April 2020
Hi everyone,
I hope you are all safe and well. The past few weeks have been a pretty crazy shift away from ‘normal life’. However, as we all start to adjust to the ‘new normal’ I thought I would update you with some things we have to look forward to once the lockdown is over.
Unit C Update
Prior to Covid-19 the TRA (residents group) committee had been in conversation with Hackney’s Regeneration Team and Hackney Showroom (who are leasing Unit C) regarding how we, as residents, can use Unit C as a community space. Hackney’s Regeneration team have agreed to fund and facilitate a redesign of the unit into two usable spaces, with a communal area for both spaces to access the facilities. Having two usable spaces will allow Hackney Showroom to be able to continue to run their charity without interruption (such as doing rehearsals), while at the same time we can run activities for residents. This construction work was due to take place in June but now depends on Covid-19 restrictions.
Crowdfunding deadline
You may recall we launched a Crowdfunding page in January to raise the money needed to fit out the space in Unit C to make it more suitable for community activities. We raised a good amount of money initially through local residents and contacts, which was a great way to know that there is wider support for the project. We then got an incredible £12,000 pledge from the Mayor of London! Unfortunately, this news was quickly overshadowed by Covid-19 hitting London. However, we are still hoping to raise the last bit of money we need to create a fantastic community space for us to enjoy once the lockdown is over.
We still have to reach our target amount before 25th May in order to release the funding. The total amount we need to raise has dropped a bit because there are no fees connected to the large pledge from the Mayor. Also, the transaction fees were estimated and turning out to be less than anticipated, which is a bonus! It looks like we have around £1,000 left to raise! We have also allowed for overfunding, as any additional money raised can be spent on things like plants and pictures for the wall to make the space even nicer and possibly even some equipment for activities.
Please see here for details and pledge/share with contacts if you can: https://www.spacehive.com/kings-crescent-community-space
Timeline
Although the deadline to raise the funding is still in place, Spacehive and the Mayor’s team have relaxed their expectations on when we must deliver the project due to the Covid-19 situation.
At this stage we do not know when the all of the Unit C work will be allowed to take place, but we plan to be ready to go as soon as we can (Covid-19 dependent). I was hoping we would have the space ready for community use by September, but as the lockdown continues this is looking less likely. I will keep you updated as time goes on and as we find out more.
What do you want in the community space?
Looking forward to when we can be together again (physically) as a community we would love to know your thoughts and ideas about ‘Unit C’ and living on Kings Crescent. What regular activities would you like running in the new community space, do you have any skills to contribute etc. We want the new community space to have something for all residents. Source Partnership are doing a survey, please complete it to share your opinions and ideas: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YKTBZW6
Homework Club
Back in November we applied for Hackney Small Grant funding to run a homework club and I am pleased to announce that we have been awarded the grant!!! This will run once per week and be a space for kids to have a healthy snack after school, do some activity to burn off any excess energy, have some quiet time to do homework (with DBS checked adult volunteers to support), and end with some time to relax with friends. We will also buy some laptops and resources for the kids to use. I am hoping that we will be able to start this in September (Covid-19 dependent).
Support
In the meantime, please do reach out if you need support during this time of self-isolation. We are part of the Brownswood Mutual Aid group, you can see their website for more information if you need help with shopping, someone to talk to etc: https://www.brownswoodmutualaid.org.uk/
There are links to information and further resources on our website also: https://kingscrescent.org/coronavirus/
You can contact the TRA committee by email KingsCrescentN4@gmail.com, phone: 07926568497 or via social media @KingsCrescentN4
In the news!
Kings Crescent and the TRA were recently featured in Quartz in piece that was discussing how communities have come together to support one another during Covid-19. https://qz.com/1834247/coronavirus-reminds-us-what-functioning-communities-look-like/
TRA committee
If you are interested in joining the committee, please get in touch!
Website
Please see the website for news updates and the minutes of previous meetings etc.
Stay safe everyone and I look forward to seeing you all again for lots of community parties once this is all over!!
With best wishes
Emley & the TRA committee
