Local Life - Wigan - March 2018

54
Race against time for centre
Campaigners are in a race against
time to secure a brand new health
centre for Orrell.
Orrell Methodist Church - the preferred site for a
new centre - is set to close on the final Sunday in
May.
Local church leaders are now hoping that, before
responsibility for the site transfers back to the
national Methodist Church body, they can present
a case for using the land at Church Drive as a health
centre.
However, Local Life understands that the project’s
viability rests on whether local GPs at Orrell Surgery
are willing to move.
If they don’t, it’s been suggested that any funding
set aside for the building would be lost and the site
would be put up for sale on the open market. The
site is widely seen as the only viable location for a
health centre in this part of Orrell.
A meeting between the key players was scheduled
to take place as Local Life went to press.
Keith Trencher, of
Orrell Methodist
Church, told Local
Life: “After the end of
May, responsibility
for the church falls
back to the national
Methodist Church
organisation. So we
have until then to
put together a plan
to present to the
national body who can then take it forward. After
May, it would be out of our hands locally.
“Orrell has needed a health centre for 40 years, and
we hope this site can provide it.”
MP Yvonne Fovargue confirmed that she’s held
talks with a representative from the surgery, and
reiterated her call for the doctors to sign up.
As Local Life went to press, Orrell Surgery had not
responded to our request for a comment.