Published: Wednesday 10 May 2023
The Curve Community Centre in Bard Road has now been permanently closed for almost a year.
Since then, we’ve been providing continued support for local organisations that were based at The Curve by helping them find alternative accommodation, settle in, and continue delivering services to the community. This support was part of an arrangement which included funding for premises costs, dedicated Council officer support to make sure the transition ran as smoothly as possible, and signposting to other organisations that could provide additional support and funding opportunities.
What we’re doing now
Although these support packages have now come to an end for most of the providers, we continue to work closely with them as they support local residents and adapt their services to meet changing communities’ and their needs.
We’ve also been working with local residents to decide how the remaining £1.3m Curve budget is spent. Following a number of community conversations, it was decided that the money should be allocated to those most affected by the Grenfell tragedy.
The Curve Legacy working group
In Spring 2022, we advertised the opportunity for residents to submit expressions of interest for roles in the Curve Legacy working group. The purpose of this group is to help establish a Community Trust – an independent organisation that will be responsible for the allocation of the £1.3 million budget.
The expression of interest process for the working group was extended twice following requests from the community to move the deadline back. During this period over summer 2022, residents and Council officers continued to meet to understand the process of residents working with the Council in creating an independent Community Trust.
This led to the first Curve Legacy working group meeting being held in October 2022 with meetings taking place since then. The members have discussed a range of matters including communicating with the community and the group’s terms of reference. The group has also made enquiries about the generation of interest on the £1.3m funding which could be added to the Curve Legacy fund - something the Council is currently looking into.
The group is now being chaired by residents on a rotational basis and works alongside the Council which primarily provides administration support. Its next steps will be to develop a timeline for the creation of the Community Trust, as well as providing recommendations on how the Trust will engage with the community and highlight a list of priorities for it to consider.
Funding community events
We have also allocated an additional £25,000 worth of funding for North Kensington residents to lead and organise community events, including events of cultural significance and commemorations of the Grenfell tragedy. This funding is still available for residents to access, with applications needing to be submitted by Friday 30 June 2023. We’re able to provide a maximum of £1,500 per event which is allocated on a first come first served basis.
Some of these events have already taken place, including Eid celebrations at Emslie Hornimans Park and a community Iftar on Friday 14 April to commemorate the Grenfell tragedy during Ramadan.
If you’re interested in applying for this funding, please email [email protected] or call Sami on 07739314338.
If you’re looking for services or facilities that were previously hosted at The Curve, please visit The Curve webpage.