Windsor Muslim Association hopes to turn site into a community hub

The Windsor Muslim Association (WMA) is hoping to secure a permanent home by turning a site in the town into a community hub.

The charity has sent a community right to bid application to the Royal Borough to return the site of the Oakbridge Centre and Windsor Day Centre into community use and turn it into a community hub for all in the area.

In 2021, it was announced that the two centres at the site on Imperial Road, which are operated by Optalis and provide support for the elderly and those with disabilities, would be closing.

Windsor Muslim Association, which is currently based in Parsonage Lane in Windsor, has been searching for a permanent venue since 2010, and is now hoping to be able to provide its services from the Imperial Road site, after previous applications for other venues were unsuccessful.

The application, completed by the association’s chairman Mohamed Arif, outlines the range of services it provides for the community in the Windsor area, including study groups, youth groups, and help to boost community cohesion and language skills.

Other services provided include bereavement and grief support, support for those looking for work, guidance on elderly support and care services, free legal advice, and support for refugees and those experiencing mental health issues and domestic abuse.

The association, which also has a prayer room at its current Parsonage Lane venue for worship, also holds a sermon on Fridays.

An afterschool homework club is also available for children, and the association also has a partnership with Windsor Foodshare and collects food to donate to them.

A parenting course which is run by the Royal Borough in partnership with the association is also available and currently takes place at Alma Road Community Centre.

Mohamed explained that services are currently situated in different locations and the association hopes to be able to bring them all under one roof at the Imperial Road site.

In the application, Mohamed outlined the reasons for wanting to move to the Imperial Road site, explaining that its central Clewer location between Windsor town centre and Dedworth makes it a ‘perfect location to serve the whole of Windsor’.

He added that the site also has ‘ample’ car parking spaces, as well as spaces for minibuses and has ‘close public transport links’ in the town centre.

If the association were to obtain the site, it would like to run a minibus service for school children, the elderly and other residents using the service in the area.

More than 100 people regularly use and benefit from the services provided.

In the application, Mohamed explained that the site would be ‘the perfect location’ for the association as they believe that there is ‘no other alternative venue’ that would accommodate the association’s needs ‘as adequately as this site’.

He added that it is therefore ‘realistic’ that the charity could ‘return this asset to community use’ and it would be the association’s aim to establish its charitable work ‘as soon as possible and further its use as a community asset for Windsor residents long into the future’.

Mohamed stated that 21 signatures were needed from the local community to support the application, and they have obtained a total of 37 signatures.

He added that he sent the application to the Royal Borough last week and is still waiting to receive an acknowledgement letter.

The Windsor Muslim Association (WMA) is hoping to secure a permanent home by turning a site in the town into a community hub.

The charity has sent a community right to bid application to the Royal Borough to return the site of the Oakbridge Centre and Windsor Day Centre into community use and turn it into a community hub for all in the area.

In 2021, it was announced that the two centres at the site on Imperial Road, which are operated by Optalis and provide support for the elderly and those with disabilities, would be closing.

Windsor Muslim Association, which is currently based in Parsonage Lane in Windsor, has been searching for a permanent venue since 2010, and is now hoping to be able to provide its services from the Imperial Road site, after previous applications for other venues were unsuccessful.

The application, completed by the association’s chairman Mohamed Arif, outlines the range of services it provides for the community in the Windsor area, including study groups, youth groups, and help to boost community cohesion and language skills.

Other services provided include bereavement and grief support, support for those looking for work, guidance on elderly support and care services, free legal advice, and support for refugees and those experiencing mental health issues and domestic abuse.

The association, which also has a prayer room at its current Parsonage Lane venue for worship, also holds a sermon on Fridays.

An afterschool homework club is also available for children, and the association also has a partnership with Windsor Foodshare and collects food to donate to them.

A parenting course which is run by the Royal Borough in partnership with the association is also available and currently takes place at Alma Road Community Centre.

Mohamed explained that services are currently situated in different locations and the association hopes to be able to bring them all under one roof at the Imperial Road site.

In the application, Mohamed outlined the reasons for wanting to move to the Imperial Road site, explaining that its central Clewer location between Windsor town centre and Dedworth makes it a ‘perfect location to serve the whole of Windsor’.

He added that the site also has ‘ample’ car parking spaces, as well as spaces for minibuses and has ‘close public transport links’ in the town centre.

If the association were to obtain the site, it would like to run a minibus service for school children, the elderly and other residents using the service in the area.

More than 100 people regularly use and benefit from the services provided.

In the application, Mohamed explained that the site would be ‘the perfect location’ for the association as they believe that there is ‘no other alternative venue’ that would accommodate the association’s needs ‘as adequately as this site’.

He added that it is therefore ‘realistic’ that the charity could ‘return this asset to community use’ and it would be the association’s aim to establish its charitable work ‘as soon as possible and further its use as a community asset for Windsor residents long into the future’.

Mohamed stated that 21 signatures were needed from the local community to support the application, and they have obtained a total of 37 signatures.

He added that he sent the application to the Royal Borough last week and is still waiting to receive an acknowledgement letter.