Bayswater Family Centre celebrates with cake

Cllr Sandys said: "I'm delighted to mark 25 years since the opening of the Bayswater Family Centre and congratulate them on reaching this landmark anniversary.
"The centre does essential work for Westminster's vulnerable families."

The event, held last Wednesday, was also a chance for the staff, parents and children of two other Westminster family centres - Brunel Family Centre, in Westbourne Park Road, North Paddington; and Marylands Family and Adolescent Service, in Third Avenue, Queen's Park - to get together.

Since opening in 1984, the Bayswater Family Centre has helped transform the lives of more than 20,000 homeless and refugee families living in the Bayswater and Paddington area.

This involved helping them access mainstream health, welfare, education and advocacy services.

Shelagh Laslett-O'Brien, project manager of the Bayswater Family Centre, said: "To reach a quarter of a century is a fantastic achievement and shows just how well the project has evolved and adapted to the changing needs of local families over the years.

"Having been here right from the beginning, I've witnessed first hand the positive effect the centre has on everyone who is involved with it, from the staff and volunteers who work here, to the young people and families that we care for.

"It's just as vibrant now as it was in the 1980s."