Multi-million pound initiative will support 25,000 residents to create neighbourhood projects in Barking and Dagenham

31 Jul 2017 12:01 PM

Neighbourhoods made by everyone for everyone is the aim of a new £6.4 million initiative launching in Barking and Dagenham later this year, and set to be the largest project of its kind in the country.

Every One Every Day, a partnership between Participatory City and Barking and Dagenham Council, will work with 25,000 residents across the borough to create over 350 neighbourhood-led projects and form more than 100 new businesses over the next five years.

In addition to £1.5 million from Barking and Dagenham Council, the initiative has received £1 million of National Lottery funding through the Big Lottery Fund, alongside £1 million from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and £450,000 from City Bridge Trust.

Residents will be invited to share ideas for activities and community businesses they would like to launch in their neighbourhoods.

Building on the community work already taking place in the borough, the project will introduce activities such as knowledge sharing, creating dedicated spaces and resources for families to work and play together, and providing facilities for bulk cooking, food growing or tree planting.

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, said the scheme offered fantastic opportunities for the borough.

Cllr Ashraf said: “A project on this scale has never been done before and I think that is a truly exciting prospect for the people of Barking and Dagenham.

“Residents told us they wanted a more integrated, cohesive community with a renewed sense of community spirit. This ground-breaking initiative will offer people the chance to shape where they live by contributing to schemes happening in and around their neighbourhood.”

Participatory City has been refining the model over several years, with the support of Lankelly Chase Foundation, and will launch the five-year initiative with two neighbourhood venues for residents - one in Barking and one in Dagenham.

Tessy Britton, Chief Executive of Participatory City, said: “We are thrilled to be embarking on this exciting process with the people of Barking and Dagenham to develop new ways to collaborate.

“By combining all our ideas and resources, we know we can create optimism, well-being and prosperity, and at significant scale.

“This borough couldn’t be a more perfect place to bring this initiative – it has always been a place full of creativity and energy and this initiative will help to grow that even more.”

Gemma Bull, England Director at the Big Lottery Fund said: “It’s great to see National Lottery funding supporting people in Barking and Dagenham to take action on the issues that matter to them. We are proud to support the Every One Every Day initiative, which will unlock the talent and energy of people to make a difference in their communities. This partnership between Barking and Dagenham and Participatory City has the potential to create new ideas and insights for community action in other parts of the UK, and we look forward to seeing how these neighbourhood-led projects develop.”

Caroline Mason, Chief Executive of Esmee Fairbairn Foundation said: “this initiative shows how bringing all the resources in an area together - people, skills, buildings and money - can ensure change is owned by the community and really enable people to achieve the aspirations that they have for the place they live."

Alison Gowman, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust committee, said: “This project, which is on such a large scale, will benefit so many residents across the borough, offering countless opportunities to get involved and help to bring the community closer together.

“With 100 or more opportunities to participate in every week there will be something for everyone. Participatory City will enable the community to work together in tackling disadvantage and inequality across Barking and Dagenham.

“City Bridge Trust is committed to making London a fairer and better place to live.”

To find out more about Every One Every Day and job vacancies with Participatory City visit http://www.participatorycity.org

Notes to editors:

• Participatory City is a community interest company (CIC).
• To find out more about the initiative and job vacancies with Participatory City visit: http://www.participatorycity.org
• The council will provide £300,000-a-year over the five-year period.

Big Lottery Fund

• The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. It puts people in the lead to improve their lives and communities, often through small, local projects.
• It is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. In 2016/17 it awarded £712.7 million and supported more than 13,814 projects across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 it has awarded £8.5 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people.