Do Something Good In Your Neighbourhood
Make a bid to transform a neglected space for benefit of community
Residents can breathe new life into neglected areas in the latest round of Ealing Council’sl Transform your Space scheme.
The third round of the initiative has a pot of £250,000 to help change neglected or derelict spaces into places for the whole community to enjoy. Local people have until 20 August to pull together their ideas and plans, and engage their neighbours and friends.
The Transform your Space initiative has already given local people across the borough the backing they need to turn their great ideas into reality.
The largest project to date is the Woodland Oasis in the Heart of Industry in Acton. Here £75,000 was secured to transform a neglected urban space into a green haven complete with blackcurrants, strawberries and gooseberries being grown.
Another Transform your Space success story saw residents rejuvenating a small area near St Mark’s Primary School in Old Hanwell ( pictured above). They wanted to reclaim a space previously frequented by street drinkers.
Thanks to £46,300 awarded to the project, the group has put the finishing touches to the new beautiful communal space they have renamed Katherine Buchan Meadow, after the 19th century community figure, who built and maintained alms-houses for women on the site.
Co-founder of the project Amanda Rutkowski said: “One of the fantastic things about Transform your Space is that it gets people involved with shaping their local area. It’s empowering to be able to deliver your ideas for a project but at the same time you get lots of support from the council.
“Our project at Katherine Buchan Meadow has met its aims and we’ve been able to change the space into somewhere the whole community can enjoy and value – it’s been so positive.
“I would certainly encourage any local groups to get involved with Transform your Space as they can really bring about a positive change to the local area.”
Cllr Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport, environment and leisure said: “Transform your Space gives residents the perfect chance to make a real difference in their local neighbourhood and help an underused area achieve its potential.
“We have already seen a number of success stories where neglected and run-down spaces have been transformed into valuable assets to the local community. Now the latest phase of Transform your Space is running, I encourage everyone with inspirational ideas about improving local spaces to submit a bid for funding.
“The council will always look at ways to help engage with residents when it comes to shaping their local community and Transform your Space is a great opportunity for local people to do just that.”
This autumn a panel of judges will decide which projects will have a share of the money. They will particularly be looking at how each project plans to involve the local community in transforming the chosen space.
Visit www.dosomethinggood.org.uk or email bubble@ealing.gov.uk for further information about Transform your Space
30th June 2017