Thanks to the Watford Mayor’s Fund, The Recovery In-Sight Social Enterprise with the support of Retail Human Resources plc, owners of the building, is pleased to announce that it will be opening The Old Free School in Watford to the public for one day during the 4-day English Heritage Day event, on Saturday 10th September 2011.

This will be the first time in its history that The Old Free School will be open to the public. It was last opened by special permission exclusively to past pupils of Watford Grammar Schools in 2004, when it celebrated the tercentenary of the founding of the Watford Girls and Boys Grammar Schools.

The day has also been chosen as this is the 2nd Saturday in the month, when both bipolar support groups usually meet in Watford and in Stevenage, and so an excellent opportunity for all members, now over 300 across the two groups and in the past 9 Recovery In-Sight training courses, to come along and see where the social enterprise has had its home for the last year, and will be based for the second year.

RISE team members will be acting as guides, showing the public and members around the grade II* listed building (one of more than special interest), built in 1704 by Dame Elizabeth Fuller, for the education of the poor and deserving of the community of Watford. 

This beautiful picture of The Old Free School was taken by Dave Parker who has made gift cards to be sold on the day to help raise funds for RISE. Thank you Dave!

RISE is working in partnership with English Heritage and Watford Museum, Sarah Priestley, who is organising the event and publicising this on the English Heritage website.

Saturday 10th September is the day when the Bedford Alms Houses and St Mary’s church are also due to open, so the day promises to be a special one, as the public are invited to take a walk back into Watford’s history, in being able to visit all three buildings of great historic interest to the community, located at the heart of old Watford town.

So put Saturday 10th September in your diary - an excellent opportunity for group members to meet one another across the two groups and look around the Old Free School to get to know where the social enterprise is based.

The RISE team will be taking details of people visiting the building who are interested in a short Recovery In-Sight training following the event later in September.

Watch this space for further details -

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