Posted on 26 January 2022
We’re excited to announce that Hyde Foundation, working with Kennington Park Estate Community Garden Group and other local partners, has been awarded £49,698 to improve green spaces across our Kennington Park Estate. The project will work with the community to improve unused and derelict spaces across the estate, and provide training and employment for our customers.
The 2021 Grow Back Greener Fund is co-funded by the Mayor of London and Thames Water, and has awarded £1.4m to 45 community projects that will create and enhance green spaces and increase climate resilience. The fund prioritises projects in areas of deprivation, high climate risk and poor access to green space.
This is a social value match funded initiative, so will also involve our contractors and we’ll be using the learning to inform how we work with customers on other Hyde estates.
The funding will be used for a one year project (November 2021-November 2022), called ‘Kennington’s Green Escape’. The project will transform four unused or inaccessible sites across the estate. These grey spaces will be recreated into green, functional, biodiverse places which residents have access to and ownership of, supported by Urban Growth’s expertise. Urban Growth is a local social enterprise with extensive experience in community building through gardening activities. Urban Growth’s team will play a significant role in managing and co-ordinating the project.
The project builds on Hyde’s existing partnership in Kennington to create new spaces providing 2,400m2 of accessible green space providing opportunities for recreational, community events and outdoor learning.
Kerry Starling, Hyde’s Director of Communities and Social Impact said: “We have 730 homes on our Kennington Park Estate and this funding is community partnership at its best. Not only will it be great for customer involvement, but it will also bring environmental improvements to Kennington and will also mean health improvements to our customers. This funding will transform the way that our Kennington Estate looks – I can’t wait to see how the work progresses.”
Key partners for the project include:
- Hyde Foundation
- Kennington Park Estate Community Garden Group
- Reed House resident group
- Urban Growth
- Berkeley Homes
- Groundscapes / Cleanscapes
- Henry Fawcett Primary School
- Thriving North Lambeth
- Global Action Partnership
- Kennington Park Community Centre
- Arts Depot
Find out more on London.GOV.UK.
