Testimonials

Name Withheld

Posted on 17 April 2021

WAC is at the heart of the local community, and has been for many years. It provides a base for adult education classes, chances to meet others, and offers information and legal advice. That the consultation on its future should take place during lockdown, when most of the building is closed off to the public, means that those who do not have internet access will know nothing about it, and shows the utmost cynicism bordering on contempt for the community Lambeth purports to care so much about.

Kate Portal

Posted on 17 April 2021

I think that Waterloo Action Centre (WAC) should definitely remain open. It should not have to be charged such an astronomical rent and the local community definitely needs it.

I have attended meetings, celebrations, educational activities and pressure groups at WAC, and always feel empowered as a local resident as a result.

I have also been able to assist in running various types of local heritage and storytelling projects with local connections and taking a multigenerational approach. It would be a sad loss to Waterloo for such an organisation to be closed.

Michael Gale

Posted on 17 April 2021

I was Linda Irene'schild's pattner untill she went on to her very last adventure 3rd March 2020. I visited WAC many times and it was a joy to see the smiling faces and meet others who like Linda help and encourage so many. A bubbling happy place. ,I hope that the council will revise their attitude towards the centra. Local people need all the help they can get, especially these strange and stressfull times. Raising rents/rates and imposing new conditions at this time is a burden that should not be imposed on the many who use WAC in many cases as a lifeline. Please revise your plans. WAC Great loving place full of loving and dedicated people .WAC an oasis in the desert. We need to hang on to many more places like this, not fewer.

sincerely.

michaell

pp Llinda Irene'schild. ,RIP

andy benson

Posted on 17 April 2021

I have been associated with WAC since its inception in 1973 beginning with the Blackfriars Settlement Work Centre, free legal advice service and other activities. Over the years I have seen the growth of activity, the affection for the Centre held by local people and the huge impact and benefit of WAC for the people of Waterloo and North Southwark. I am appalled that the Council should even consider any measure which threatens the continued existence of this vital community resource. Quite the contrary, the Council should recognise the work of the Centre and commit to continued support from the public purse

Name Withheld

Posted on 15 April 2021

I’ve been taking ballet classes at WAC for many years now and it’s such a great place in the city centre with lovely staff and volunteers.

It’s a meeting point for many elderly people too and generally the local community.

Kevin Richard Warner

Posted on 15 April 2021

In 2019 I started to learn to draw and took up life drawing classes. I was not making much progress and was on the verge of giving up. Then in January 2020 I met Anne Noble-Partridge at a London Drawing life class at the Waterloo Action Centre. I have continued with life drawing and now feel I have made some progress. If it were not for the Waterloo Action Centre I would never have taken up classes with London Drawing. In between the various Covid lockdowns, in September 2020, I was able to attend a three day drawing and oil painting course at the Waterloo Action Centre. I look forward to developing my oil painting skills, I hope to be able to attend further classes and courses at the Waterloo Action Centre.

Simon Furness

Posted on 15 April 2021

I am a grateful member of the WAC Tai Chi Classes on Weds afternoons which have really helped sustain my mental and physical health. I would be very sad to see WAC suffer as a result of the proposed rental increases.

Matthew Sexton

Posted on 15 April 2021

I'm really concerned about the threat to WAC with the proposed rent increase. As a local person I've benefitted from many aspects of their work including visiting the pro bono legal advice service, buying from the second hand shop and volunteering at the reception desk for a year. It's been really useful in getting to know other local people, and a sanctuary in the heart of Waterloo away from the hussle and hussle.

Margaret Pope

Posted on 15 April 2021

Raising the rent for this valuable asset to Lambeth/Southwark is very disturbing - not least because it could mean the closure of this well used, well run asset. The variety of sessions available for local people both old and young, surely contributes to their mental and physical well being.

In 2019 the hall was used for flue vaccinations (certainly for patients of Waterloo Health Centre). It was extremely well done and followed all the restrictions imposed by the current covid epidemic This proved to be a great success with local residents praising the staff and the efficiency of the unit.

We are being told that this virus could recur each year, meaning that vaccinations against covid could be done on an annual basis (as is the flu vaccination). What will happen if WAC has to close due to the high increase in rent proposed by Lambeth? Back to putting pressure on the local surgeries?

