Government awards £2.5m to create London community flagships

Area:

London

Programme:

Community Assets

Release date:

23 3 2009

The Government today awarded almost £2.5 million to create space and accommodation for voluntary and community groups in three London boroughs.

Ranging from refurbishing a listed church building in Southwark as a space for local arts groups, to renovating a community building to offer affordable office space for Barking charities, each project will create vital assets for the local community.

The grants from the Government’s Community Assets scheme will refurbish and extend a range of public buildings to create community spaces and accommodation for local charities. Each project will transfer ownership of the buildings from the local authority into the hands of groups working at the heart of the community.

The Government’s Community Assets scheme is funded by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office and delivered by the Big Fund (BIG).

Kevin Brennan MP, Minister for the Third Sector, said: “The Community Assets programme is investing £30 million across the country into excellent community projects. Facilities such as those receiving funding in London today are much needed by voluntary and community groups, particularly during these challenging economic times when people are increasingly calling on community support.”

Charities and voluntary groups across the four boroughs will use the new community hubs as affordable office and meeting space, while new community spaces will be used for a range of activities and exhibitions.

A £529,426 grant awarded to Bermondsey Artist’s Group will see the decaying listed Dilston Grove building on Southwark Park, transformed into a fully accessible, fit-for-purpose centre for art exhibitions and community use.

David Allen of Bermondsey Artists’ Group, said: “This funding will enable us to meet four of our key aspirations: To save this historically important building by transforming it into a valued community resource; to enable us to meet the oversubscribed demand for our community learning and partnership working initiatives; to maintain this unique beacon arts venue for use by forthcoming generations of artists; and to deepen our relationship with the local community.”

The Streatham Darby and Joan Club receives £932,750 to transform its Woodlawns home into a flagship community hub. The newly renovated Victorian villa will provide a wide range of health, social and recreational activities in a relaxed, comfortable and informal atmosphere, particularly targeting older people and carers.

Glyn Kyle MBE, Chair of Streatham Darby and Joan Club, said: “This Community Assets grant not only secures the future of a well loved community project but also enables the Streatham Darby and Joan Club to fulfil its long held ambition to reach out to a far wider group of disadvantaged communities in this most diverse area of South London.

“Our sights have been raised to aim at developing a genuinely beating heart and a sustainable community anchor for this area of multiple deprivation.”

Barking and Dagenham Council also receives £932,750 to extend and refurbish Ripple Community Hall, in the centre of Barking, to create an accessible resource for community and voluntary groups with offices and space for meetings and community activities.

Debbie Pippard, BIG’s Head of London Region, said: “These projects will make a real difference to the lives of Londoners. Providing quality spaces for community groups and for local people to come together, learn, and enjoy activities is vital to ensure that the most isolated and disadvantaged get the support they need, right at the heart of the community.”

Further Information

Big Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• Community Assets is a non-Lottery programme funded by the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office.
• The Big Fund is the non-Lottery funding operation of the Big Lottery Fund.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) distributes lottery funding to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. It also uses its expertise in grant-giving to distribute non-Lottery funding. BIG has been appointed to distributed around £30 million of Government funding through Community Assets
• The aim of Community Assets is community empowerment. It will do this by facilitating the transfer of genuine assets from local authorities to the third sector for the benefit of the community.  Community Assets will bring about the following outcomes:

1. Local third sector organisations have greater security and independence, and are better able to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
2. Communities have more access to better facilities that respond to their needs.
3. There is more effective partnership working between local authorities and the third sector.

• The range of activities to be offered by the recipients of Community Assets in principle grants includes:

1. Holiday play facilities and activities for parents and pre-school children
2. Facilities for young people providing alternative education services, evening coffee bar, leisure facilities, professional advice and guidance, anti-gun and knife crime events
3. GP referrals, healthy eating service, facilities offering keep fit classes, group wellbeing activities, a wheelchair service, therapy and rehabilitation services
4. Adult education, training courses, addiction assistance, ICT facilities and employment opportunities in deprived areas
5. Lunch clubs and tea dances for the elderly
6. Theatre events, rehearsal space, music facilities, venues for music events, creative arts groups and experimental art exhibitions
7. Meeting rooms, office services and facilities for smaller local groups including BME communities
8. Workshops, training rooms and support to local business start-ups
9. New tourism and leisure destinations

• The Office of the Third Sector was formed (OTS) in May 2006 in recognition of the increasingly important role the third sector plays in both society and the economy. It aims to drive forward the Government's role in supporting a thriving third sector, and join up sector-related work across government: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector.
• From 30 March to 23 June 2007 the Office of the Third Sector ran a public consultation on how Community Assets will work.  A wide range of local authorities and third sector organisations responded to the consultation. The Office of the Third Sector summarised the responses and explained how they will influence the final programme on 10 August 2007.
• The Community Assets fund was first proposed last year in the Pre-Budget Report (6 December 2006).
• http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/makingassetswork

Tags