‘People say this place is a bit like a shed,’ chuckles Henry.
He is one of the practitioners at Cranstoun’s substance use support service for Windsor and Maidenhead, which is moving from its long-standing home on Reform Road to a brand-new, purpose-designed space in Maidenhead town centre.
The move will help more people access life-changing support, while creating a welcoming environment that reflects the dedication of the team and the potential of everyone who walks through the door.
Goodbye, Reform Road
For decades, people have created brighter futures in a building trapped in the past.
Unit 13 Reform Road stands midway between the builders’ yard and the hardware store. Once you’ve found the entrance, which isn’t at the front of the building, you’re greeted by an airlock with a boarded-up window leading into a labyrinth of locked doors and corridors. The flaking paintwork resembles a pointillist mural, blanketed with blobs of Blu-Tack that haven’t held a poster in years.
This building has helped to change thousands of lives, but it fails to reflect the dignity its visitors deserve, and the powerful possibilities of the work within its walls.
Charlotte, Service Manager at Cranstoun RBWM, vividly remembers her first visit. ‘When I came for my interview, I went to the front of the building first – as everyone does – and thought I had come to the wrong place. I would never have thought to go all the way through the car park and around a bushy alleyway that is normally overgrown.’
Five years later, Charlotte is overseeing the move, guiding the team through the change, and buzzing for what’s ahead. ‘The biggest thing for me is the change from a building that looks like… this! …to something to be proud of.’
Cranstoun’s new home will remove barriers that people face when accessing support. The move will also place the service closer to transport links and partner organisations, bringing people into a wider network of employment, health and wellbeing support services.
Moving home represents a exciting new chapter for Cranstoun in Windsor and Maidenhead. The service will be easier to find, more welcoming to enter, and better connected to the community it supports.
But what makes it special will remain unchanged: the people, and their commitment to helping others build healthier, safer and happier futures.
DDN magazine is a free publication self-funded through advertising.
We are proud to work in partnership with many of the leading charities and treatment providers in the sector.
This content was created on behalf of Cranstoun