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Friends of the Open Centre
Please use the form below to enquiry about becoming a Friend of the Open Centre.
Before you do, please check what the Open Centre is and what it is not on our About page.
Why the Open Centre needs friends.
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The Open Centre is a charity which, in order to create a happy society for us all, brings people into contact with other communities and beliefs that they would not normally encounter in their daily lives. As a charity we are short of money and help - we need friends!
We are all immigrants to Derby
Go back only two generation, to our grandparents, and you will find that the vast majority of people in Derby are immigrants. A very tiny minority can claim to have grandparents and great grandparents who were born in the city (town) of Derby.
In fact, most of us are first, second or third generation economic immigrants who came here to work. The pull of high-quality jobs at places like Rolls Royce, the railway and the many other companies that make up Derby's industrial and economic base, has brought people in from all over the England, the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
Looking round the Open Centre's Trustee Directors one can find economic immigrants from as far afield as Lancashire, Wales, Gloucestershire, India, Kenya, London and elsewhere.
We came because we wanted a better job or a better life for ourselves and our families.
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Rich diversity of backgrounds
We are one large community, sharing one rich culture to which we contribute depending on the rich diversity of our backgrounds - and that makes Derby a really excellent place in which to live - apart from the wonderful Derbyshire countryside on our doorstep.
A harmonious society is one where people understand one another. We may not agree with one another all the time - in fact we frequently don't - as any discussion in the community centre, pub or club will show!
Our view of the world around us: local, national and international; is almost totally influenced by what we read in the papers and see on the news. Very little of our understanding comes from personal experience - after all, who do we meet on a day to day basis? Friends, work colleagues and neighbours - that's about it.
Understanding is not about believing the same as everyone else, it is about recognising that personal ideas and beliefs are important to each of us. It is also about recognising that people who do not share the same ideas and beliefs as ourselves are also people trying to get through life as best they can.
Certain newspapers and TV channels would have us believe that the entire country was full of criminals, muggers, drug-pushers, religious extremists and "bad and dangerous" people. Of course such people exist - but they are a tiny minority - the vast majority of us want to lead good lives - helping others as we go along.
How friends can help
Friends of the Open Centre can help by providing one of two things (or both!):
- Time.
We have a very small number of full and part-time staff whose work is exclusively with the groups that visit us. They do not have the time to do many of the jobs that make an organisation run smoothly.
For example: each term we run an Open Evening. This provides a chance for anyone in the community to come together, enjoy a decent meal and chat about the work of the Centre. We need help to put this together. Invitations need to be mailed or emailed. Food needs to be purchased, cooked in our kitchen and served. Finally, everything needs to be tidied away and the washing-up needs to be done.
On a different level we are building up a panel of people who can speak about their backgrounds and beliefs to some of the groups who visit us - or who we visit to give talks.
From time to time we would welcome the help of "experts" who we could not normally afford - experts in fields such as the law, finance, IT or marketing. Two hours a month could provide the sort of advice we need to keep the Centre running smoothly.
Of course, we also welcome those who are just happy to provide some labour for everything from keeping the place tidy to giving it a new lick of paint.
Friends give their time for free to help the work we do with Derby schools and other groups.
We need your time - as much, or as little, as you can afford.
- Money.
We are always short of money. When working with schools we can never charge sufficient for our services to cover all our overheads (staff, building, office, utilities etc.) and to leave us with a sufficient surplus to allow us to improve and expand the services we offer,
Shortage of money is why we cannot meet demand. There are over 100 schools in the City of Derby, and over 400 in Derbyshire. Add to this the schools in neighbouring counties who would like to use our services and you will see that the potential demand is huge. We do not like to turn people away - but, at the moment, we are forced to.
Meeting this demand requires staff and organisation. We would love to increase the number of staff we employ. We would love to redevelop our building to get more groups in at the same time. We would love to increase the number of visits we offer.
We can do none of this without money.
We welcome one-off donations, direct debits (a fiver or tenner a month goes a long way) or legacies - remember us in your will!
Don't forget, our only paid staff are those who work with the groups that visit us - the Trustee Directors are unpaid and give their time and expertise freely to help the Centre.
We need your money - we will not fritter it away on administration or luxurious offices - as is obvious if you visit the Centre!
What can we offer to friends?
The joy of knowing that you are contributing to the social cohesion and harmony of Derby.
On a more practical level:
- An invitation to our monthly Open Lunch (unless your are already cooking it!)
- A quarterly email newsletter letting you know what we have done and what we have planned.
- Invitations to any special events that we organise or which we think would be of interest to you.
- A annual get-together of all Friends.
- Whatever else we, or our Friends, dream up - maybe even a T shirt!
Your details
If your are interested in becoming a Friend of the Open Centre please complete this form then click on the Submit button.
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