Cornwall's Liskerrett Centre is 'held together by magic' and a lifesaver for thousands

Everyone needs a sense of community and belonging. We all need someone to talk to. The Covid pandemic brought that into stark relief and it's compounded by social, health and economic problems caused by isolation in a rural area like Cornwall.

That's why somewhere like the Liskerrett Centre in Liskeard is essential. In fact, during a visit to the bustling community centre this week I heard the words "lifeline" and "lifesaver" over and over again.

Just how important it is was revealed in the summer when Cornwall Council closed a ramp connecting the centre on Varley Lane and the town's Cattle Market car park to build a new services hub. It has also led to a substantial reduction of parking spaces and has impacted on those who use Liskerrett.

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A petition against the blockage received over 1,200 signatures and the ramp is currently adorned with banners stating 'Cornwall Council, we are disabled please listen, open up our ramp'.

Talks are ongoing with the council but it looks unlikely the situation will change until at least October next year when the work is due to finish. However, it doesn't appear to be putting off the 3,200 regular users who enter the centre's doors each month, many of whom have limited mobility. The centre's events include chair yoga, dance for people with disabilities, support groups for stroke and chronic lung disease, and lots more.

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For instance, there's the Hub vegetarian café, a community garden and art studios that are rented out to local artists, a hall space and rooms to hire for activities such as dance, aikido, meetings, theatre, training, music, film and much more. It's one of the major spots for Carn to Cove, Cornwall’s rural touring scheme, and regularly host events and performances from touring companies making live theatre and music accessible to a local audience. Rising folk music star Johnny Campbell performs on Wednesday, November 20.

Set up on the site of the former Liskeard Junior School, the centre opened in 2002 and is a charity owned and managed for the community by the community. At a time when a lack of central and local government money is forcing such vitally important places to close across the country, the Liskerrett manages to fund itself with small grants, a bit of funding from Cornwall Council, National Lottery money and private donations, but it is a struggle.

Having spent a couple of hours there this week, swept up in the joy of the place and in awe at those providing a home from home for people from all walks of life, I can see why many people would be lost without the Liskerrett Centre.

Someone whose life has been changed immeasurably by the venue is Lisa Eaton. "It's a lifesaver. I've been coming here for two months. Before that I spent two years stuck on my sofa watching TV."

Lisa's life completely changed when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) six years ago. Someone who once ran to and from work, she now uses a wheelchair. It's fair to say her mental health was suffering until her daughter told her about the Liskerrett Centre and now she attends four classes a week and visits as much as she can.

"Being told I had MS was massive," said Lisa, who now lives in a home for people with neurological issues in Liskeard. "I'm still trying to get my head around it, so that's why it's nice to switch off for a bit and enjoy what this place offers."

Like everyone else I spoke to, Lisa mentioned the sense of community and interaction, its accessibility (when the ramp is open) and the fact that it's simply a place in which to to relax, chat and enjoy some great food.

On Wednesday, when I visited, the centre was playing host to Cornwall College Gardening for Wellbeing, Stitch Up! sewing group, SPACE youth group for disabled young people, a food bank cooking club which teaches people how to create meals on a budget, and exercise and dance classes.

Other days see yoga and meditation classes, stroke support, peer advocacy for adults with learning difficulties, an inclusive art club, Breathers COPD Support Group, Your Voice women's mental health drop-in and the male equivalent Man Down, Shallal Inclusive Dance, Liskeard's Community Choir and Community Cinema, and Lyskerrys Youth Club.

On top of the council work going on opposite, South West Water has dug up part of a road nearby to carry out maintenance work. It will mean there will be short periods where the electricity will be turned off. Looking after the locals is at the heart of Liskerrett, so it's no surprise that centre manager Sally Hawken has told anyone affected that if they get cold or find themselves in the dark they are more than welcome to visit the centre for a while.

As Sally was taking me around the site, we bumped into Deborah Bramley who was taking part in her first ever visit to a Cornwall College Gardening for Wellbeing session. She told me: "I struggle with isolation. I'm trying to build friendships and this is giving me confidence. It makes me feel part of a community. Places like this are so valuable."

Sally added: "We are seeing the after-effects of Covid. A lot of people who come here talk about feeling isolated. They may come here for a craft session, then we can chat over coffee and tea, and point them in other directions that can help their own situation."

Martin Pallett, a Gardening for Wellbeing teacher, was helping a small band of keen new gardeners weed a patch of land. He said: "It's all about gardening - growing vegetables, sowing seeds, etc - but it's about a lot more than that too." He said many of those on the course, which is free for those on a limited income, have mental health needs. "Most of us have mental health needs at some point in our life."

We then went inside and visited the Stitch Up! group, which is run by Sally's mum Margaret. They told me how the council work has impacted them and how many of them feel unsafe walking to the centre as a result of the ramp being cut off. They have largely got around it by arranging lift shares as they won't let it put them off attending.

It's clear why they want to carry on with the sewing sessions - this is a happy band who get a lot from being with each other, as well as helping others way beyond the Liskerrett Centre. In the 15 years the club has been running, the members have raised money by selling their wares in aid of Cornwall Air Ambulance, Cornwall's blood bikes and to help people in war-torn Ukraine.

As we walk around the centre, a hubbub of action and laughter, it's clear some of the old school and its surrounding buildings are in need of attention. "It's held together by magic," says Sally, who was an Independent councillor on Cornwall Council from 2013 to 2021. "It's creaking at the seams and everything about it is a major challenge. However, when we were under threat and the access was blocked, we were rammed."

"It needs more money, support and volunteers though." It's clear that a more modern space, which was once on the cards via the council but appears to have fallen through, would be a godsend. Though there's something endearing and uniquely welcoming about the ageing Liskerrett.

A huge number of those using the facilities are elderly and with the growing concern about isolation in society, it's lovely to see so many of them getting together at its various clubs and classes. However, young people aren't forgotten - there's even a drum kit on site for practising bands, as well as the draw of the vast array of touring events and the film club.

The popular veggie Hub Café is a popular drop-in too. It's a welcoming, arty and bijou space run by Cathy Ross which gets really busy.

Creative dance practitioner Lois Taylor, of Dance Centred, holds gentle dance and exercise classes for the elderly and those who are disabled and/or wheelchair-bound. I took part in one and was shamed into realising that people decades older than me have much better balance. At the end of the class, a table is pulled into the middle of the room and everyone sits around for a cuppa, a biscuit or two and a chat. It's lovely and an obvious salvation for many of those who attend.

Eric and Enid Browning, who are 94 and 93, are a case in point. After Enid suffered a stroke, the couple made the huge decision to leave Buckinghamshire last year and move to Cornwall to be closer to their family. Imagine doing that in your 90s.

"We are gradually getting to know people, thanks to the centre," said Enid, who had just been doing some movements which belied a woman of her age. "It's lovely to talk to all the people you meet here, it's great socially."

It's an amazing place which deserves to be cherished and supported. For more information about the Liskerett Centre see its website.