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Belford Junior Training Centre
This Centre provides places for 72 sub-normal children and
the accommodation was almost fully occupied towards the end of
the year when 71 of the places were filled.
Belford Senior Training Centre
This Centre provides places for 146 mentally handicapped
men and women. They are engaged on various manufacturing and
assembling processes including contract work both for various
firms and for the Council. The Centre provides paid work, recreational
activities and social education for the trainees. In April
arrangements were made for this Centre, which hitherto had been
closed during the School Holiday periods in line with the Junior
Centre, to open all the year round apart from Bank Holidays. This
step was taken in order to bring the Centre more in line with
industrial undertakings and to avoid delays in dealing with contracts
received from firms.
Plans to erect a new Adult Training Centre to replace the
Belford Centre were well under way by the end of the year and
this new building was completed in the early part of 1970.
Special Care Unit
The Special Care Unit was opened in April 1969. This
Unit has been housed temporarily in a building formerly used as
a Day Nursery, but with the completion of the new Adult Centre
it is hoped that this unit will be transferred to the premises at
present occupied by the Adult Training Centre, when the necessary
building alterations to provide adequate Special Care Unit facilities
have been carried out. The Special Care Unit in its temporary
building can accommodate 30 persons and since opening. the
the number on the register has remained fairly constant at 28.
This Special Care Unit is also open all the year, and does not
close for school holidays as is the case with the Junior Training
Centre.
Residential Care
Residential accommodation for 30 mentally handicapped
men is provided at Westmarsh Lodge. This hostel has continued
to function to full capacity throughout the year, the majority of
those resident attending the adjacent Adult Training Centre. Two
or three of the residents have been found suitable employment
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