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Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Newsletter September 2017

Hello Bermondsey and Rotherhithe!

September is a very busy month. Children going back to school after their long summer holidays and parents who also took leave are now back to work, teachers busy with a new school term and year. It may seem like there are not many fun things to do, but there is! We just had an ACE event at Avondale Square which was on the 9 September and there is the annual Bermondsey Street Festival which is on the 16 September. See festival details below. This should be a great event with lots of surprises.

Please also remember the next Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Community Council Forum Meeting taking place on Tuesday 12 September at 160 Tooley Street, from 7pm; with registration at 6:30pm.The theme of this meeting is on Crime in the Community Bridging the Gap, Challenging perceptions. It promises to be an exciting meeting. Come prepared with your questions. Also, come ready to see whose gardens were nominated for the Bermondsey in Bloom 2017 competition and to vote for your favourite!

We have a number of project funding opportunities opening and closing and lots of hopefully useful information below. I hope that you find it all worthwhile. Drop me line to let me know.

Lastly, If you are interested in being a Community Council volunteer please kindly get in touch with my colleague, Grace Semakula, grace.semakula@southwark.gov.uk for further information. We would love to hear from you.

Get in touch if you have any queries or if there is a community event to publicise.

Have a great September!

Bridget Galloway

Community Council Officer

Bermondsey and Rotherhithe

Tel: 020 752(5 1780)  /  Mobile: 07701 377 162

Email: bridget.galloway@southwark.gov.uk

https://www.facebook.com/BermondseyandRotherhitheCommunityCouncil/

Safety advice following moped thefts in Rotherhithe area

Published 16 August 2017

Last week(week beginning 7th August 2017) Southwark Council street cleaners confronted a pair of thieves on a moped who had just snatched valuables from a woman on the street around Greenland Dock, Rotherhithe.

The council and police are aware of a number of incidents like this in the area and are working to crack down on people using stolen scooters and mopeds.

Cllr Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for communities, safety and leisure, said: “Southwark Council is working closely with police to crack down on these despicable thefts, and we are very proud of our staff members who went above and beyond their duty to help try and catch these thieves. We would ask all our residents to remain vigilant and report any incidents like this to the police.”

Residents can also follow some simple advice to prevent becoming targets for these kinds of thieves:

• Be aware of your surroundings at all times and keep your personal property secure.
• Don't text while you're walking - you won't notice potential thieves approaching.
• Use the security features on your phone.
• Try going hands free or stand away from the roadside close to a wall so no one can come up behind you.
• Your phone comes with a range of security features, such as keypad locks and remote data wiping. Make sure they are all activated to stop thieves from accessing your phone and personal data.
• Know how to identify your phone if it's stolen. Find your IMEI number by dialling *#06# from your phone and keep a written note of it. If the phone is stolen, report it to the police and your mobile provider to stop it being used.
• Register your phone on www.immobilise.com to help police return recovered stolen property and combat the sale of stolen goods. Police recover more than 2500 items registered to the website on average every month. Never confront a thief or risk your own safety for the sake of your mobile device

Scooter and moped riders are also being urged to consider additional measures to secure their mopeds and scooters, such as using fitted anchors, security loops, disc and chain locks, and audible alarms.

Residents can also help police tackle moped theft and moped related crime such as theft snatch by reporting to police if you have witnessed or have footage of a bike being stolen or thieves carrying out a snatch theft. Your information will be treated in confidence and will help police to develop intelligence and target the thieves. Please contact us with:

• Video footage
• Photos
• Details of time, date and location
• If you have any other information about moped crime

You can do this by contacting the MET police on:

• On Twitter @MetCC
• On www.met.police.uk – tell us about something you’ve seen or heard.
• By calling 101.
• You can also report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

In the event of a crime taking place, always call 999.

DON'T FORGET BERMONDSEY IN BLOOM COMPETITION!

The deadline for this was the 31 August but come to Community Council Forum Meeting on Tuesday 12 September 2017, at 7pm to see whose gardens were nominated and VOTE for YOUR favourite! All the best to the nominees. May the best garden win!

