It comes as polling has shown that 73 per cent of Londoners think that community centres are important. However, only 12 per cent have visited their local community centre or hall, with more than half of all respondents (55 per cent) saying that more activities on offer would encourage them to visit.
The mayor and the National Lottery Community Fund have joined together to invest £1.8m to create a network of community spaces to help London’s diverse communities access more services and provide them with a space to join together and learn from each other at a time when loneliness and social isolation is increasing, and many of us are facing fear, hatred and division online and on our streets.
The community spaces will host a range of activities and offer support and advice to Londoners to make it easier for people of all backgrounds to become an active part of their community. This includes mentoring, weekly drop-in sessions, community meals and support with digital inclusion. Spaces will also run activities to support mental health and wellbeing, help with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and multilingual support, and SEND and disability support.
The Loved and Wanted Community Fund is building on the existing work of charities, faith groups and civil society organisations by bringing people of different backgrounds and faiths together, building relationships across communities and breaking down barriers.
This funding comes after local authority-run community spaces decreased by nearly 10 a year between 2018-2023.
The mayor launched his Loved and Wanted campaign last year. The campaign has worked with more than 140 organisations across London and previously helped to distribute more than £985,000 to communities in every borough through the government’s Community Recovery Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund. This included support for the mayor’s Community Weekend which saw 200 community groups host events across the capital to bring Londoners of all backgrounds together.
While Hounslow does not have a direct site in this first wave of 30, residents can access extensive support at the London Tigers hub in Southall or the ETNA Community Centre in Twickenham, both just a short distance away. Other nearby organisations to receive funding are:
- Doxa Deo Community Church in Kingston Upon Thames
- Anti-Tribalism Movement in Hammersmith and Fulham
- Bell Farm Christian Centre in Hillingdon
- Response Community Projects (Earls Court) Limited in Kensington and Chelsea.
“Our sense of social cohesion is being put to the test like never before, and the lack of integration makes it harder for people from different backgrounds to understand each other.
“Access to community spaces can offer an important space for people to come together, learn from one another and a place to turn to for advice and support. Community centres were always at the heart of many London neighbourhoods and I want to restore them as a powerful force for good across London.
“By joining with the National Lottery Community Fund, we’re taking pro-active steps to build stronger and more integrated communities – working to grow social ties and bonds of trust between people of all backgrounds.”
The National Lottery Community Fund’s England Director Phil Chamberlain added: “London’s diversity is its lifeblood; the city can be very proud of that. As the UK’s largest champion of community-led change, we’re proud to partner with the mayor of London to help bring people together and build stronger, more inclusive communities across the capital.
“This truly life-changing funding will enable an invaluable network of local spaces that support communities to build trust, help one another, find solidarity, and forge the connections that make our communities a force for good.”