Posted on 16 September 2024
Join our Projects and Partnerships Manager, Mads, as he recently spent the day in Lewisham with our Resident Board Members.
Our Communities team are always keen to showcase the work that they do in our communities – working with our customers and community partners. Spending time with our Resident Board Members is a great way to highlight the work we do - everything from the types of projects we fund through Hyde Charitable Trust (HCT), to how we collaborate with local borough councils.
Mads spent the day with Resident Board Members Debbie Ellison and Stella Young. He tells us more:
Vital community projects
“Lewisham was a great place to spend the day with Debbie and Stella as we work with so many diverse communities there. Our first stop was Lewisham Council, where we met Lewisham’s Community Safety Team. We talked about new and existing initiatives and how Hyde has been involved. Projects include the Sip and Talk and Second Wave projects, which our Evolve Fund has helped fund. The projects are targeted at young residents living in Lewisham.
Sip and Talk is a programme where parents who have been affected by knife crime give talks in local schools and colleges, educating young people on how to deal with knife crime. The Second Wave project is a free youth arts centre in Deptford. It offers everything from drama and music sessions, to work experience.
St Mauritius House
Second the stop was St Mauritius House, retirement housing in Lewisham. Here the Scheme Manager talked about what her role involves and how she encourages residents to participate in the different activities we organise. (The residents were about to participate in an exercise class. However, to my relief this was cancelled as I was worried I’d have to join in!)
Working in partnership
Final stop of the day was a walk about on the Pepys Estate – a large, diverse estate in Deptford. The homes are owned and managed by different housing associations along with Hyde, including Peabody, Lewisham Homes and L&Q. The Communities team works with all the different housing associations on the estate – for example, co-funding joint projects. I showed board members the community centre. We talked to the Community Centre Manager (managed by a community partner), who was able to show us around. We talked about some of the activities they are delivering, including a food bank and youth activities and how it also runs like a local Lewisham library.”
Resident Board Member, Debbie Ellison said: “It was good to see the other side of Hyde and how residents and projects are supported through HCT.”