The Greenwood Centre features on the cover of Never Too Busy, a book about the Hampton and Hampton Hill Voluntary Care Group over the past 35 years.

Written by John Green it charts the growth of the group from a small back room in a church hall to purpose built premises at the Greenwood Centre.

The book makes fascinating reading giving detailed biographies and pictures of the three people inspired to form the VCG – Hannah Stanton (a very well-loved Lay Reader at St James’s), Revd Dennis Green, curate at All Saints, Hampton and a local GP – David Woodroffe.

They had the vision that with the building of the Nurserylands site in Hampton we would need to develop a community-based support service to improve the wellbeing of the residents of Hampton and Hampton Hill. In 1974 the Community Care Group (as it was first called) was born. The rest, as they say, is history – from very early beginnings in an office in the United Reformed Church on the High Street to their own premises, the Greenwood Centre in School Road.

To obtain a copy of the book (price £3) call into the Greenwood Centre in School Road or telephone them on 020 8979 9662.

The front cover of the book (above) is a painting by Prill Hinckley.

You will find the names of quite a few people from St James’s who have helped with the development of VCG and you will also learn about the development of Hampton and Hampton Hill

Source: The Spire Magazine - 2008 December/2009 January