Consultation on draft Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

NHS Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Southwark Council wish to improve mental health and wellbeing across the borough and have now developed a draft Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. We would welcome your comments about the draft strategy, and also have a short survey available via the Consultation Hub which we would ask you to complete if you haven’t already done so.

This strategy has been developed in conjunction with other NHS organisations, the voluntary and community sector, service users, carers and local residents. We have been talking to people about what matters most to them and how local services can support improved outcomes across health, social care and other organisations in Southwark. The strategy outlines our priorities for services and the actions we intend to take to improve mental health and wellbeing for children and adults. We want to know if you think we have got it right and if you agree with the actions we plan to take. We will collect everyone’s feedback and use this to finalise the strategy document and action plan before publication.

We are holding a patient engagement event on:

·         11 September

·         5.30-8pm

·         Blackfriars Settlement, 1 Rushworth Street, SE1 0RB

We would like to invite you to join us to give your feedback and comments. Light refreshments will be available.

To register your attendance, please book here or call the team on 0207 525 7888. Alternatively drop us an email at souccg.southwark-ccg@nhs.net and we will register for you.

Kind Regards

Rosemary Watts

Membership, Engagement and Communications

NHS Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group

E: souccg.southwark-ccg@nhs.net

T: 020 7525 7888 | Media: 030 0042 4499

Postal Address: 1st Floor, Hub 5, PO Box 64529 London SE1P 5LX

Base: 160 Tooley St, London, SE1 2QH

www.southwarkccg.nhs.net

@NHSSouthwarkCCG | YouTube

Nominate an excellent and innovative London project working to #EndHateTogether.

In 2016 HEAR set up London’s pan-equality Hate Crime network, it now has over 100 members, charities and community projects working to challenge Hate Crime and targeted abuse in London, across all equality streams. To promote and share good practice HEAR has set up an award for excellent and innovative London projects working across equality, across sector and across communities to #EndHateTogether. Nominated projects will be voted for by HEARs 600+ members and the winning project will be announced during National Hate Crime Awareness Week 14th-21st October 2017.

To nominate a project complete the form and send to mhairi@reap.org.uk by 11th September 2017

WILLMOTT DIXON INTERIORS HELPS DRIVE EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Willmott Dixon Interiors have been working in partnership with Thames Reach and Age UK where improving equality, diversity and inclusion in the construction industry and in the local community has been a major focus.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are some of the challenges currently faced by the construction industry.  In terms of gender, recent statistics show that women make up only 11% of the construction workforce and just 1% of the workers on site. To help improve this, Willmott Dixon Interiors (WDI) have been working in partnership with Thames Reach, who provide the ‘Moving in Moving on’ training programme for disadvantaged and homeless women seeking employment in painting and decorating.

As part of WDI’s enhancing lives community investment project, WDI took on the challenge to boost the skillset and confidence of those who recently graduated from the programme.  This involved construction skills based training over the course of a week in June such as; trade awareness in tiling and carpentry, fire marshal training, environmental awareness, personality mapping, emergency first aid at work, face fit testing, CSCS mock tests, asbestos awareness training and a site visit of a live commercial fit-out project in London.

Project Lead, Connor Lambourne, said ‘‘The information provided during the week is crucial for beginning a career in construction and will provide the graduates with skills to enhance their employment opportunities within the industry’’.

The first week ended with a seminar and open discussion on ‘Women in Construction’ where professional females working in the industry delivered talks on their life experiences and career journeys. This raised awareness of roles available for women within the construction industry, whilst building confidence in gender diversity and equal opportunities. One of the graduates described the week as ‘inspiring and encouraging for women who want to get into construction’.

We also had Scape’s Managing Director, Victoria Brambini support this initiative:

‘‘It’s great to see one of our long-standing framework partners continue to invest in communities and people through the projects they are so passionate about, whilst driving forward equality and diversity in the construction industry. Changing women’s perceptions of working in the built environment can encourage them to make new and exciting career choices and contribute to addressing the skills shortage’’.

