New fire station day service receives community support ahead of launch

Article
June 17, 2025

We’re excited to share the news that our new day service, located in a refurbished former fire station in Worksop, opens officially in July.

As our new day service gets closer to its official opening date, two organisations recently visited the old fire station after raising funds for our services.

While work is underway in transitioning our service users from the old building to the new one, we’ve had wonderful response to the service from the local community.

This new day centre, located on Eastgate in Worksop opposite Albion Mill, will provide the people we support with ample space and facilities to support their needs, including teaching kitchens, music rooms, teaching spaces and sensory rooms.

There will also be an enclosed outdoor area for service users to enjoy, as well as dedicated space for gardening!

Pronto Rugby visit

Pronto Rugby visited the site to deliver a cheque of £2000, which was received by service manager Steph and service users Rachel and Andrew. This was one of the first times that Rachel and Andrew had visited the site that would soon provide their regular day service.

Previously, Pronto Rugby had delivered funds raised via charity matches to Sutherland House School and had invited service user Andrew to attend one of their matches in August last year - which was accepted, as Andrew loves rugby!

You can read more about Pronto Rugby's contributions to Autism East Midlands here:

Rachel was so excited, bouncing off the walls to see everything, and even stopped for an impromptu drum solo!

Musters Masonic Lodge

Rob Barton and Mark Bridgeford also visited the old fire station to present a cheque of £300 on behalf of Musters Lodge.

We were pleased to show them around the premises and talk more about how the service would benefit people we support.

Myself and my colleague Mark Bridgford were delighted that you were able to take the time to show us round the new centre. We are sure it will provide your service users with an excellent facility in which to spend time and enjoy a range of activities.

We hope our small donation of £300 can be used for whatever items you feel will enhance their time with AEM, which is an organisation that is close to both Mark's and my heart.

Rob Barton, Musters Lodge

Special thanks also to…

We'd also like to thank the Sage Publications Charity Scheme, which has provided what amounts to £2,075 in funding, supplying the station with the following:

Sensory adult rocking chair
Sensory large bubble tube
Outdoor water play equipment
Sensory equipment
TV
3 trikes for the trike track

We're so grateful for all the support from staff, supporters and service users throughout this time as we prepare to open our doors. We can't wait to see what the future holds!

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