True Leamingtonian who 'makes people her number one priority' moves on from her job as Leamington community centre manager after 14 years

Staff, friends and colleagues have bid a fond farewell to a well liked and resepected Leamington community centre manager who left her job to help more people across the Warwick district this week.

On Friday (June 10), Kate Cliffe left her job at the Sydni Centre in Sydenham, after 14 years of working there, to become a community development officer with Warwick District Council.

Born at the former Warneford Hospital in Leamington, Kate has lived in the town for all of her life.

She became used to community centres from an early age as her mother was the manager of Bath Place Community Venture and her father was one of the youth workers – she spent a lot of her childhood there even doing work experience.

When she left school, Kate worked as a volunteer for community organisations including the Young Housing Project charity and Bath Place.

When there was a gap between managers at the SYDNI Centre in 2008, Kate acted as interim manager and decided to apply for the position to which she was duly appointed.

Her first focus was to build up the volunteer programme and run a community leadership course to find out what residents wanted for Sydenham from their Centre and to ensure that the SYDNI Centre was community-led.

The trustees of the community centre have said: “People have always been Kate’s number one priority and she has the ability to make everyone feelwelcomed and important.

"She set up successful community groups and classes for evolving communityneeds.

She gained funding to grow the staff team at the Centrefor projects like Social Prescribing, largescale events, the play area and community garden improvements including tree planting which means the grounds can be used and enjoyed by anyone out of hours.

"As SYDNI Manager, she was respectedby everyone in the district.

"She kept the support for residents running during the Covid pandemic, which was a great challenge, and ensured the safe return to the centre when restrictions allowed, moving the café outside and keeping in touch with people by telephone.

"These are only a small number of her achievements.”

At the leaving party held for Kate at the centre last week, she was thanked for all her work at the SYDNI Centre by Wawick and Leamington MP Matt Western, who highlighted what she has achieved in the last 14 years.

He spoke of her kindness, her energy and her knowledge of the Sydenham community and south Leamington.

He said that she has been the heart and soul of the centre during her tenure and that so much of its progress and the achievements were down to her endeavour, skilled management and concern for the most vulnerable in the community.

He described the SYDNI Centre as an indispensable community asset loved and appreciated by many, ‘much like Kate herself’.

Presentations were made to Kate to thank her for all her hard work and she told those present that ‘community centres are in her blood’.