In addition to the above the Centre also gives advice/assistance relating to computer problems, legal problems, completing benefit forms.

Raising the rent is a serious problem for this well run, well used, community space and I sincerely hope that Lambeth Council will rethink this decision.

Hazel Barber

Posted on 15 April 2021

I both attend dance classes and teach dance classes at WAC. It is a wonderful and friendly centre to be part of both as a dance student and teacher. It is crucial in providing a safe and inviting space to be creative and learn which welcomes hundreds of children and adults weekly to dance classes. There is always a buzz of activity and the children and their families we teach love the atmosphere and spaces and spending time at the centre. The centre has a strong community feel with staff and users helping and supporting each other on a regular basis. The location makes it accessible to all with students travelling from across London. The centre is huge value in supporting and enriching the lives of children and adults through the arts. An increase in rent by the council would be hugely detrimental to it's users.

paul jackson

Posted on 15 April 2021

The Waterloo Action Centre is a fantastic resource for the classes I regularly attend since retiring 6 years ago. The Centre provides an inspirational teaching space to enjoy my art. This is my only hobby and opportunity to socialise with other people. I come weekly from mid kent as there are so few suitable venues and classes in my local area. It has been very important for my mental health and I have missed the classes greatly since the lockdowns. Please do all you can to allow this special resource to continue. Thank You

G Simpson

Posted on 15 April 2021

Centres like this make a community. What will Lambeth put in its place for the elderly and others using it to connect to people and give them a greater quality of life? I hope Lambeth can keep services like this that enrich the community. I blame the government for the funding difficulties but hope Lambeth can find a way for this to continue.

Steve

Posted on 13 April 2021

In these tough times, with funding cut to essential services, what a shame it would be to see a community service like this forced to close.

Caroline Partridge

Posted on 13 April 2021

I have been a regular visitor to the WAC over the years and most recently as a participant in an oil painting course run by London Drawing.

The centre is one of the only central London community venues left and provides critical and affordable space for groups and individuals to come together.

In our ever increasing world of separation and automation it is a little light of humanity, supporting people as they express themselves artistically.

The Waterloo Action Centre's contribution to the artistic & wider community cannot and should not be undervalued.

Name Withheld

Posted on 13 April 2021

I think WAC does wonderful and important work for the community. I used their facilities once for my daughter’s birthday party and nothing was too much trouble. A great venue.

Clive Croft

Posted on 13 April 2021

I thought the action center was s charity and the building we owned by Lambeth council, who owns it????

Stuart

Posted on 12 April 2021

I have very much enjoyed attending life drawing sessions at the WAC. It is an invaluable community resource. London has far too few places like this were people can meet and enjoy a shared interest together.

Adrian Gillan

Posted on 12 April 2021

I have modelled for London Drawing throughout their 5-year twice-weekly period running classes at Waterloo Action Centre, which is now widely regarded as one of the best-located and best-attended life drawing hot-spots in the capital. With its wider array of social, cultural and sporting leisure activities, please, Lambeth, do not risk pricing WAC out of existence through your planned colossal rent hike!

Anne Noble-Partridge

Posted on 12 April 2021

I have run Life Drawing classes and courses at the Waterloo Action Centre for the past 5 years and during this time the

centre has become a crucial host for our activities.

London Drawing is a small independent business and venues like WAC are crucial to our survival. Wac provides affordable

well managed space and is home to a wide range or businesses like ourselves. In turn our activities support the incredible work

WAC does for the local community which is frankly irreplaceable and invaluable.

Our classes at WAC have allowed us to build a creative community, attracting a wide and varied demographic of people to

come together creatively. Life Drawing in itself is a massively positive activity with regard to health and well being.

The fact that we can provide these classes which are massively beneficial to those who attend, providing work

which supports our tutors and a host of life models, while at the same time supporting such an incredible institution,

is just hugely special to us.

Independent, genuinely community based spaces like the Waterloo Action Centre are becoming so increasingly rare

due to rent increases and the sterilisation of central London- we have to do all we can to care and nurture for those

that remain.

