Some 40 charities served eviction notices to leave Coventry tower block quickly

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- including one for kids with cancer



MORE than 40 city charities – including one which helps children with cancer – have been served ‘eviction notices’ at Coventry Point tower block.

It means some have been thrown into turmoil at short notice, including Shine A Light support service for youngsters and their families living with cancer.

Shine A Light is today issuing an SOS call to companies and others to help.

The city-centre tower block is being purchased by Coventry City Council to enable demolition to make way for its ‘city centre south’ redevelopment plans.

The purchase agreement with landlord Aviva Investors was only agreed by full council in recent weeks.

Now some 43 tenants say they have been given until the end of this month to leave. They say they were notified in a letter via sub-letting agency Centric Community Projects.

Shine A Light is a registered charity founded by Sam Schoolar, herself a survivor of childhood cancer.

At Coventry Point where it has had a peppercorn rent, the charity offers services including drop in sessions, counselling, teen events, and activity days.

Ms Schoolar told us: “It’s a devastating blow.

“We had a meeting with a councillor in November, and had been told it would be May or June, which would have given us more time to move out.

“The council has been trying to find us premises but there is a shortage in the city centre and they are now talking about using vacant rooms in community centres.

“But none of this is going to happen available before February 28. We’re going to have to leave here.”

The charity is looking for similar-sized 200 sq m alternative premises, in the city centre or as close as possible.

Other charities affected include Coventry Irish Centre, Highlife Centre, Abacus, Terrence Higgins Trust and The Hummingbird Centre.

The charities, some of which are larger and have premises elsewhere, all help disadvantaged people through sickness or other disadvantaged circumstances.

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Councillors have agreed to offer temporary offices to charities evicted from Coventry Point

COUNCILLORS have agreed to potentially use empty council offices to re-house charities evicted at Coventry Point tower block in the city centre.

A full council meeting debate on Tuesday (March 14) saw a resolution to accommodate the organisations on a temporary basis.

Conservative councillors, who presented the motion to council, say there are 31,000 square feet of empty council-owned properties that could be used – such as Enterprise House in Foleshill.

Sam Schooler, founder of Shine A Light Support Service for people with cancer, recently said the idea could provide a ‘lifeline’ for charities struggling to cope since eviction.

Labour council leaders say they had already provided help in the search for alternative accommodation, since we reported the issue in February.

The Conservatives say they were eventually satisfied with controlling Labour councillors accepting a ‘weaker’ version of their motion.

Tory group leader, councillor Gary Ridley said: “I’m pleased that in the end we reached agreement.

“We need to provide direct, and tangible, help in the form of bricks and mortar.

“As leader of the opposition I’ll be holding Labour to account, they must now abide by this agreement otherwise we could lose these vital charities.”

Labour councillor David Welsh, who presented his group’s amendment, said: “The council is already helping the charities within Coventry Point, we are already helping charities find alternative accommodation and some charities already have found alternative accommodation.”

He later added: “Charities have agreed longer-term leases on buildings, some of them are in the process of refurbishment.

“Some are council buildings and some are not. We don’t want to limit options to council properties.”