Fighting poverty for 130 years Toynbee Hall, founded 130 years ago, is a social welfare charity that works to eradicate poverty and increase opportunities for people to fulfil their potential. see below Good advice The Bromley by Bow Centre has provided health, education and employment advice for 30 years. www.bbbc.org.uk News News in brief Olympic aspirations A COMMUNITY centre and a financial services firm have joined forces in a bid to connect people in Tower Hamlets with opportunities at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Looking East includes arts and cultural projects, graduate employment programmes and a scheme focusing on enterprise. The initiative is the brainchild of the Bromley by Bow Centre and is supported by JP Morgan and the London Legacy Development Corporation. Chief executive Rob Trimble said the park offered unprecedented opportunities. “Looking East is all about connecting the dots between those opportunities and local people,” he said. Suzanne Harding (pictured left), who came to London when she was 18 and for a period was homeless, said: “I had a very difficult time when I came to London but at the Bromley by Bow Centre, everyone was friendly and welcoming. “Now I’m on the Looking East programme and producing a community cook book. I’m volunteering at the centre and this is really important to me because I want to give back.” For more information go to www.bbbc.org.uk Vicar is welcomed MORE than 200 people attended a special service to welcome the new vicar of St Paul’s Church, Bow Common. Bernadette Hegarty, who worked as a social worker in east London, was officially welcomed at the service led by the Bishop of Stepney, the Rt Rev Adrian Newman, on October 4. Originally from Northern Ireland and more recently Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Rev Hegarty said she was excited to be back in the East End. “I am looking forward to getting to know everyone although I realise some things have changed in the 16 years I have been up north,” she said. Fleeting fashion STYLE enthusiasts welcomed the arrival of a pop-up vintage store in Mile End. Fashion and textiles graduate Sharmina Rahman opened Vecchio Vintage (Italian for old) in Mile End Road, to showcase her collection while developing her business online. After the preview last month, Sharmina said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for me.” She said the pop-up store, which has now closed, was popular with students, as well as nurses from nearby hospitals. To find out more, visit http://vecchiovintage.com Toynbee Hall plans growth using £1.7m lottery grant COMMUNITY organisation Toynbee Hall is set to expand its work after receiving a £1.7 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The grant will help fund repairs and restoration work at the grade II listed building in Commercial Street, Whitechapel, allowing unused parts of it to be brought back into use. Plans also include the creation of a heritage learning centre and the employment of a learning and participation manager. Two apprentices will be taken on and will work to achieve heritage NVQ qualifications. Other projects funded by the lottery money will include exhibitions charting Toynbee Hall’s impact on social reforms as well as its role through historic events such as the 1920s General Strike and the founding of the welfare state. Chief executive Graham Fisher said: “Toynbee Hall’s mission over the last 130 years has been focused on tackling poverty and disadvantage. The grant will not only preserve our 130-year-old halls but will allow us to use our heritage to inspire a new generation of social reformers to find new solutions to tackle poverty and inequality.” Improved access will increase public use of the building and historical information will be made available online. Volunteers will be involved in a new education programme carrying out research, curating exhibitions and recording interviews with people who have had contact with Toynbee Hall in past years. 12 NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 20 – 26 OCTOBER 2014
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