Following this massive period of change due to the pandemic- which will see city centers have to move and change with the times as remote

working and use of city space navigates a complete over haul- venues like the Waterloo Action Centre will take on even more significant role.

Treating WAC with such blinkered, narrow vision is something which I and the many people who benefit from its hands on, genuinely community

based ethos will find very hard to bare. This special institution is a space to be nurtured and valued and after over 40 years of community

service deserves preserving.

Anne Noble-Partridge

Director- London Drawing

Laura Agustín

Posted on 12 April 2021

When a bicycle crashed into me and broke my elbow badly, it was sessions with London Drawing at WAC that saved me. With an easy bus-ride and ten pounds I could attend wonderfullly therapeutic drawing drop-ins that gave my arm the perfect exercise and my spirit a great lift. I've also consulted other services at WAC and made friends I wouldn't have elsewhere. Lambeth should be proud of WAC!

Susannah Pal

Posted on 12 April 2021

I have been a Life Drawing tutor with London Drawing (LD www.LondonDrawing.com) for 10 years and have taught in venues across London. Venues suitable for Life Drawing are hard to come by. I have taught a few day course and evening life drawing sessions at Waterloo Action Centre (WAC) since LD started to work at WAC around 2016. The space itself has all the requirements needed for successful Life Drawing classes. It goes above and beyond this and I particularly love the airy and peaceful atmosphere. Because of the location the WAC venue pulls in a variety of people from all walks of life making up a lively drawing community. The venue is always well organised and I love being given the opportunity to teach there.

Life Drawing has so many benefits for the community. It teaches us to slow down and train our observational and problem solving skills. It's also an opportunity to learn about the human anatomy. Another benefit, is that in our modern world we are bombarded with images showcasing people posing for the camera with their best angles and perfect social media filters. Life Drawing gives people the opportunity to draw from a variety of human bodies from all angles.

I encourage all to try Life Drawing at WAC at least once, you won't be disappointed!

Name Withheld

Posted on 12 April 2021

I have attended life drawing and various other community activities at the Waterloo Action Centre for some years and the loss to the community would be devastating if it were closed. There is nowhere else quite like it in the area and no good reason to close it. It has a huge benefit on people's health and well-being and it should remain open and functioning as it currently does.

Sarah Harvey

Posted on 12 April 2021

The centre is for the community, and brings in the diversity and culture that is need for the area especially with the increase of hotel’s and tourist developments. Let’s keep the balance to the area.

Name Withheld

Posted on 12 April 2021

Waterloo Action Centre is an important and well-loved venue in the Waterloo area. Communities depend on it. So few venues of its type remain. Protect it for our future

Ed Simkins

Posted on 12 April 2021

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the proposed rent rise at the WAC. I have attended many Wednesday evening life drawing events hosted by London Drawing at the WAC and the ongoing pandemic has highlighted just how vital these and other classes are to the general wellbeing of those who attend. That doesn’t even cover the vital roll WAC provides in legal services to the local community. Please think again about the potential damage these counter productive rent rises will cause to such a vital local resource.

Elizabeth Cummins

Posted on 12 April 2021

I take part in art classes, which relax me and enable me to make friends in the area. London can be such a lonely place

More than that though, it’s seeing all the other activities on offer - especially for people who are older and retired that makes me believe Waterloo is a place where I can live, be happy and have a future when I retire.

Name Withheld

Posted on 12 April 2021

I have enjoyed several London drawing sessions in the centre. The light and space is really excellent and creates a superb atmosphere which really helps the creative spirit soar. The centre is also right next to the station so I can enjoy a light dinner in the station before the class, draw, and still be home at a reasonable hour as my commute home is so convenient.

Name Withheld

Posted on 12 April 2021

The WAC is a beautiful space in a part of London where most other things are about making money. To find a community centre that offers so many services to people who live around there or who come from other parts of London is very special.

