Education charity to launch appeal for money to help it sign off on a new roof

Swarthmore Education Centre needs £150,000 to repair its building which has been badly water damaged as a result of the leaking roof which is threatening the operation of the college.

The centre’s director Maggi Butterworth told the Yorkshire Post they could not continue for another month without starting repairs.

She said: “It has got to the point where we dread the rain. It must have leaked 50 times in the past four years. Part of the roof needs to be replaced.”

To help fund the repairs, the centre is inviting businesses to “tag a tile”. Corporate sponsors are being invited to make a donation and paint or sign the underside of a tile which will then be used to repair the roof.

The fundraising initiative will be launched on Friday with Labour’s Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn and Leeds Rhino rugby league players Liam Hood and Jamel Chisholm in attendance. Swarthmore was founded by members of the Quaker movement in 1909 and is now a centre for lifelong learning.

Ms Butterworth said: “We provide courses for people who are trying to get their lives back on track.

“People who are looking to get back into work. We have a lot of students social or economically disadvantaged backgrounds but we have people from all walks of life.”

The college has about 2,000 students enrolled each year and offer a variety of courses ranging from English and maths to specialist arts courses such as pottery, jewellery and drama.

They also offer more advanced leisure courses and qualifications in counselling and personal development.

Ms Butterworth said: “We and our predecessors have seen thousands of learners pass through the doors of Swarthmore and in many cases it really does change lives. The strength of feeling about the centre’s worth to the community exhibited by past and present learners speaks volumes about the facility.”

Mr Benn said; “I offer my full support to Swarthmore’s funding appeal for a new roof.

“During my long association with Swarthmore I have always been terrifically impressed by the work that they do in support of the local community. At the very least they’re entitled to have a roof that does the business in support of the work.”