The Slough Community Centre
In the early 1930s, a group of Slough business men, representing such firms as Horlicks, Slough Estates, Aspro, High Duty Alloys, British Technical Cork Products and Intertype, inaugurated the Slough Social Fund under the presidency of Colonel J. N. Horlick and the chairmanship of Sir Noel Mobbs. The Slough Social Fund founded, and performed the major part of its work through, the Slough Community Centre, which was opened in April 1937.
The Slough Social Fund was formed in June 1936, as a society of manufacturers, traders and private persons in Slough and neighbourhood, banded together to promote the health and education of the people of the district, and for this purpose to give opportunities to all classes of workers in its neighbourhood to enjoy healthful and interesting leisure time occupations and recreations.
In its opening year, the Slough Community Centre was honoured by visits from the late Queen Mary, and the reigning sovereign, the late King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth, then the Queen Mother. In subsequent years the centre was honoured by visits from other members of the royal family. A treasured photograph in the Slough Community Centre is one which shows Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, enjoying a game of darts with members of the centre.
The Slough Community Centre consisted of a number of buildings and extensive playing fields, adjacent to the Slough Trading Estate, which have cost well over £50,000, of which more than three-quarters has come from donations and subscriptions from member firms of the Slough Social Fund and the balance in grants from statutory authorities.
The buildings included large and small halls used for theatrical, musical, boxing, fencing, table tennis and similar recreational events-for instance one of the halls was fitted for use as a roller skating rink-and for dances and social evenings ; a badminton hall ; a gymnasium ; an indoor swimming pool ; a cinema projection room ; a billiard hall ; a large-screen television room ; lounges and a reading room ; a photographic dark room ; a restaurant and canteen ; and a variety of rooms utilised for classes, lectures, gramophone recitals, discussion groups and similar act1v1t1es. Provision was made for chess, bridge, whist, dominoes, draughts and darts and a regular supply of periodicals is available for members.
Varied facilities
Services and facilities were made available at the centre include accommodation, secretarial services, general staff services, equipment, and financial help for various welfare and educational groups which operated at the centre ; for instance, sick benefit club, thrift club, old people's club, disabled men's club, nursery school, youth club, Citizens' Advice Bureau, marriage guidance, married women's clinic, legal advice, infant welfare centre and a Community Centre Chest operating a deed of covenant scheme in aid of deserving causes.
A unit of the St. John Ambulance Brigade formed one of the sections of the Slough Community Centre, and such bodies as Civil Defence, accident prevention group, Productivity Council, Rotary Club, Townswomen's Guild, Women's League of Health and Beauty, dramatic and musical societies-in all about 150 recreational, educational, cultural and social welfare organisations-made use of the facilities provided
Leisure time
Apart from provision for such bodies, the centre operated a club which enjoys a membership of 5,000 persons, on a basis whereby the individual enjoys his leisure time as a member of his community at large and not in the more limited sphere of the works. The centre's park comprised of 160 acres of land and accommodates the playing fields of the centre, providing facilities for tennis, football, hockey, cricket and athletics, with an excellent pavilion. The centre also has a sports stadium which houses a youth club and has around its perimeter a concrete, banked cycle track.
Individuals not connected with member firms in this scheme were able to join the centre for the payment of £1 per head, subject to certain reductions for husbands or wives of an existing member, for old age pensioners, students and certain other categories.