by Matthew Chihwai | News Reporter
London City Airport has today announced the successful applicants to the latest round of grants from the airport’s £75,000 Community Fund.
In total, £40,000 of funding has been awarded to 14 local groups and community organisations covering 12 East London boroughs including Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Lewisham, Bexley and Barking and Dagenham. Each successful applicant will receive grants of up to £3,000 to enable significant and positive change in their local communities.
Groups that have secured funding in this round include the Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA), which aims to build motivated, successful and responsible young adults by providing after school sports training; Richard House, a children’s hospice which provides palliative care for more than 300 children with life-shortening health conditions; Inspiring Your Imagination, a social enterprise which aims to empower young people by developing lifelong digital skills, and , Caritas Anchor House, a homelessness charity based in Canning Town which provides accommodation and skills support for single homeless adults.
Meet The 14!
Newham
Newham All Star Sports Academy (NASSA) was set up in 2006 to help local disadvantaged young people play sport in a fun and safe environment. Their aim is to improve young peoples’ confidence, aspiration and sense of purpose. The sessions, which are based at the University of East London’s SportsDock facility, cater for 20 young people at a time. As well as learning basketball skills, the sessions provide mentoring support through group chats and individual talks with NASSA coaches, helping to foster the next generation of sports leaders in East London.
Richard House was the first children’s hospice in London when it opened in 2000. Based in Beckton, the hospice provides palliative care for more than 300 children from across East London with life-limiting and life-shortening health conditions. Services include respite and palliative care, music and sensory therapies, day trips and activities, counselling and bereavement support for families. All services are provided free of charge to vulnerable families in the local community. In 2019, a new respite service, Hospice at Home, was launched to reach families in the community who were unable to travel to Richard House.
Newham Deanery CIO operates the St Marks Church and Centre in Tollgate Road, Beckton, for community use and the overall benefit of local residents. The charity provides free hot meals to local families dealing with food poverty and aims to address the high levels of child poverty in Newham. The charity is also focused on alleviating the additional challenges facing the local community as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disproportionate impact it has had on BAME residents.
Ambition, Aspire, Achieve (AAA) was founded in 2016 to support children and young people in Newham and the surrounding areas. The charity delivers projects and services for local residents from its centres in Canning Town and Stratford. Its work particularly focuses on helping children and young people most in need, including those with disabilities or additional needs. Activities include after school clubs, youth clubs and information advice and support, mentoring and personal development programmes. AAA also delivers projects to enable young people to secure a place either in employment or training, appropriate to their needs and future aspirations.
Brick Lane Music Hall, located in Silvertown, is a traditional live Music Hall show, offering food and drink accompanied by entertainment, with familiar songs and artists, irreverent humour and audience participation. In a normal year, approximately 10 different shows are performed, such as Pantomime, Cockney Sing Song, Back to the 50’s and 60’s, the Summertime Show and the Christmas Wonderland Show. The venue also promotes traditional British music hall culture and musical theatre to young people in Newham and across East London, with various educational events, tours and workshops.
Caritas Anchor House aims to tackle the growing problem of homelessness in East London. A 140-bed facility based in Canning Town provides residential and life-skills support for homeless adults, with a mission to ensure that homeless people grow in confidence and are able to leave homelessness behind for good. The charity supports over 250 residents per year, and addresses health and wellbeing, financial management, education, volunteering, back-to-work preparation and support to help clients to achieve and sustain independent living.
Barking and Dagenham
Barking and Dagenham Youth Dance Ltd (BDYD) is a grassroots charity which aims to make positive changes to the community by offering high-quality arts-based projects, youth dance workshops, community arts events and career pathway activities. BDYD provides effective opportunities to engage local people in constructive activities, such as dance, drama and singing, and places an emphasis on instilling common values such as friendship, learning and citizenship.
Triangoals is a small community organisation based in Barking that provides a variety of activities for both adults and children to promote inclusion in the community and to improve physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. Various fitness classes and activities have recently been delivered online via social media channels to engage families and children to keep them healthy and active.
Bexley
Re-Instate is a charity working to improve employment opportunities, quality of life and well-being for disadvantaged people in Bexley, including people experiencing mental ill-health, people with learning disabilities and young people. A key part of the charity’s work is to help people prepare for employment. Since 2014, Re-Instate has worked in partnership with Mind in Bexley to run the Recovery and Well-being Service, helping people to meet their employment and life goals.
Hackney
Made in Hackney is a community cookery school that believes everyone should have access to healthy, affordable food. The charity works to improve public health and tackle food poverty in vulnerable, low income and marginalised groups. At the start of COVID-19, an emergency meal delivery service was set up to deliver meals to people struggling to access food. Since March, over 42,000 cooked meals have been delivered to vulnerable people and families across Hackney. The project aims to respond to community needs by co-designing meals and strengthening partnerships to build a sustainable programme with wider health and wellbeing benefits.
Lewisham
The Quo Vadis Trust is a charity providing social housing, care and support for people with mental health needs in South East London. The Trust aims to build a stronger, safer and healthier community in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis by supporting some of the most vulnerable residents in Lewisham to rebuild their lives and become independent and active members of the community. Clients receive enhanced supported housing services, and the Trust works with partners to provide clients with a range of opportunities for education and community engagement.
Inspiring Your Imagination (IYI) is a social enterprise based in Lewisham that believes in the importance of empowering and developing skills of marginalised groups in society. Founded in 2004 and incorporated in 2008, the community-based organisation provides courses and workshops in areas such as film and music production and digital marketing to empower young people and give them lifelong transferable skills. IYI works with local schools and has been funded and commissioned by local authorities and other bodies to deliver successful programmes and engage young people from a variety of backgrounds.
Tower Hamlets
The Bow Foodbank is a small, independent foodbank based at the Bromley by Bow Centre that was established in 2014. Since March 2020, the food bank has grown significantly as the number of clients seeking help has grown alarmingly with the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The foodbank provides emergency food and hygiene items to any adults and families in need of support without referral. During the coronavirus crisis, the foodbank has offered pre-bagged items and fresh fruit and veg once per week, with some extra food items provided to families with children.
Neighbours in Poplar has provided care in the community to people living in the Poplar area of Tower Hamlets for over 50 years. The charity’s vision is to enable vulnerable people to live fulfilling and meaningful lives by reducing isolation and loneliness and growing a sense of community. Practical support and care are provided to people who are living alone, regardless of their faith, age, race, gender, culture, or disability. During the recent COVID-19 lockdowns, a Digital Inclusive Programme has been established with online events, quizzes, and debates.
