Community Outreach 2014

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Melina Anderson
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1 Community Outreach 2014

Introduction Sir George Iacobescu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer I am proud of the work done by our community affairs team engaging and supporting local organisations.

From the very early days of the Canary Wharf development we have worked hard to reach out to local community groups and clubs.

Howard Dawber, Strategic Advisor, Head of Public Affairs Team When I joined Canary Wharf Group 10 years ago, one of the things which impressed me most is the genuine relationship between the company

2 Introduction Sir George Iacobescu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer I am proud of the work done by our community affairs team engaging and supporting local organisations. It is very important for us to be a good neighbour and to ensure that the opportunities brought by regeneration are shared by as many people as possible. From the very early days of the Canary Wharf development we have worked hard to reach out to local community groups and clubs. We have achieved a lot together, but there is still a lot to do as Canary Wharf continues to grow. I look forward to working with local people in the future. Howard Dawber, Strategic Advisor, Head of Public Affairs Team When I joined Canary Wharf Group 10 years ago, one of the things which impressed me most is the genuine relationship between the company and the local community. As a developer working in Tower Hamlets and with groups across East London it is hugely important for us to know what people need and to hear directly from local residents. The company has never forgotten that although we are now one of the most successful business districts in the world, we are also a regeneration project in the heart of a vibrant local community, and we are only half finished. By working together and maintaining a good, frank dialogue, we can make sure that the benefits of Canary Wharf reach as many people as possible. We are always ready to listen and to help make things happen if we can. Zakir Khan, Head of Community Affairs Our primary work with the local community is to provide engagement, and a point of contact, although we also have a programme of small grants to local charities and groups. We are particularly proud of the way in which our team has been able to help local small groups identify public, private and charitable sources of funding and support for projects. Contact Details Community & Sport enquiries: Emma Warden emma.warden@canarywharf.com Education enquiries: Dale Pile dale.pile@canarywharf.com Volunteering enquiries: Melanie Goldstein melanie.goldstein@elbp.co.uk

Senior Groups There are many community organisations based close to Canary Wharf that cater for local Senior Citizens.

witnessed many changes; this is our way of ensuring that these local residents can benefit from being our neighbour.

we have helped to facilitate are: Ebeegees summer trip to Bournemouth for the day.

3 Senior Groups There are many community organisations based close to Canary Wharf that cater for local Senior Citizens. We are keen to support these organisations as we recognise many members have lived and worked in the area for most of their lives and witnessed many changes; this is our way of ensuring that these local residents can benefit from being our neighbour. We have supported groups with donations towards running costs, exercise classes and summer trips for members, some of the activities we have helped to facilitate are: Ebeegees summer trip to Bournemouth for the day. Island Neighbourhood Project visit to Hatfield House. Stepney Day Centre visit to the Paradise Wildlife Park. Exercise classes at St Johns Community Centre. Oxford Green Bowls Club new bowling mats for their weekly practise.

There are many fantastic organisations locally that have a great understanding of the needs of young people so we try and support programmes that utilise this local expertise.

4 Youth Groups Young people have always been a great focus for our community team. We aim to support local young people, helping them access opportunities that they may not have been able to reach otherwise. There are many fantastic organisations locally that have a great understanding of the needs of young people so we try and support programmes that utilise this local expertise. We have supported groups with donations towards the running costs of youth clubs and trips, visits to Canary Wharf offices, donations of equipment and sponsorship of activity programmes. Some examples are: Donation of sleeping bags to the 5th Bethnal Green Brownies for their summer camp. Isle of Dogs Girls Group visit to Canary Wharf Group boardroom. Hosted a dance event for Embrace Dance so they could showcase their hard work to friends and family. Support of the Alpha Grove Community Centre Cycle Sundays project.

Community Groups Community Groups provide a valuable service to local residents, bringing people together, introducing neighbours and acting as a go to point for people who need help or guidance and

5 Community Groups Community Groups provide a valuable service to local residents, bringing people together, introducing neighbours and acting as a go to point for people who need help or guidance and direction to vital services. Sometimes just knowing someone is there to help can make all the difference to an individual. Some of the projects we have supported are: Neighbours in Poplar, a driving force in the Poplar community for many years, we are pleased to be able to continue supporting their work by sponsoring community events and ESOL classes. The Isle of Dogs Fun Day, organised by Churches on the Isle of Dogs, is now becoming an annual highlight. We were happy to support the event again in 2013 after great demand from local residents after the highly successful inaugural event to celebrate the 2012 Olympics. Mayflower Primary School in Poplar wanted to bring students, parents and local residents together at the the end of the summer term so we supported their Community Fair in July.

distributing Easter Eggs at Easter, fruit packages at Tu B'Shvat and food packages at Purim to Senior Centres.

