Centre for disabled opens

Press, 12 June 1984, Page 8

Centre for disabled opens

Handicapped musicians in the music therapy group led by Mr Bob Perks provided entertainment at the official opening of the Disabled Persons Centre in Worcester Street on Saturday. Hospital Board members, parliamentarians, members of caring societies, and disabled people, with their friends and families, attended the opening. The Mayor, Sir Hamish Hay, offered congratulations from the Christchurch City Council to all those who helped establish the centre. “It is a fine example of cooperation between various organisations in our community — something we don’t see enough of,” he said. The aim of the centre is to promote and advance the interests of disabled people in Canterbury. The services it will provide include an information service, wheelchair hire, a taped book service, community speech therapy, a craft co-opera-tive, and a social programme. Volunteers were urgently needed for the new L.I.P. Service, which was developing a taped library for use by disabled people, said its interim secretary, Mr John Milligan. “Our aim is to create a library of recorded books, and I ask you all to help,” he said. “We need people who are interested in taping books, running the catalogue system, maintaining the recording apparatus, and providing secretarial help.” 1 The next meeting of the L.I.P. Service will be held on Wednesday, July 4, at noon, at the Disabled persons Centre. All persons interested in providing assistance are invited to attend.