A COMMUNITY centre in India is being purposely-built and named in memory of Barry charity co-founder Lucy Dickenson, who was killed in a car crash.

The SAFE Foundation is raising funds to build a community centre for India's nomadic Dalit people to be named in honour of the Barry resident who died in Africa in 2012.

Lucy co-founded SAFE in 2006, with her twin sister Hannah Fitt, to help train disadvantaged youngsters in the UK to work at the charity's projects around the globe.

SAFE currently supports grass-roots aid projects in India, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia.

She was working on a Welsh Government placement in Zambia when she died, aged 32.

SAFE’s latest project in Southern India will help the Dalit community access education and health services in a £60,000 purpose-built community centre.

In response to a request by the local community, the centre will be named The Lucy Memorial Centre in her honour.

The centre, in the village of Mugaiyur, will be built as a collaborative project, uniting SAFE volunteers, disadvantaged and vulnerable young people from the UK and members of the nomadic Dalit community, one of India's poorest and most stigmatised groups.

Once built the centre will run as a sustainable social enterprise, connecting people and businesses from the local area by providing health resources and educational opportunities.

The centre will employ a full time teacher and a full time healthcare professional to provide crucial care to a community so marginalised that they cannot access mainstream support.

SAFE co-founder Hannah said naming the project after Lucy was suggested by the Dalit community themselves and was the perfect way to honour her sister’s memory.

SAFE managing director, Mrs Fitt said: "Lucy's death was devastating. It's so complicated losing an identical twin. From the moment you are conceived you've got someone with you sharing all the milestones together, it gives you confidence.

"It was special. When you lose that, it feels physical, you lose part of your own identity. You have to learn to be independent.

"When Lucy died, lots of people said SAFE was her legacy, but I know she would have said that it was not about us, it was about the people we support. This centre is a massive part of her legacy, it does give a nod to the work she's done. I was being protective before, now I want to say, there is this centre that can do something incredible named after her.

"I can't stress how important this centre is. It's practical, it will build skills and it will help the most vulnerable access human rights. It will break down stigmas about the community we are working with. Initially around 400 people will be helped, but over the years we will reach out to many more.

“Every penny we raise will go directly to building the centre. This is true of all our work and we are so proud of that.”

In October 2017 Hannah travelled to Mugaiyur to lay the foundation stone of The Lucy Memorial Centre.

The Safe Foundation hopes to raise £25,000 towards the centre’s building via its Give a Brick Campaign.

To donate visit justgiving.com/thesafefoundation and look for the Give a Brick campaign.