Name Withheld

Posted on 12 April 2021

I got to know about the WAC community centre a few years ago when I retired and it quickly become an important part of my life. Before the Covid lockdowns I always attended Jean's weekly line dancing classes as well as 'tea dances'. These sessions became a key highlight of my week giving me some exercise, some new friends and most importantly a lot of laughter and fun. I am relatively young (at 67) and live with my husband - but many of my fellow pensioners are in their 70's, 80's and beyond and many live alone. For many of these lovely but often frail and I suspect lonely elderly people the WAC is an essential lifeline. Please, please keep this important resource open for us all.. It's so vital that we pensioners have somewhere to get us out of the house, to socialise, to support each other and to have some exercise and some much needed fun and friendship.

Mr Stephen Walsh

Posted on 12 April 2021

WAC has provided an accessible venue for community gatherings and meetings, fostering a genuine sense of community which is vital if Waterloo is to flourish. It provides high quality advice on many issues empowering local people, whether they have access to internet networks or not. To lose WAC would be to lose a cornerstone of our precious and fragile local community.

Dilek Taptik

Posted on 11 April 2021

I have been running my Dance School at WAC for 5 years. We offer ballet classes for the children & Adults of the local community, taught by Royal Academy of Dance registered teachers.

We run classes for over 100 children weekly. Our Adults love their weekly classes at WAC. Pre-Covid, we interacted with the other community groups, which creates a love within the community. The 'Sewing group' helped with costumes for our dance show. There is an imminent reward to older people's mental health by being surrounded by our young dancers.

I have not yet seen another Community Centre that is as active, inclusive, diverse in its projects and helpful to the community as WAC.

The raise of rent is a punitive action by the council to a venue that is delivering in ALL aspects.

It is without a doubt, that the financial burden to WAC would also reflect on its hirers. This again might result in less hire, causing a circle of reactions.

Local families might then not be able to sign up to classes. With so many youth centres already closed, there is a real lack of opportunities for less fortunate children.



Thanks to our work at WAC and their reasonable hire, I have managed to set up a Dance Bursary Fund offering the cover of Ballet Examination fees, Class fees or simply paying for Uniform items.

The Centre is an extremely well run and self-sufficient centre. They engage with the local community better than I have seen anywhere else.

I do not believe that a blank policy for community spaces is reasonable and does not reflect a healthy work ethic.

I really the Council to let WAC continue with their current rental arrangements, so they can be of service to the community.

Dilek Taptik, RAD RTS

Maureen Pathe

Posted on 10 April 2021

Since 1973, WAC has been a very important hub for a wide range of services and is situated in a very convenient location. I had been enjoying the wonderful dance classes given by Jean Leclerc before the lockdown put a temporary stop to so much. Jean’s excellent teaching skills and his enthusiasm for dance is inspiring. Dance is so important for both physical and mental health. Please keep the WAC open, we need it. Thanks

Jackie

Posted on 10 April 2021

My family have used this centre for a long time and it would be absolutely devastating if it was taken away! People in the community need this centre now more than ever and it would mean so much to me if it continued to run. My Nan adores the classes and my family have so many memories there. It is place that is 100% worth saving!

Name Withheld

Posted on 9 April 2021

As a local resident, I often drop into the WAC to see what's on inside. I've appreciated art in the gallery space and bought secondhand books and clothes. But more than that, I know the WAC provides desperately needed services to the people most in need of community spaces like this. The building, in its location so central in the Waterloo area, is so important to people living nearby who need legal advice, help with technology, disability services and so much more. There are so few things to do in this part of Lambeth that don't require you to spend money to even participate. We've already lost the nearby Waterloo Library.

The WAC is a pillar of the community in North Lambeth, where there is little else in terms of community services and spaces locally. To lose this organisation and space would be a huge loss, firstly for the people who need the important services offered, and secondly for the wider community: people like me who don't avail ourselves of the charitable services as much but know that our local community needs spaces and organisations like this, and that the community we are a part of will suffer and be worse off without the concrete help, activities and sense of welcome and belonging the WAC offers. I don't want that for my neighbours and friends who use all those services. We need more spaces like the WAC, not less. For the cost of keeping the WAC economically viable by not catastrophically raising the rent, Lambeth reaps far more in benefits to its residents.

I urge Lambeth Council to preserve the WAC for what it is - a wonderful place that helps a lot of vulnerable local people, whose work no other local organisation is prepared to replace, and whose history should be respected and continued. Thank you.

