New residents moving to the area bring fresh ideas and a desire to enrich the area through community action. Since 2022, BRL has supported eight residents to kickstart new community projects that are all working to help community life flourish.
BRL is proud to support the new Community Fund grantees:
The RiverView Resident Editorial Board – The Resident Editorial Board (REB) received £1,000 to develop and launch a new RiverView website. Zahra Awani, REB member, explained that “the RiverView has been running for a year and has successfully showcased diverse voices and stories. The aim of a dedicated website is to increase engagement, especially with a younger audience”. The website will feature special articles with up-to-date news stories which residents will be able to enjoy in addition to the quarterly newspaper. It will also help to make the RiverView more self-sustaining by offering advertisements to prospective buyers both online and in print.
The Church at Barking Riverside – The Street Trees project has been running for the past two years. It began during the Covid-19 lockdowns as a way to celebrate Christmas despite not being able to gather. The Church at Barking Riverside was awarded £600 to help deliver this initiative back in December 2022. Eight trees were erected across the estate, which formed a trail for residents to follow together. Each tree had two street hosts assigned to it, who helped other residents decorate them with environmentally friendly personalised baubles. Anna Pollard, church leader, explained that the aim of the initiative is to “spread joy and Christmas cheer through bringing neighbours together”.
Junior Omokhe – Junior is a resident who has been awarded £1,000 to run the ‘Wander Wild’ project, offering Forest School workshops for residents at the Barking Food Forest. Wander Wild will teach residents about the natural environment, biodiversity and the exciting range of animals and plants that can be spotted locally. Junior said: “Forest School is a fun, exciting way to learn in an outdoor setting. It is a process that offers people of all ages regular opportunities to achieve and improve their confidence, self-esteem, and communication skills, through hands-on learning experiences. Individuals are also able to develop skills in teamwork, using tools safely and learning about looking after our woodlands”. To find out more please contact Thames Life: info@thames-life.org.uk.
JDS Striving for Excellence – Five young JDS participants have been successful in receiving £1,000 to develop their very own lip gloss business. JDS Striving for Excellence, a local youth charity, will be supporting them with workshops from experienced entrepreneurs who will be teaching the young girls essential business and finance skills. Jeorgina Soares, founder of JDS, said the aim of the initiative is to “reshape the future of the next generation while also enticing the youth to positively impact and inspire their peers to follow in their footsteps”.
The BRL Community Fund opens for applications four times a year and will open again this spring. Want to find out more? Visit barkingriverside.london/social-impact.