The graduates were provided with further work experience on site, refurbishing Age UK’s Healthy Living Centre where rainbow laces were worn throughout the event, in support of PRIDE.

The main use for the building is to provide a social hub for over 50s to encourage a sense of wellbeing and inclusion within the community.  Facts suggest that 31% of older people have experienced loneliness and 17% of older people were found socially isolated.

WDI came together with supply chain partners, volunteers from the local community, Age UK and Thames Reach to help put something back into the community.

The previous conditions of the building were restrictive where the users of the centre were unable to operate efficiently. The refurbishment helped to tackle these challenges as well as provide the users with a facility far better equipped for the demands they face on a daily basis.

Following on from the successful completion of this project, the female graduates have secured apprenticeship opportunities with our supply chain partners which are currently in the process of being finalised.

The legacy from this work will live on for a very long time with the relationships that have been developed through the work and most importantly with the range and scope of activity we can provide in the community for older people of all ages and abilities – Susan Underhill, Deputy Chief Executive, Age UK Lewisham & Southwark

This is just one example of how WDI are empowering people from diverse backgrounds to get into construction by raising awareness and investing in local communities.

A special thank you to all the dignitaries who attended the opening of the newly refurbished Age UK’s Healthy Living Centre:

• Matthew Ryder QC – Dep. Mayor of London for Social Integration, Social Mobility, Community Engagement and Leading human rights lawyer for the Queens Counsel
• Cllr Charlie Smith – Mayor of Southwark
• Cllr Damien O’Brian – Liberal Democrats & Southwark Council
• Neil Coyle MP – Labour MP and former committee member for the Dept. of work and pensions (2016 – 2017)
• Sir Simon Henry Ward Hughes – Former Dep. Leader of the Liberal Democrats (2010- 2014)
• Sonny McCann – Regional Business manager – Scape
• Jackie Bourke-White – CEO Age UK Southwark & Lewisham
• Susan Underhill – Dep. CEO Age UK Southwark & Lewisham
• Andrew Waite – Age UK Patron and author
• Dee Russell – Pearly Queen of Chelsea

Community Southwark - Events

For the past year, Nathan Lewis, Outreach & Relationships Officer at Community Southwark, has been exploring the needs of seldom heard communities within Southwark, and the organisations that support them. As a result of this, a range of different discussion events will be taking place over September and October looking at the needs of particular communities, the internal solutions that they believe are needed, and how the wider communities can support the needs of these groups.

These events are:

• The needs of the Somali Community, 18th September 2017 11:30am-1:00pm, SIDA Offices, Unit 50, Camberwell Business Centre, 99-103, Lomond Grove, Camberwell London SE5 7HN
• The Ethiopian Community, 21st September 2017 6:00-8:00pm, Camberwell Library, 48 Camberwell Green, Camberwell, London SE5 7AL
• Faith, Seldom Heard Communities & Social Action, 26th September 2017 2:00-4:00pm, Camberwell Library, 48 Camberwell Green, Camberwell, London SE5 7AL
• Hate Crime & Latin American Women, 17th October 2017 10:30-12:00, Southwark Council, 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH

Further information on the events will be given in the 1st week of September. If you would like to attend or get further information about these events, please contact Nathan on 020 7358 7253 or by emailing nathan@communitysouthwark.org.

 Cycling grants up to £10,000 - deadline 18 September 2017

TfL have announced the 2017 application round for Cycling Grants London There’s up to £300,000 in funding available for not-for-profit and community groups who help Londoners discover the joys of cycling.

Groups can apply for up to £10,000 over 3 years to set up or continue delivering projects that engage London’s diverse communities in safe, enjoyable and inclusive cycling activities. As an added bonus this year, new applications and those projects in their second year of funding can apply for an additional £3,000 to purchase electronic bikes to support even more Londoners to enjoy the benefits of cycling. The application round is open until 18 September 2017.  See the link below.

http://cyclinggrants.london/

SGTO NEWS

Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations

The Mayor of London has today released his Draft London Housing Strategy, which ‘sets out his plans to tackle the capital’s housing crisis and to provide all Londoners with a decent and affordable home.’