Akin Samuel

Posted on 8 April 2021

The Waterloo Action Centre do sterling work in the heart of London. I first got involved helping their clients negotiate the ever increasing complexity of IT in the modern world. Many of them did not have email or the knowledge of how to access government or utility websites for vital services like water, electricity or paying their council tax.

The WAC among many other things provides an avenue for elderly or disabled people to be connected with services more tech savvy people take for granted in the form of friendly and patient people willing to sit, teach and listen.

The WAC do all that they do on a shoestring budget and the generosity of charities. All of their money goes to helping those in need with very little left for anything else. A hike in their rents constitutes a threat to WACs services and activities that have become crucial to communities around Waterloo, SE1 and beyond.

Please reconsider and save this gem in the heart of London.

Abena Addo

Posted on 8 April 2021

When I was recently in an upsetting situation, I turned to WAC, and I felt so much inclusion, and was helped so kindly. that it gave me strength and resilience to continue to develop my case so that although the pandemic affected access, I felt it had given me a good start.

Please do not force this essential service to close. There MUST be an alternative for you to consider. The community is diverse in its economic nature, and this affordable and in some cases, free resource, is important in times like this.

Name Withheld

Posted on 8 April 2021

WAC is a very important part of my daily life and many others. It is a meeting place for a cup of tea a laugh and a chat. We all know how important that is.

Exercise for helping us to keep mobile. Sewing class, knitting class all for beginners or experts. Art classes. Good people who arrange days out holidays. Dancing for young and older people. Most important a place to meet up and not feel lonely.

DAVID BILIC

Posted on 8 April 2021

Dear Sir/Madam, 7April2021

I am a longstanding member of Morley Blades Fencing Club. I was very disturbed to read that Lambeth Council is considering

increasing the rent of W.A.C. by upto £45,000/year!! I have no doubt that W.A.C. would have to close if that happened. We have been hiring halls here since 2011. We were for many years part of Morley College, but in that year they stopped sports funding. So we took over the running of the club ourselves. Ironically it was the year before the London Olympics when the government had promised 'Sports for All' to encourage a healthy population. Anyway it was a Godsend to find halls for hire at W.A.C. It is extremely difficult to find anything in central London.

As a club we are a microcosm of the London population as a whole with European, Canadian, S. American, Australian & Kiwi along with British members from varying Ethnic backgrounds including Afro Caribbean & Asian.

W.A.C. does much good work in the community running free lgal advice sessions, computer help for the needy, classes for the retired and youngsters along with pilate classes, drawing classes and more.

I have read that the government has allocated £100 million to local authorities to help recovery of leisure & community centres. I cannot think of a more deserving case than W.A.C.

Yours Sincerely David Bilic-- Treasurer of M.B F.C.

Sheila Smith

Posted on 7 April 2021

I have been going to the Gentle Exercise Class for 20 years. My husband joined first and then I followed after I retired from work. The exercises help my arthritis and help me to keep my independence. The classes have many other benefits by providing a welcoming atmosphere, friendship and support for those who are lonely, bereaved or have health problems as well as those who are more fit. All of the programmes at The Waterloo Advice Centre mean so much to the community both young and old. My daughter was greatly helped by the Legal Advice Service after she was punched in the face on a bus. It is very short sighted of Lambeth Council to impose such a large prohibitive increase in rent, especially now, as it will deny these services to people who, after lockdown, will need the support even more.

TRACY GREEN

Posted on 7 April 2021

i had just started going to line dance classes for several months before the Centre had to close due to Covid19.The classes were really good fun and an excelent way to keep fit as you are doing exercise to music which is enjoyable and as such really improves your quality of life. Also i had just started to get to know a wonderful big group of (mainly)older women, some of whom had been attending the classes for many years. They came from all different backgrounds and cultures and everyone was friendly and got on well so the class was a great way to bring the local community together and to enhance the health and wellbeing of older people, some of whom are quite vulnerable.

I was very upset to learn that the Waterloo Centre is under threat as it is really the only place in Lambeth offering this programme of subsidized classes for older people. There are other centres in the more well off parts of London such as Islington which cater for their local older people and these are thriving. The people of Lambeth deserve the same investment so we too can live in a healthy and cohesive community.

