A PEACE centre founded in Warrington following the IRA bombing that claimed the lives of young boys Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball will be sold to the local council.
In a statement Warrington Borough Council has confirmed that it will purchase the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Centre and invest in it to create “a valuable facility for our young people with SEND”.
Under its new council ownership the Peace Centre will also provide “a new local service for young people aged over 19 and additional support for the over 16’s” the council confirms.
Johnathan Ball, 3, and Tim Parry, 12, were killed in the blast in Warrington town centre on March 20, 1993The Peace Centre was first opened on March 20, 2000, which marked the seventh anniversary of the bombing which killed three-year-old Johnathan and 12-year-old Tim in 1993.
A further 56 shoppers were injured in the blast on Bridge Street in Warrington town centre.
Since the tragedy Tim Parry’s parents Colin and Wendy Parry have committed their lives to campaigning for peace.
On those aims they founded The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace as well as the Peace Centre.
This week Mr Parry welcomed the Council’s purchase agreement.
“We have been engaged in talks with Warrington Council for many months in reaching this mutually beneficial agreement,” he said.
“I am delighted that the Foundation and the Council have secured two key goals – one, the long-term future of the Peace Centre, and two, the provision of a new home for SEND children.”
He added: “The Peace Centre was for many years the place where so much of the Peace Foundation’s vitally important work of helping young people, victims of terrorism and communities in conflict, was carried out.
“However, in recent years, much of the Foundation’s work has been delivered in schools and communities across the country and so the Peace Centre has been used much less.
“The Peace Centre, which will always be a living memorial to the boys, will become a vibrant and valuable asset within the Town’s Education portfolio.”
Colin Parry has welcomed the purchase agreementConfirming the agreement, Warrington Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, Councillor Sarah Hall said: “We remain fully committed to investing in the Peace Centre as a valuable facility for our young people with SEND.
“This new hub will continue to be shaped by the views of our young people, their parents, carers and key stakeholders, and will ultimately help to prepare people for adulthood, supporting development of our young people towards paid employment, independent living, and living active, healthy lives.
“The facility will support the incredible work of our high-performing schools and educational settings.”
She added: “We have a pressing need to increase our capacity locally to provide support to our young people with SEND.
“We need to be able to accommodate more young people locally, and I am sure that progressing with plans for the Peace Centre is the right decision that will have far-reaching benefits.
“It is also significant that in developing this facility we are also able to ensure the future of the Peace Centre building.”
The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation will retain its offices in the iconic Warrington building.
