Docking Station to Close

---

No sustatinable alternative to current location

Docking Station will close in early 2015 after the organisation’s trustee directors decided that, given the planning decision due on the south side of Brentford High Street from Hounslow Council and high likelihood it will be approved by the end of the year, the trustees felt winding down Docking Station was the most sensible option at this point.

As a registered charity and social enterprise, the organisation is dependent not only on regular trade from loyal clients, but also grant funding to ensure the organisation remains financially sustainable. Whilst relocation to an alternative site was explored, ensuring long-term projects could be delivered, this could not be secured in the current property climate.

Established on 2011, Docking Station has delivered an enormous range of social outcomes that have positively impacted the community of Brentford on many levels; including pop-up shops, exhibitions, public consultations and the ongoing youth employment project, The Bees Café. The organisation also supplied office space and networking opportunities for other charities and start-up’s – acting as a “community hub” for the local area.

Existing projects and services will continue as normal through to the end of the year, after which the charity will begin the process of winding down.

Elliott Parker, Project Manager of the Docking Station said “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our range of clients down the years and friends of the organisation such as Brentford FC, Octink, Ballymore, London Borough of Hounslow and Pathways that have helped us achieve our objectives with continued support and partnership. We have shown that much can be achieved with few resources and I hope that the legacy of Docking Station as a community hub will endure for years to come as new charities emerge in Brentford with similar objectives.”

November 13, 2014