Lincoln Road and 17 Fletton Avenue opened as a day centres and The Kingfisher Centre at Bretton expanded their services.

2000s Westcombe and the Job coach scheme developed and expanded. The service and staff transferred to the NHS in 2004 and the building facilities were improved with upgrades to kitchens and bathrooms.

Activities and community based sessions continued to be developed at the Day Centres and in 2007 The Fountain Bar our first supported enterprise opened at the Kingfisher Centre. The horticulture services at Hack Road allotments opened in 2008 and Royce Rolls enterprise based at Westcombe opened 2009.

2010 onwards Westcombe Wash was set up in 2011 and in 2012 Day Opportunities transferred to Peterborough City Council. A review of services commenced and finally in 2015, Cabinet agreed to the transfer of Day Opportunities to City College Peterborough. The services offered at 49 Lincoln Road increased to include signposting and an advice drop-in service. Pathways, a job club started at 49 Lincoln Road and the Work Choice scheme, supporting individuals to secure sustainable employment of 16 hours or more a week started.

In 2014 Royce Rolls opened the café at the Dementia Resource Centre. People with disabilities were directly employed by Peterborough City Council as service mentors. The Friendly Fruit, Meet and Treat and Pretty Things enterprises were setup as Work Activities for supported people. 49 Lincoln Road launched the Digital CV project to assist people looking for employment.