A CENTRE that helps children from across the Dudley borough has been helped to ensure that lockdown also means lockout to intruders.

The KIDS Orchard Centre at Lye offers a fun, friendly and confidence-building club for disabled or disadvantaged children across the Black Country.

But it’s had problems with break-ins in the past and there were concerns that it could be vulnerable again during lockdown.

Now a UK security firm has stepped in to provide free locks so that the centre could protect the building by securing windows, gates and shed.

The extra security was provided by the Burg-Wachter company under their Secure Communities Scheme which has handed out security kits worth £150 to local organisations.

The Orchard Centre also got a special postbox and locks for internal storage.

The Orchard Centre’s Rebecca Attwood said: “The Centre has previously been broken into. The donation enabled us to keep the centre safe during lockdown, thank you!

“We have also been able to secure inside cupboards. Due to Covid-19 there was a number of items we couldn’t use so these got locked away in cupboards to ensure we were safe to open to the young people over the summer.”

Mark Pearson from Burg-Wächter, said: “We hope the scheme’s support for the KIDS Orchard Centre will allow them to continue their excellent work with children and their families without having the added burden of security concerns.”

If you want to make an application to the scheme application forms can be found at: https://www.burg.biz/uk/community/.

More information on KIDS Orchard Centre can be found at: https://www.kids.org.uk/orchard-centre-short-breaks