Peterborough charity celebrates 50 years of working in the community

Gladstone District Community Association (GLADCA) has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.

GLADCA was first formed as a community centre to serve the the needs of the Pakistani immigrant families who started to settle in the Gladstone Street area of the city of Peterborough in the 1960s.

It was set up to provide a hub for advice, signposting and referrals, a cultural centre point and a means of enabling integration into the wider community.

Since then the charity has supported immigrants from across the world that have made the city into a multicultural centre - with over 100 languages spoken.

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow, East Ward Councillor and Mayoress Shabina Qayyum, Mayor Alan Dowson, former chief executive of Peterborough City Council Gillian Beasley and Benjamyn Damazer, Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire were all among the guests at the event to celebrate.

A representative from the charity, which held its party last week, said: “GLADCA is celebrating its 50th anniversary and we are proud to report that from the from the humble beginning of early 1970s we have grown to become a one-stop-shop for our local communities.

"Our services continue to evolve and develop to meet the needs and demands of the communities. GLADCA is honoured to be the beating heart of community life, working on a grass root level and anchored in the communities we are very proud of our achievements to date and have ambitions for the future to expand our offer and support many more people and organisations - embracing their cultures and respecting the value of a diverse society.

"GLADCA champions equality and diversity, and this is reflected in the different nationalities of service users and learners that have passed through their doors and the quality of service they receive. Through a variety of services, our community organisation, GLADCA, extends a hand of welcome to people of all ages, gender, nationality, ability, culture, ethnicity, and backgrounds.

“GLADCA is proud to have served the community for over 50 years and we look forward to continuing for another 50 years.”