Southwark Council’s Neighbourhoods Fund opens to the community

14 September 2018

Southwark Council is inviting individuals and community groups to suggest how they would use money from this year’s newly opened Neighbourhoods Fund, to help their local community.

The Neighbourhoods Fund is managed by Southwark’s Community Councils, of which there are five, one for every area and resident in Southwark. The funding is allocated to help meet local priorities.

Art in the Park is one of 240 groups across Southwark that received some of this funding last year.

Cllr Rebecca Lury, Cabinet Member for culture, leisure, equalities and communities, joined Florence Goodhand-Tait, Resident Artist at Art in the Park, and the young artists themselves, at their exhibition this summer.

Last year’s Neighbourhoods Fund enabled Art in the Park to team up with the InSpire Youth group and explore drawing in Burgess Park, with young people who live in and around the neighbouring Aylesbury Estate. The project encourages local children to develop new skills and have fun with art and creativity, there is also a strong focus on well-being, broadening horizons and, in the process, reducing anti-social behaviour. 

Residents are encouraged to apply for Neighbourhoods Funding from Monday 17 September until Monday 22 October and successful projects will be announced at the borough’s community council meetings in January and February 2019.

Cllr Lury said: “We’re excited to see what wonderful and varied projects will come to the fore amongst this year’s Neighbourhoods Fund applications. It was great to meet Florence and the children and see how the fund can really make a difference.”

Florence said: “The neighbourhood fund has enabled us to run and coordinate a drawing club for young people, running from May until August. Throughout this time we have taught budding artists many different experimental drawing techniques that many had not experienced before.

"Young people who’ve taken part have said that they enjoyed using processes to develop their art skills such as making rubbings from textures in the park, pattern making using printmaking processes; painting; collaborating; stencil making; collaging using found objects and drawing from sounds.”

Page last updated: 14 September 2018