Nine community groups working in the Grahame Park Estate in Colindale have been awarded a total of £25,000 in grant funding thanks to a panel of local residents. The panel was appointed and handed decision-making powers as part of Barnet Council’s pilot scheme to give residents a greater say in the improvements they want made in their area.
Groups supporting local young people to play sports, tackling social isolation in older people and boosting employment skills were among the nine groups to receive grants ranging from £2,000 to £3,500.
The initiative – part of the Love Grahame Park Community programme – is a pilot in ‘participatory grant making’, a process that involves local people in every stage of funding decisions. The scheme aims for decisions to be fairer, more inclusive and focused on what the people who live in the area really want. The approach ensures that funding is directed toward projects that reflect the community’s priorities and lived experiences.
Panel member Evangeline Lasquite said:
“I feel strongly about having resident-led groups as beneficiaries of the Love Grahame Park Community Fund. It gives an opportunity for residents to grow and for others to believe that such projects actually help residents.
“Although I’ve lived in the area since 1986, I don’t know what goes on around me. Joining this team has been a good eye-opener for me. I’ve enjoyed sharing and having my views heard as well as listening to other opinions that makes me think twice about my own views.”
Funding for projects comes from Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy contributions – money collected by the council from private developers, which must be spent on initiatives that address the impacts of developments on the community.
The panel, comprising Grahame Park residents from diverse backgrounds, was recruited earlier this year and met regularly to shape the funding process. When the funding round opened in the spring, 29 applications were received. After careful review, the panel awarded grants ranging from £2,000 to £3,500 to nine groups. Successful projects include activities for young people, initiatives helping to bring people together through arts and environmental activities, and to support people into employment.
The £25,000 announcement follows shortly after the announcement of a separate Grahame Park-focused programme of funding via the Young Barnet Foundation’s Space to Grow programme, of £11,800 to four groups delivering youth activities, following investment into sports and skills development from the Barnet Recreational Trust – read more here.
Cllr Sara Conway, Chair of Barnet Safer Communities Partnership Board, said:
“We’re delighted to see the impact of the Clear, Hold, Build programme over the past two years in reducing serious organised crime and creating new opportunities, working together with partners and local residents. The Love Grahame Park Community initiative developed as part of this and it’s so exciting to see the positive projects that are now going to be delivered for so many residents to enjoy”.
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Notes to editors:
The full list of awards can be seen below:
|
Applicant |
Project |
Awarded |
|
Common Futures (Grahame Park Young Placeshapers) |
To support young people to deliver a series of Youth Strategy Activation Workshops |
£3,000 |
|
Horn of Africa Women’s and Children’s Association |
Weekly youth sessions focused on education, empowerment and personal development |
£3,000 |
|
FUSE Youth |
A festival during October half-term to celebrate youth talents and strengthen social connections |
£3,000 |
|
Lifestyle Inclusion Future Together (LIFT) |
Weekly social inclusion football sessions for young people at risk of anti-social behaviour |
£3,500 |
|
Trinity Church London |
Establish a community empowerment hub to addresses social isolation, unemployment, and legal vulnerability |
£2,500 |
|
Organisation of Young Africans (OYA) |
A series of large career events to raise aspirations of young black people |
£3,000 |
|
Barnet Bulldogs Basketball Club |
Weekly basketball sessions for young people aged 11-19 |
£3,000 |
|
Colindale North Creatives |
Accessible creative activities, focus on empowering individuals who traditionally face barriers to the arts |
£2,000 |
|
Friends of Heybourne Park |
Community clean ups and gardening activities run by an informal group of resident volunteers |
£2,000 |