Published: Thursday 8 July 2021
- A community fund, co-designed by Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Lancaster West Residents Association, has launched for applications
- The fund will be used to run projects that benefit the lives of the local community on the Lancaster West Estate
- Free advice sessions are running every Tuesday in July to help people develop their project idea and apply.
A new co-designed community fund has been set up to benefit local residents living on the Lancaster West Estate.
The Lancaster West Community Fund was launched by Kensington and Chelsea Council, the Lancaster West Residents Association (LWRA), and Karakusevic Carson Architects (KCA) – a design team involved in the refurbishment of the Estate.
Lancaster West Estate residents, and groups or organisations that already work with Lancaster West Estate residents, can apply for a share of the £50,000 funding until 11.59pm on Sunday 1 August 2021.
Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Housing, said:
“This fund is a great opportunity for people to be directly involved in improving their local area and the lives of those living in it.
“We have seen through other schemes, like the Grenfell Projects Fund, how this community supports each other through the creation of impactful and life-long projects that enable them to grow and thrive.
“Personally, I can’t wait to hear people’s ideas and see their visions come to life.”
The council partnered with Beyond The Box consultants to explore how residents of the estate would like to see the new fund used. After several engagement events online and in person, it was agreed the community funding should be invested in projects that primarily benefit the lives of residents living on the Lancaster West Estate through one of the following five areas:
- Green and Outdoor Spaces: Includes gardening, planting and landscape projects, seating and picnic areas.
- Sports and Fitness: Includes more accessible sports and fitness opportunities, outside gyms, and support for local sports clubs and teams.
- Connecting with our Community: Includes a wide range of community activities, from arts and crafts to cooking, day trips and music programmes.
- Skills and Training: Includes digital skills training, start-up business support, job opportunities and skills building.
- Engaging Young People: Includes after school clubs, summer programmes, creative projects and activities for older teens.
David O’Connell, Vice Chair of the Lancaster West Residents Association said:
“We have been demanding to get social value for the estate from all of the refurbishment works that will happen on Lancaster West. The Lancaster West Community Fund offered with KCA architects is a great step, giving genuine support to residents’ ideas. We see it as a model for how social value should be done, not just across Lancaster West but across every part of the borough.”
To encourage and support residents who may have never applied for a grant before, Beyond The Box consultants, in partnership with the Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team, are running local advice sessions free of charge.
The sessions are taking place every Tuesday in July and are designed to help people who have questions about the application process or who need support developing their project idea. To book, please contact Neil Onions, CEO at Beyond The Box, via email [email protected] or by calling 07522996693.
For information about applying for the Lancaster West Community Fund, including the full funding guidelines and application forms, please the We are W11 website.