Baroness Janet Whitaker

Posted on 6 April 2021

WAC is a community organisation which makes Waterloo a really rewarding place to live and it would be a very shortsighted decision indeed to increase the rent so that it could not survive in its present form. I pay my council tax on the understanding that it will go to increase the wellbeing of the residents, not decrease it, and now is the time to nurture above all the community spirit and activities which have enabled us to pull through our current crisis.

Franck Rosello

Posted on 6 April 2021

As a local resident I find the Waterloo community Center to be of great use and purpose in an area too depleted of services and activities to serve the local community of and around the Waterloo area. The space is functional and can be used for a large range of activities at low cost or no cost to residents nearby

Vincent Marks

Posted on 5 April 2021

I and my wife have enjoyed the many facilities provided for the local community by the WAC for all of the 25 years we have lived in Waterloo. To lose them for purely commercial reasons would be a travesty..

Name Withheld

Posted on 5 April 2021

I've attended Zumba classes at Waterloo Action Centre since 2018. The location is brilliant, so easy to get to and close to Waterloo station and tube. Pre-Covid I used to look forward to the weekly classes there, which were always very well attended and I hope will be able to resume again soon. The centre is well-maintained and provides an important hub for the local community. Coming out of lockdown it is essential that older members of the community have somewhere close by where they can start to meet up again safely. WAC is able to to provide a unique location and a range of activities that are enjoyed by many, of all ages. To my knowledge there are no other places nearby that offer such spacious facilities for dance and exercise. Waterloo Action Centre is a tremendous asset which should be saved and kept for use by all.

Name Withheld

Posted on 5 April 2021

Waterloo action centre is vital for local residents and it did help lots of vulnerable persons. Please do consider the importance of the waterloo action centre and do not increase the rent to force it move out.

Kind regards,

HC Lin

Kathia

Posted on 4 April 2021

WAC has been a great resource for my mum. It's enabled her to make new friends, experience shows, go on trips and most importantly has given her the opportunity to gain confidence. She now regularly paints and loves to exhibit her work, or make cards that they sell in order to raise money for WAC. It's such a great community for her and the friends and it would be a great shame and disservice to the community to lose it.

Anjana Gupta

Posted on 4 April 2021

This is a huge part of the local community and the only place where such a range of activities are available in the local area. Raising rents will displace so many of tenants and significantly undermine the range of offering at WAC. This change would be a crippling, unconscionable and reverberating loss for many families. The promise of returning to the services and community of WAC is getting a lot of us through these unprecedented times.

Lindsay Alexander Pritchard

Posted on 4 April 2021

Many happy memories of WAC. The social dances and learning to dance there. Also was lovely to see Phillip Townsend's photography exhibition there shortly before his passing and to meet the great man himself.

Paola Garcia Lopez

Posted on 4 April 2021

I have been running my Zumba classes at the WAC for the past 4 years. This community centre means a lot to me and to all the members of my Zumba community. Last year I also started another dance activity introducing the WAC to another group of people who enjoyed the amenities of the WAC. This precious space means a lot not to just us but to many other people that use it to support the centre, arts and culture. It has been beautiful to see how many different cultural activities the WAC supports, from Zumba, to Pilates, to live painting, to Ballet and many more and to lose this space would be a terrible loss to the community.

Name Withheld

Posted on 3 April 2021

I've been attending Zumba classes here for several years and the staff are helpful and friendly. The centre is easily accessible via public transport & I provides a variety of community activities and support.

Name Withheld

Posted on 3 April 2021

I’ve participated in Zumba classes at WAC since 2018. The Zumba class is a community that I value as it brings together women in the area in a welcoming space where I feel comfortable to exercise without any judgement about my body or ability. It’s not a high end gym so this keeps the costs low and the class affordable. WAC is an important part of this Zumba community and we look forward to returning to in person classes post-covid.

Catriona Slorach

Posted on 3 April 2021

As a Lambeth resident and charity worker, I know that free independent advice services are so important, especially now with insecure work, job losses, illegal evictions, benefits problems and so many other issues arising from Covid and Brexit. WAC is also a lovely community space. Our Council must support it, not drive it out!