6 Celebrations Annual festivals and celebrations are a great time for the local community to come together and celebrate. Where possible we like to support these meaningful occasions and provide donations for local groups to put on Christmas and Eid parties, whilst also remembering older members of the community by distributing Easter Eggs at Easter, fruit packages at Tu B'Shvat and food packages at Purim to Senior Centres. Some of the celebrations we have supported are: Christmas parties at Strafford Street Friendship Club, St Katherines Bingo Club and SPLASH. Eid parties for Hindgrove Cultural & Community Association, Island Garden Community Association and OLGA. Easter Egg deliveries for Globe Town Pensioners Group, John Tucker House and Toynbee Hall Older People's Lunch Club. Purim packages to the Stepney Day Centre.

Sports Teams Sport is one of the best ways to positively encourage all the characteristics required to be a good citizen so we are keen to promote this locally, teaching

We have supported many local groups including: Sponsorship of Booth House Football Team, the team was set up for people who had been affected by homelessness as a way to

Poplar Bowls club is based in the heart of Poplar, we have supported them by sponsoring their kit and a pair s competition which allows other clubs to compete at the

We make a donation to the club to help them offer swimming opportunities to its over 400 members and host an annual swimming gala at Mile End Leisure Centre.

7 Sports Teams Sport is one of the best ways to positively encourage all the characteristics required to be a good citizen so we are keen to promote this locally, teaching commitment, teamwork, timekeeping and tolerance as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle. We have supported many local groups including: Sponsorship of Booth House Football Team, the team was set up for people who had been affected by homelessness as a way to begin to engage in social activities once again. Poplar Bowls club is based in the heart of Poplar, we have supported them by sponsoring their kit and a pair s competition which allows other clubs to compete at the Poplar ground. Bethnal Green Sharks has been active in Tower Hamlets for over 60 years. We make a donation to the club to help them offer swimming opportunities to its over 400 members and host an annual swimming gala at Mile End Leisure Centre. Tower Hamlets Badminton Club celebrated its 30th anniversary by hosting yet another successful tournament for local players. The CWG sponsored event saw over 150 participants compete, some nearly reaching national standard. Tower Hamlets Cricket Club is the only club in the borough with a clear progression route into the Middlesex County League. CWG value the importance of having this kind of structure available for local people so continue to sponsor the club.

Summer Sports Programme For over 10 years Canary Wharf Group has supported a range of sports providers to offer activities to local young people during the summer holidays; this is known as the

8 Summer Sports Programme For over 10 years Canary Wharf Group has supported a range of sports providers to offer activities to local young people during the summer holidays; this is known as the Canary Wharf Summer Sports Programme. The summer break can feel like a long time when young people have nothing to do so this funding allows them to take part in safe and healthy activities with friends and maybe even try a new sport. These are some of delivery partners we worked with over summer 2013: Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre offered a four week activity scheme for 60 participants per day. Activities included canoeing, kayaking, dinghy sailing, climbing and high ropes. Millwall Rugby Club hosted Rugby Fridays at their Millwall Park home. Training was offered free of charge every Friday to participants who wanted to learn to play or improve their game. We wanted to make sports available in local parks so teamed up with Ironworks Sport to deliver a multi sports programme at Millwall & St Johns Park. Football, rounders, cricket, and mixed sports competitions were enjoyed over 3 weeks in the summer holidays. The Osmani Trust arranged for sports taster sessions throughout the summer, culminating in a football tournament at Mile End Leisure Centre in which over 40 teams participated. Embrace Dance offered dance rehearsals, circuit training, kung fu, trips and master classes. CWG donated towards the scheme and the summer long programme kept over 20 young people a day engaged in positive activities and training. Joola Morpeth Table Tennis Club hosted a Summer Camp for a week in August. This allowed young people to try their hand at table tennis and play in a tournament on the last day.

Investing in Talent We recognise that cost can be a huge barrier to talented young athletes in pursuing their chosen sport, with this in mind the Investing in Talent Fund was created.

