Hi, Welcome to Cornerstone…
Here at Cornerstone you will receive a warm welcome whether you are a first time visitor or a regular part of the community!
Since 2003 we have been serving the community in and around Oakley. The Centre supports people from all walks of life, from the youngest and not so young.
We offer a wide variety of activities and services where you can learn new skills, enjoy some home-made refreshments in our coffee shop.
For many, this is a place to meet friends, be part of a community and enjoy coffee and cake or just have a place to stop and pause, for others it provides space to hold birthday parties.
To quickly see what groups are happening and when have a look here or on the What’s On page.
Due to the ever-changing nature of our program we encourage you to find us on Facebook and join in our conversation and journey together.
What We Do
There are a number of services we currently offer alongside our regular weekly and monthly events.
Charity Shop
If you’re looking for a bargain look no further than our Charity Shop, where we have a wide selection of clothes and shoes for men, women and children.
Coffee Shop
Open Monday to Friday from 9:30-3:30pm, we offer a selection of drinks and homemade Cakes at very reasonable prices. A bright and open place to enjoy from a wide selection of refreshments.
The Food Pantry is a place where you can join up and pay £4.00 for 8 items of food and supplies.
We’re part of the Feed Cheltenham network that aims to support local families with food insecurities. We work with a network of local food pantries and other organisations to make sure no one has to choose between feeding their children or heating their homes. We provide vouchers to help families struggling with the cost of living, and raise funds to ensure help is available to those who need it.
Counselling
Mental Health and well being is really importnant to us at Cornerstone. We offer a friendly listening ear but sometime it’s worth having a chat with someone who is a trained and qualified professional. With this in mind we have teamed up with Listening Post and Teens in Crisis (TIC+) to offer one to one counselling. Chat with one of the team next time you are in to find out more…
Events
There’s always something for anyone to get involved with, from Prize Bingo and exercise classes, to coffee mornings and computer lessons.
Room Hire
The Cornerstone Centre is a perfect venue for a variety of events with different sized rooms available, with on site parking, at reasonable rates.
What we're about
Our Vision
Our Mission
The Centre was born out of a desire to see the Community impacted and transformed by God’s love. Our new vision statement highlights this original aim. All that we seek to do is shaped by the vision. To see God’s love, healing and hope bring change and transformation to our local Communities, for the families and individuals who make up these Communities. Our Staff and volunteers provide a welcoming environment for people of all ages, backgrounds, faiths and abilities. We offer a listening ear, provide support and encouragement when needed and seek to connect people together for further help and support. We enjoy sharing our life journey together in the daily joys and struggles that we all experience, often over a cup of freshly brewed coffee and some homemade cake.
History of the Centre
In 1997 Reverend David Lawrence, the Vicar at St Michael’s Church, took a group of people from St Michael’s, Whaddon Methodist Church and Whaddon community to visit a mining town in Wales. David had read about how a local Church was serving the community after the closure of the mine. What they saw was a laundrette, community shop, youth groups and a credit union all under one roof. It was here that the vision of The Cornerstone Centre was borne. Whaddon Methodist Church received a substantial sum of money after a fire destroyed their Church building in 1996. They chose to invest that money into building The Cornerstone Centre which was open in September 2003. The Methodist Church had a community charity shop called the Care Shop and relocated to be part of the weekly Cornerstone Timetable alongside soup lunch and the laundrette. Today the Centre has over 300 people use the Centre each week enjoying the various activities and making use of the facilities on offer. We look forward to welcoming you here soon!