The charity had endured a year of uncertainty but now hopes its new Brimsdown base will enable it to expand

Rose Taylor Centre in Brimsdown and (inset) Mabel Churn

Age UK Enfield has announced that it will be relocating its dementia day care centre to Brimsdown – following a year of uncertainty.

The older people’s charity was told by Enfield Council last year that its current day centre at The Parker Centre in Edmonton would be sold off, while at the same time its office base at John Jackson Library in Bush Hill Park also faced closure as part of the council’s sweeping cuts to its libraries service.

Age UK Enfield has since been negotiating with the council over a move to a single new location, and has now confirmed that it will be relocating to a vacant building previously used as a day centre in Brimsdown.

Rose Taylor Day Centre in The Sunny Road was itself controversially closed in March 2023 and has sat empty ever since. Now Age UK Enfield says the building’s existing infrastructure provides an “ideal foundation for refurbishment to meet modern standards of dementia care and legal requirements and helps us expand our existing services”.

The Parker Centre will be operating as usual until the new dementia day care service is ready – with the transfer expecting to take place late next month.

Age UK Enfield has also been assisted in the relocation with a “significant gift” from The Mabs Mardulyn Charitable Foundation and, in recognition of this generosity, the new building will be renamed as ‘The Mabel Churn Centre’ – honouring the woman whose legacy inspired the foundation.

Lesley King-Lewis, Age UK Enfield’s chief executive, said: “This important move, one which has been considered for some time by the board, provides the charity with the opportunity for our management team and support staff to work together under one roof.

“Not only will this further improve the way in which we work together, it will enable us to increase the number of dementia care clients we can accommodate as well as reaching more people with the vital services we provide.

“With an ageing population and a borough that has one of the highest incidences of dementia alongside other health and welfare issues, the need for our services is as high as ever. It’s equally important that as a charity we are embedded in the community; many of our events and activities are held in community venues around Enfield and this will continue unabated.”

Mabel ‘Mabs’ Mardulyn (née Churn) was born in Hong Kong in 1919 and spent the early part of her life there. She moved to the UK in 1956 and settled in Enfield in the early 1980s, where she was an active member of the Enfield community until her death in 2008. She created the Mabs Mardulyn Charitable Foundation as a lasting legacy to benefit young people and older people, both in the UK and Hong Kong.

Marion Kelly, Mabel’s niece and one of the directors of The Mabs Mardulyn Charitable Foundation, said: “My aunt was a kind and generous person who enjoyed being with her family and friends.

“She was very committed to supporting charitable causes, she championed the underdog and served anyone who needed help.

“We admire the tremendous work Age UK Enfield does and the positive impact they create for older people, their carers, families and friends affected by dementia and other age-related issues.

“We are delighted to support their ongoing work, and we know Mabs would be honoured to be recognised in this way.”

The full refurbishment of the building will continue after it opens, with more funds needing to be raised to complete the work. Age UK Enfield’s prevention services team is due to move into The Mabel Churn Centre from April 2026.

For more information about The Mabel Churn Centre and Age UK Enfield’s services:
Call 020 8375 4120
Visit ageukenfield.org.uk

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