Name Withheld

Posted on 3 April 2021

I moved from Germany to London for work in 2019. I had no friends and only knew my colleagues from my work. Then I searched for a Zumba classes and found the ones from Paola in the WAC. The Zumba classes were every week my highlight. In the Zumba class with all these wonderful powerful women I had so much fun and became more and more confident in this big city. In this room was so much energy, self empowerment and fun that we all need. So I just want to say that the WAC and Paola and the strong people helped me so much to feel comfortable and I am so grateful for that. The WAC is a place where you can go to and be welcome. xx

Palak

Posted on 3 April 2021

I really love the dance classes (zumba) at the WAC, there is such a big sense of community and the classes are affordable too! It is lovely to have an accessible place to go to, it is spacious and has multiple uses (art classes as well)!! In a sea of gadgets and eyes drawn to screens, this place really makes all the difference in connecting people of various age groups in activities that feed the soul and bring so much joy.

Name Withheld

Posted on 3 April 2021

Waterloo Action Centre provides a great service to many local people of all ages. It is a community centre for all. It is a place which enables different groups to meet, which in turn will help the mental health of the community. These sort of places save the council money in the long run, because they provide spaces for events to happen, which in turn benefit the health and welfare of the local community. For example, WAC invited the local primary school choir to come together with the elderly to sing Christmas Carols together, where afterwards they they all sat together having tea and biscuits and a chat. These sort of events are so important, and they need a venue to take place in. I have personally used it for after work exercise classes, it is very convenient for me.

Sole Puerto

Posted on 3 April 2021

I’ve enjoyed zumba and pilates classes at WAC for the last 4+ years, providing a space to comfortably exercise and interact with people. Even though i only went twice a week it was clear to me that it was a hub of culture/art/exercise, from art classes to fencing classes that were taking place in the neighbouring rooms. To lose this space would come as a terrible loss to the community and to everyone, that like me, weren’t local but still felt like their were.

Name Withheld

Posted on 3 April 2021

Dear Sirs,

My name is Cannie and live very close to WAC. We treat WAC as our community centre and we took our flu jab there, can take drawing and dancing class there. I heard the Lambert Council will increase significant rent there. They will have to stop their operation. Please help WAC to survive and carry on to provide service to us.

Best regards

Cannie

Quentin Campbell

Posted on 2 April 2021

Community Action Centres, such as yours, provide a vital local service at all times especially in times of stress and turmoil such as during the present pandemic.

Inner city areas especially need to have community centres to provide advice to residents and to provide a hub for local initiatives.

I understand that Lambeth Council are proposing a very large rent increase which may lead to the closure of the Centre. This appears extraordinary during a period when many public spirited

landlords have agreed to relax enforcement and reduce rents to assist in the present crisis..

The closure of the centre and the services it provides would inevitably lead to an increase in demands on other local authority departments.

Name Withheld

Posted on 2 April 2021

Miy name is Anne Greenslade, known as Annie, have been coming to the WAC Centre for the last 4 -5 years. I have enjoyed my time singing in a small choir every Monday morning. I JUST HOPE IT . WILL CONTINUE.. I have learnt a lot about music from the pianist and teacher. Also iI have met others whom I have made friends both in and out the WAC centre May it long continue.. A.Greenslade

Marilyn Smith

Posted on 2 April 2021

I wish to give my support to the WAC on this devsating news. It has been the stalwort of the Waterloo Community for many years and would devaste many residents if it no longer existed. It has been essential in my mums health and wellbeing, as 10years ago she was gravely ill and spent months in intesive care. it was recommend to further aid her recovery that she should do some gentle exercies and so she joined the exercise class for the over 60's, Apart from Covid lockdown, she has attended the WAC 2-3 times a week hardly ever missing a day over the years. The activites have been of great benefit to our senior citizens and has created strong friendships. Mum is really looking forward to going back to the WAC to resume meeting up again with her many friends when covid rules permits. It is a tragedy that this comes down purely to funding and that a valaualble unique communal facility could be lost!