Give your Career a New Direction

Caring

Inspiring

Empowering

South Hub

Day Opportunities Centre

Our South Hub Day Centre provides a range of opportunities for adults who have additional support needs, delivering positive impacts and outcomes for both the individuals attending and their families or support networks.

Situated at the heart of Netherton, on the corner of Park Lane and Dunningsbridge Road with excellent transport links for accessibility, we have a purpose-built centre with extensive grounds, which have recently undergone transformational improvements to create a sensory room and sensory garden area and a horticulture section from which our service users grow beautiful fresh produce all year round.

Download Our Brochure

About South Hub

Personal Stories

Impacts & Outcomes
South Hub Members playing football
South Hub Members doing activities in a gym
South hub members doing activities in a gym
Two men planting seedlings
South Hub Member sat in a conservatory with plants
South Hub Member posing behind a penguin cutout
South Hub Members smiling
South Hub Members posing in front of a polar bear statue
Member of South Hub sculpting a tree
Alex
Elizabeth
joanne
john
paul
Jackie

Contact Details

  • Phone: 0151 705 6677
  • Email: nikki.ferguson@ndirections.org
Contact Us Here

Personal Stories

Jackie's Story

Read More

A Parent's Story

Read More

Alex's Story

Read More
South Hub Member sat in a conservatory with plants

I like coming to South hub because the staff are friendly, very helpful and nice to me, it’s a nice atmosphere.

I enjoy joining in sessions and the company of others.

Joanne

I have been coming to the centre a long time when it was called Bootle ATC, it is now called South hub. I have known some people for a long time. I enjoy my timetable that I picked on the two days I attend.

I have learnt new skills in textiles and made some things. I have also enjoyed communication and talking about local history. I also made a water feature with others in art and craft.

Paul

I like meeting up with my friends, I like to stay active and busy and enjoy lots of different sessions, I am looking forward to visiting Liverpool football club, Anfield with South hub’s football team.

John

I love the centre , it’s better than staying at home.

I love boy George and singing his songs on karaoke, in music on a Friday.

I am good at papier-mâché in art and making props for the drama and lots of other things, I made a bird from drift wood off the beach.

Elizabeth

As a visitor at South hub I was very impressed with the welcome that I received from the receptionist Aimee, she was polite and friendly and engaged me in conversation whilst I waited, asking questions about me and showing an interest, fantastic first impression.

The rest of my visit at South hub did not disappoint.

Mandy, 

Social Worker

Impacts & Outcomes

Over the last two years the service continuously looks to evolve and grow, and despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have welcomed a number of new people to The Hub, increasing the support hours being delivered.

Our aspiration is to continue to grow and become a flagship opportunities  centre, creating a bespoke service that reduces the number of admissions to hospital or nursing/care home facilities, also supporting to nurture relationships with their families, carers and advocates.

Read More
Day Centres at a Glance 24 People supported with complex needs. 89 People supported across North and South Hubs 30+ Social, Therapeutic and wellbeing activities offered. 15% increase in people supported by Day Opportunities 8+ Community group partners across health, education and physical activity. 1500 Hours provided at North and South Hub Weekly

Contact South Hub

  • Phone: 0151 705 6677
  • Email: nikki.ferguson@ndirections.org

Jackie's Story

Hi, my name is Jackie Shacklady, I have been coming to the centre for many years, it used to be called the Dunningsbridge centre and before that Bootle ATC, It’s now called South hub.

I have made many new friends over the years with people who come to the day centre also staff, some have become my key worker.

I used to work in new creations art and enjoyed the art projects and making things from recycled materials, we made a sculpture about people with disabilities that was placed in an exhibition at the Atkinson in Southport.

My best experience was when we worked on are Holocaust exhibition displaying our work and the sculpture, we made at Bootle Strand shopping centre. I was able to show people around the exhibition also we worked with a local junior school giving them some worksheets we had designed, I loved working with the children.

The second time was with Jonathan who had come to see or Holocaust exhibition at the Strand, he was from the Anne Frank trust, he asked if we would like to get involved in an Anne Frank life exhibition. That would be at Bootle Strand, and we would be ambassadors meeting people and talking about Anne Frank.

I had never done or been taught about things like this at school, this was my first time, and I was very proud to be given a medal from the Anne Frank trust.

I didn’t go to work because of Covid and stayed at home for a long time, eventually my sister got a social worker to find me a place at South hub.

I have been back just over a month and enjoying talking to staff, old friends and made some new friends, I am enjoying doing art again and looking forward to some art projects, I am making a bunny basket in textiles, I am also enjoying doing some cookery.

Testimonial From a Parent

My daughter attends South hub four days a week where she receives help and support for her complex needs.