9 Investing in Talent We recognise that cost can be a huge barrier to talented young athletes in pursuing their chosen sport, with this in mind the Investing in Talent Fund was created. Some of the local athletes that have benefitted are: Perri Shakes-Drayton was one of the very first athletes to benefit from the Investing in Talent Fund, at the time she was training at Tower Hamlets Athletics Club and we supported her with donations towards travel costs and kit. Over the years she has progressed into professional athletics with a career highlight so far of competing in the 2012 Olympic Games in 400m hurdles and the 4x100m relay. Scarlett Mew Jensen was the winner of the Canary Wharf Sports Personality of the Year in 2012, a very successful young diver and now a member of the England Talent Team. We are pleased to be able to support Scarlett with a donation towards her training costs to help her progress in her promising diving career. Leila Moore is a young sailor whom we have supported over the last few years, awarded Youth Champion 2013 by the Royal Yachting Association and we watch her progress with interest.

10 Sports Personality of the Year Awards The highlight of our calendar is the Canary Wharf Sports Personality of the Year Awards. Now in its 13th year the ceremony at the East Wintergarden allows us to celebrate the wealth of young talent locally along with some very special achievements. The winner in 2013 was Tyesha Mattis. Tyesha is a talented Gymnast who began 2013 by captaining the GB Gymnastics Team at the Australian Youth Olympics Festival in Sydney. Her success continued when she won the title of British Junior Champion and competed at the European Youth Olympics where she won a bronze medal against girls a year older than her. Tyesha was also selected for the Jaguar academy which trains Olympic hopefuls; here she hopes to develop her skills to compete in Rio, her long term aim. Other awards presented at the event are for; Junior Team of the Year; Senior Team of the Year; Group of the Year as well as accolades for committed volunteers.

11 Education Education is another key area the company feels it can make a positive impact. In recent years many schools have had to reduce valuable services such as after school and sports clubs due to reductions in funding, donations have been made available locally to continue running these clubs which are hugely valued by the students and community. One of our key educational projects has been highlighting important issues at Canary Wharf; we have now produced two books which can be implemented into the national curriculum. At a primary level Canary Wharf Through the Ages documents the history of the area and The Environment and You at a secondary level looks at environmental issues around construction. As Canary Wharf continues to have a focus on technology we feel that young people locally should be equipped with these skills to be able to take advantage of jobs in this sector in the future. Another initiative we have supported is a project called Code Club. Canary Wharf Group has backed the scheme with the goal of providing after-school coding classes to 75% of Tower Hamlets primary schools within the first year; this equates to 600 children aged between 9-11 learning coding skills.

Volunteering Community Outreach extends well beyond the public affairs team with staff in many other roles within the company giving up time to volunteer with local groups.

One of the larger projects we participated in was on the Isle of Dogs. Cubitt Town Library had an unloved and unusable space outside which they wanted to bring back to life.

12 Volunteering Community Outreach extends well beyond the public affairs team with staff in many other roles within the company giving up time to volunteer with local groups. Volunteering takes many forms from visiting local schools teaching students to code, gardening, painting play equipment to cooking at a local community centre. One of the larger projects we participated in was on the Isle of Dogs. Cubitt Town Library had an unloved and unusable space outside which they wanted to bring back to life. CWG collaborated with the LBTH Community Payback & Volunteer team, HSS Tool Hire and Expanded to transform the space, using salvaged wooden sleepers from the dock at Crossrail to build new flowerbeds, whilst others brightened up the walls with a lick of paint. Another project we have been keen to support is the homeless project at St Matthias Community Centre in Poplar. The project runs throughout the winter and Canary Wharf volunteers have attended on a number of occasions to help by cooking a fresh, hot meal for the guests.

Community Events There are many voluntary organisations that share our vision of bringing different areas of the community together in a positive way.

In association with the Cockney Heritage Trust and Tower Hamlets Council we supported the Cockney Heritage Festival, a ten day celebration of all things cockney in the East End today, over 50 events

13 Community Events There are many voluntary organisations that share our vision of bringing different areas of the community together in a positive way. To help achieve this we have supported a number of groups to host events free to local residents. In association with the Cockney Heritage Trust and Tower Hamlets Council we supported the Cockney Heritage Festival, a ten day celebration of all things cockney in the East End today, over 50 events were held in the borough, with over 4000 people attending. The Stifford Centre is a popular organisation in Stepney Green; they work within the community to promote good health. Canary Wharf Group sponsored the Stepney Green Fair, an opportunity to bring the community together with games and activities, and to showcase the services available to people for a healthy lifestyle. Although we are keen to support community groups we also realise how much we can help local groups by creating an opportunity for them to network. Twice a year we invite all the sports and community groups we work with to enjoy some food in a relaxed environment. This gives us the opportunity to thank groups for their hard work but also meet with each other to share opportunities and possibly pool resources and collaborate.

