Who Are We?
The Odell Centre is run by The Odell Trust, which was established in 1984 in memory of Eric O'Dell, a retired electrical engineer, whose son had a learning disability. Mr O'Dell felt strongly that there should be a day centre in the Kidderminster area for people with learning disabilities.
Founder members of the Odell Trust set up the day centre in a scout hut in Habberley Road and it moved to its current premises in Plimsoll Street/Park Street within the year when part of the current building became available.
The Odell Centre is a social, recreational and leisure facility for adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues. We offer recreational, leisure and social opportunities and encourage individuals to be self-motivated and to make informed choices. Activities are provided within an appropriate atmosphere and environment. The Odell Centre welcomes people from the Wyre Forest area of Worcestershire and surrounding districts. The Centre is in Plimsoll Street in Kidderminster. It is open five days a week, Monday to Friday, from 9am until 3pm.
The Odell Centre has grown from offering 18 full time places originally to having 83 Members enrolled in 2019, with up to 45 people attending each day. Each Member attends between half a day and five full days per week. Daily home cooked lunches are provided, using our own fruit and vegetables when possible.
The Odell Centre is run by a Board of Trustees. Staff and Volunteers support the Members to take part in a range of activities.
THE ODELL CENTRE
THE MEMBERS
People from all age groups are welcomed as Members of the Odell Centre. Each Member chooses how much time they would like to spend at the Centre - from half a day to five days a week. Here are some of our current members -
STAFF
Our staff have many different skills and help Members to get the most out of the varied activities we offer. Here is a photo showing most of our staff team -
TRUSTEES
The Odell Trust currently has 8 Trustees, who meet at least six times a year. The Trustees have a variety of different backgrounds and skills. Here is a photo of the Trustees -
VOLUNTEERS
We welcome Volunteers to join us at the Odell Centre. Volunteers help with tasks such as driving the minibus, joining us on trips and supporting members with craft activities.
founding trustees
Ken Peers (1927-2020) - Chair of Trustees for over 30 years, becoming Honorary President upon his retirement from the board.
Joyce Coley (1927-2020) - Vice Chair of Trustees for over 30 years, then taking on the role of Chair, before retiring from the board and taking on the honorary role of Patron.
Trevor Burgess - is the last founding trustee still currently on the board and was Treasurer for 35 years, before stepping down from the role in 2019.
![The Creation of the Odell[48375].JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/49b05b_1ad7494604b14adbb4b2ef5682909c57~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_171,h_114,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_3,enc_auto/The%20Creation%20of%20the%20Odell%5B48375%5D_JPG.jpg)
MANAGER
The Manager of the Odell Centre is Craig Darby.
Craig has extensive experience of working with individuals who have a learning disability or mental health issue, having previously managed Disability Day Services at Beacon Employment for a number of years.
