Community groups in Elephant awarded £75,000 for local projects

18 August 2022

Southwark Council is pleased to announce the local projects in Elephant and Castle that will benefit from £75,000 of grant funding, including a community garden providing horticultural therapy and a free group offering disability support for the Latin American community.

Applicants to the Elephant & Castle community fund could apply for grants ranging from £500 to £10,000 for community projects that would benefit people who live, work or study in the Elephant & Castle Opportunity Area. To qualify they were asked to show how their project addressed a local need and themes that included: further education, skills, training & entrepreneurship, arts and culture, environment, young people and wellbeing. 

Eight local groups have been awarded grants and will split the £75,000 between them. They are:

• Bankside Open Spaces Trust:  Bankside Open Spaces Trust works to improve people’s health and wellbeing by making where they live and work greener and more beautiful. The grant will help transform and bolster the diversity garden's existing facilities, and improve the health and wellbeing of local communities.
• Construction Youth Trust: Construction Youth Trust works to inspire and support young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented groups, to achieve their full career potential in the construction and built environment sector. They will use the grant to deliver a programme for pupils aged 13 to 18 to build confidence and skills and explore a range of opportunities for employment and further education.
• Draper Together: Draper Together delivers activities for the community that reside on or nearby the Draper Estate in Elephant & Castle. Their grant will enable them to deliver participative arts and education activities, including a Boal-based forum and legislative theatre.
• Latin American Disabled People's Project: This free group specialises in disability services, offering advice, mental health and wellbeing support, training, advocacy and access to peer activities. The grant will support the continuation of advice and support services for 100 individuals of all ages and their families and carers in Elephant & Castle.
• London Senior Social: London Senior Social works to support older people who are diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, have mobility issues or are prone to anxiety and/or depression due to experiencing loneliness or social isolation. They will use the grant to deliver mental health activities to support local residents aged 65+ in the Elephant & Castle area.
• People's Company: People’s Company work to give local people the opportunity to explore acting, directing, writing and the mechanics of theatre such as lighting and sound. Their grant will enable them to deliver a 'spoken word' theatre programme to break down barriers to the arts for residents in Elephant and Castle area.
• Ripe Enterprises Limited: Ripe Enterprise Limited deliver the essential skills of English language, numeracy and digital by taking learning to local community hubs. Their grant will deliver weekly learning activities to develop digital skills for 36 refugee parents. 
• Walworth Garden: Walworth Garden work to improve lives by delivering learning and horticultural training and community workshops through an award winning garden. They will use the grant to deliver a 48-week horticultural therapy programme for local residents.

A spokesperson for Bankside Open Spaces Trust said: “Volunteering and environmental charity Bankside Open Spaces Trust is so grateful to the Elephant and Castle Community Fund for supporting Diversity Garden. The funding will provide the garden with a new composting system around which we can run free workshops for the community as part of our Green Hub network for people gardening where they live."

The Elephant & Castle Community Fund was set up in 2012 by Southwark Council and Lendlease, an international property and investments group, to support the local community. They are working in partnership on the delivery of Elephant Park, a £2.3bn regeneration project in the heart of Elephant & Castle. This year Get Living, the property management group behind the Elephant Central development, has also joined the partnership and the total fund available has increased from £50,000 to £75,000.

The fund is managed on their behalf by The London Community Foundation and has donated over £350,000 to the community over the last nine years.

Cllr James McAsh, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency & Sustainable Development at Southwark Council, said: “Dozens of community groups and charities have received funding from the Elephant and Castle Community Fund over the past decade. And thousands of local residents have already benefitted from the diverse range of activities and services provided by these groups. I look forward to seeing the real difference that this latest crop of projects will make to our neighbourhood over the next 12 months.”

Lendlease’s Head of Social Impact, Lucille Watkins-Brazier, said: “We are committed to creating a thriving, inclusive and sustainable community at Elephant Park, and are excited to support this year’s superb raft of initiatives which will benefit those who live, work or study in the area.”

Ailish Christian-West, Executive Director of Development and ESG at Get Living, said:  “Elephant and Castle is full of community-minded people and groups, seeking to make a positive difference for those around them. This new funding will help empower those in need, including disabled and elderly members of the community, as well promoting initiatives in arts, languages, construction and the environment. Get Living is proud to be a part of the Elephant and Castle Community Fund and we congratulate all of the successful applicants for this round.”

Page last updated: 18 August 2022