The one-to-one support and attention she receives from the amazing staff enables her to get the best from life.

The staff do many daily activities promoting and supporting life skills.

They have the best ways of encouraging and supporting my daughter which I never thought was possible, as she would refuse to do anything in the home.

This makes my daughter and much more happy, relaxed and confident person.

Not only does she receive all this help, but my son and I are so grateful to the staff for their ongoing support that we also receive.

They are so friendly and willingly want to help us all get the best outcome.

I feel I can always ring them for any advice if needed and to see how I can best support her.

When I collect my daughter, she comes out a different scale from the one I’ve dropped off in the morning and this is due to the happy and friendly environment which is so suited to her.

I can’t thank the staff enough for giving this real-life help and support to my daughter which means I see her becoming much more independent and she would ever be if she was at home every day.

Thank you.

Mrs B C

Alex's Story

Hello, my name is Alexandra McCann but I like to be called Alex.

I left college in 2009 that’s when I started attending Bootle day centre, although my older brother and sister were already attending, I found it quite difficult meeting new people in strange surroundings and would quite often isolate myself and be quite tearful, after a while I started to settle and make some new friends and enjoy my day service.

An opportunity came to join an enterprise at threads textiles, again I found myself quite nervous in my new surroundings, this again impacted on me being quite tearful and unsettled, after a while I made some new friends and learned new skills, was feeling a lot more settled.

Due to Covid me and my brother had to shield at home with my dad this was quite a difficult time being isolated in the house. Staff who I knew from the enterprises would regularly make contact through phone to see how I and my brother were doing, they also started picking us up in the minibus for a drive, it was good to have some time out of the house.

When we returned to our day service, it was now at South hub day centre, it was good to be back attending the day service although things had changed a lot. I was in the green zone we had two other areas blue and orange in different parts of the building.

I like being creative so was now doing Art, Textiles, Cookery also outside doing some gardening.

I was told that a young lady would be starting soon at South hub and would be coming into the green.

I was asked by one of the activity leaders, if I would like to become a student ambassador, he explained what I would need to do to support this new person who was quite nervous, I remembered how I felt when I first started and thought that I could support her in settling in.

I met her on her first visit, I introduced myself and showed her where the toilets and classrooms were, I also supported her in art and guided her how to use a light box for the first time. At lunchtime I sat with her, after lunch we went to the next session together, I was pleased at the end of the day that she told her mum that she had enjoyed the day and would like to come back.

I am very proud of what I have achieved, staff often complement me on how my confidence has grown and the support I offer to other students.

South Hub Impacts and Outcomes

Here are some of the key positive impacts:



Socialisation:

 
Here at the Hub, we aim to provide a friendly and welcoming environment promoting opportunities for social interaction, reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness, as we prioritise both physical and emotional health and wellbeing. Socialising with peers helps improve mood and enables people to connect through mutual interests and aspirations.

Stimulation and Engagement:


The Hub offers a variety of activities tailored to the interests and abilities of participants. Engaging in stimulating activities such as games, arts and crafts, or group outings helps enhance confidence, promotes independence, and improves cognitive function and overall quality of life. We also support with medication management and health monitoring. Some of the therapeutic activities we offer include.
 
  • Bespoke physio and reablement programs
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Cookery and independent domestic skills workshops
  • Exercise classes.
  • Football
  • Reminiscence sessions
  • Music Therapy
  • Swimming
  • Wheels for all
  • Mindfulness and wellbeing sessions

Improved Physical Health: Participation in structured physical activities and exercise classes offered assists service users to maintain physical health, mobility, and strength.

Community Integration:


The Hub serves as a bridge between service users living at home and their communities, having the opportunity to remain connected to their neighbourhoods and social networks while still receiving necessary support and care. We have reached out to other community groups to enlist the people supported at the hub as volunteers as we seek to collaborate with other community groups to make a meaningful impact within the local community, which a group of our service users are very excited about.

This community integration creates a sense of purpose and dignity regardless of their age or abilities.

Over the last two years the service continuously looks to evolve and grow, and despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have welcomed a number of new people to The Hub, increasing the support hours being delivered.

Our aspiration is to continue to grow and become a flagship opportunities centre, creating a bespoke service that reduces the number of admissions to hospital or nursing/care home facilities, also supporting to nurture relationships with their families, carers and advocates.

To assist us to deliver this consistently we have commenced bespoke training for our staff team to equip them with the skills and knowledge to maintain their own professional development, but also to ensure that we always have appropriately skill matched staff to support any individual with a diverse range of needs.

This link will redirect your browser.

Continue to Facebook >

This link will redirect your browser.

Continue to Instagram >