Consultation As the core nature of our business is construction we realise the importance of being available to the local community to answer questions about our developments.

Members of the Community Affairs Team meet on a bi-monthly basis with representatives from local voluntary associations to understand the needs of the local community and relay information that may

14 Consultation As the core nature of our business is construction we realise the importance of being available to the local community to answer questions about our developments. We aim to be a good neighbour and our community team communicate key information about future works through a range of consultation. Members of the Community Affairs Team meet on a bi-monthly basis with representatives from local voluntary associations to understand the needs of the local community and relay information that may affect residents in the vicinity. When we are planning major developments we want to ensure that local people have the opportunity to understand the project and have their say before plans are submitted to the council. This gives our planning team time to understand and respond to the needs of the local community. We do this through a range of Community Liaison Meetings and Exhibitions. Whilst working on the Wood Wharf scheme we wanted to make sure we listened to the views of all the people who would use the space in the future so conducted specific youth engagement. This gave us a great insight as to what younger people in the area wanted from this new section of their community.

15 Supported Groups 2013 Aldgate Club East FC Bangladesh Football Association Bangladesh Youth Movement Bethnal Green Sharks Swimming Club Bethnal Green United FC Bnos Beis Yaakov Primary School Chinese Association of Tower Hamlets Christ Church, Isle of Dogs Cockney Heritage Trust Cubitt Town Bangladeshi Cultural Association Cubitt Town Junior School Cubitt Town Youth Project Dagenham & Redbridge Community Trust Dekthay Chai Docklands Sailing & Watersports Centre Dorset Community Association East End Community Foundation East London Martial Arts Association East London Pensioners Group Ebeegees Embrace Dance Friends of Ian Mikardo High School Globe Town Pensioners Club Halley Primary School Harbinger Primary School HCPT Group 84 Helvecia Futsal Club Hindgrove Cultural & Community Association Holy Family Catholic School Human Relief Foundation Island Bengali Welfare Association Island Friends Island Garden Community Association Island House Preschool Playgroup Island Neighbourhood Project ITCEL Latham House Association London Docklands Singers Malmesbury Community Projects Marner Primary School Mayflower Primary School Mayors Cup Football Competition (Sponsor) Metro Blind Sports Milestone Millwall Albion FC Millwall Elite FC Mudchute Park & Farm Neighbours in Poplar Ocean Somali Community Association OLGA Open City Architecture Our Lady's Catholic School Oxford Green Sports & Social Club Phoenix School Photo Ranjeet Event (Sponsor) Ponders End Community Engagement Poplar Bowls Club Poplar Youth & Community Development Association Poplar, Blackwall & District Rowing Club PWRR Benevolent fund Quaystone Church Robert Browning School Royal British Legion Football Club Season of Bangla Drama (Sponsor) Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre Shongram Society Links SPLASH St Edmunds Primary School St Johns Community Association St Katherines Bingo Club St Lukes Primary School Stebon Primary School Stephen Hawkins School Stepney City Farm Stepney Community Festival (Sponsor) Stepney Day Centre Stepney FC Strafford Street Friendship Club The Box UK Tower Hamlets Cricket Club Tower Hamlets Girls Football Team Kits Tower Hamlets Mission Tower Hamlets Youth Sport Foundation Wapping Community Club Wapping High School Westward FC Wharfhampton FC Women's Educational & Health Trust Investing in Talent Supported Athletes Ruqsana Begum, Mercy Brown, Shernelle Francios, Abid Haque, Hamza Hussain, Nicolas Lee, Scarlett Mew Jensen, Leila Moore, Sean O'Sullivan

HOWARD DAWBER DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY

HOWARD DAWBER DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY COMMUNITY OUTREACH WELCOME SIR GEORGE IACOBESCU CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER I am proud of the work done by our community affairs team engaging and supporting local organisations. It is very important