The strategy seeks to address the shortage of affordable housing in London and the Mayor is seeking people’s views on how he intends to achieve this. The SGTO will be reading over the strategy and providing a response but we would also like to encourage individual residents and TRAs to respond as well.

The link to the draft strategy and details on how you can respond is here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/housing-and-land/have-your-say-tackling-londons-housing-crisis. It is quite long (over 200 pages) and we will look to prepare a shorter summary before the SGTO AGM.

The Mayor also intends to run two workshops in October to discuss the plan. Depending on interest, the SGTO was thinking of going up with a delegation from Southwark to input into one of the workshops. If you are interested please contact me at billy@sgto.co.uk or call 0207 639 6718 by the end of next week.

Kind regards – and remember the SGTO AGM on the 27th of September!

BRITISH LAND UPDATE

British Land - local Investment and legacy

Early work to develop and deliver the Canada Water Masterplan’s legacy is underway and British Land is piloting projects under each of their focus areas of education, employment, business and community. Please see here for an update on projects they have recently kicked off with Tree Shepard and GoodPeople and how to get involved. Working in this way is not only intended to bring opportunities locally but also help British Land trial ideas and continue to understand how and where they should focus their energies and investment to deliver long term social, economic and community benefit.

Instagram Challenge

If you’re aged between 13 and 25 and live in SE16, we want to hear from you. Canada Water will be a place for you to work, shop and live, and we want it to be somewhere that you are proud of and where you feel at home.

Do you want to see more entertainment space in Canada Water? Maybe you’d like a wider variety of shops, or sports and leisure facilities? Or are you looking for more study space? Share your photo suggestions on Instagram with the #MyCanadaWater hashtag and we’ll use them to inform our plans for the local area.

Our favourite shots will be shared on the Canada Water Masterplan Instagram account, and we’ll select a winner from the following categories: 13-17; and 18-25. The winner of the ‘13-17’ category will receive an Instax Mini Camera, and the winner of the ‘18-25’ category will receive four tickets to the Eat Your Own Ears Printworks event with Ghostpoet.

Bright Lights Starting out in Retail and Hospitality

 A free five week training programme for 16-24 year olds in Southwark who want to build a successful career in retail or hospitality gets underway this October. The programme has been developed and funded by British Land and will be delivered in partnership with The Source Skills Academy – a leading centre of excellence for retail and customer service training. To take part, young people need to sign up to the taster session on 4 October which will provide a flavour of what the programme will involve. For more information or to sign up to the taster session email brightlights@thesourceacademy.co.uk or call 0114 263 5619.

Time and Talents

We would like to congratulate Time and Talents who have been shortlisted for the category 'Charity of the Year with an income of less than £1 million' for a Charity Time Awards. Time & Talents are now taking bookings for the T&T2 space (CWM Hub) in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre and are running a series of events T&T2

Greener City Fund now OPEN!

A Greener City Fund, offering up to £9 million to support local community groups, schools, boroughs and charities to plant more trees and create and improve green spaces across the capital has been launched by the Mayor of London. The first round of Community Tree Planting Grants and Community Green Spaces Grants are now open for application. There’s £1 million of funding for the first round, and grants of between £5,000 - £50,000 are available. Apply by 29 September for the Tree Planting Grants and 20 October 2017 for the Green Space Grants.

Aviva Community Fund opening 12 September 2017!

The Aviva Community Fund is seeking ideas for projects that will improve communities, under the categories of: Health & wellbeing, Skills for life, Inclusivity or Community support. Pictures and videos can be used to tell your story. When you have submitted an entry, you will need to get support from the public to vote for your entry, in the hope of winning a funding prize ranging from £1,000 to £25,000. The fund opens on the 12 September and closes on the 10th October at 12 noon. Good luck!