Perry Vale Assembly

Thursday 17February 2011

7.30pm – 9.30pm

KilmorieSchool

Kilmorie Road,SE23 2SP

Minutes of the Meeting

1. Welcome, introduction & format for the meeting

Cllr John Paschoud (Chair) welcomed everybody and introduced Councillor Wise, he then asked members of the Coordinating Group to stand and make themselves known to the assembly.

Cllr Pashchoud apologised on behalf of the Perry Vale Safer Neighbourhood Team and Sergeant Phil Moore, who were unable to attend tonight’s meeting. However, they did wish to assure the assembly that there were no plans to reduce the size of the team. Councillor Pashchoud then told the assembly about the new crime mapping site, just type in

  1. The Perry Vale Mayor’s Fund

Councillor Pashchoud told the assembly that that there is £25,000 to spend in Perry Vale and that there are eight applications, each applicant will have three minutes to present their proposal and there will then be an opportunity for the assembly to ask questions. The assembly will then be able to vote for which proposals they would like to fund. There is also £18,750 available from the end of the March, all unsuccessful applications will have an opportunity to bid for this money at the next assembly.

Proposal 1 - Transport provision for older men’s social group

Applicant - Ageing well in Lewisham - Amount applied for £5,448

Project Details

This project aims to provide both minibus transport and a driver for older men (who are unable to get on public transport and live independently in their local community) within Perry Vale. This will enable them to attend a local social group, this group meeting provides information and helps them to access other services within the local community. But more importantly it helps to reduce serious issues such as loneliness and isolation. Many of the men are housebound, lacking confidence and spend much of the day staring at four walls, their friends have moved away or they are deceased. Therefore, this social group meeting is something for them to look forward to.

The project is very successful and was initially started to meet a gap in service identified by local people. The project already has partial funding, so if

we are able to secure funding for a driver, minibus hire and escort costs the group will be fully functional. Without a minibus the group cannot offer a suitable service to this client group.

Local people who are more active but socially isolated are also very welcome at the group, but the greatest demand and expense is for transport for those less active who desperately want to attend, but do not qualify for statutory provision of day care.

The organisation is a member of the community transport scheme and has suitably trained drivers available (so there are no further training costs) The organisation wants to be able to use these caring people as drivers and during the ‘down time’ the drivers will also help over 1:1 companionship.

If we are successful with this funding application the men will be able to have their group 36 weeks of the year. The men are desperate for the group to continue in addition, we would like to give other people in the local area the opportunity to use the service.

Q Where are you based

A We are based in St Georges Church on Vancouver Road

Q How long is this funding for and who is the vehicle hired from

A It is for a year and the van is hired from Lewisham Community Support.

Proposal 2 Rockbourne is getting active

Applicant - Rockbourne Youth Club - Amount applied for £9,951.60

Project Details

Rockbourne has always had a range of activities on offer to ensure there was something for all young people to get involved in. In order to ensure the next financial year is no different and we can continue the work we are doing we want to apply for funding to run a Summer Play-Scheme and offer weekly activities throughout the year. In total, we are applying for £9951.60.

Below is a breakdown of the project and activity ideas we have:

Three Week Summer Play-scheme:

  • We would like to run a play-scheme for our Juniors (8-12yr olds) and Seniors (13-25yr olds), each group would have a range of activities to participate in ranging from Team building adventure days, Bike Workshops, Clothes/Fashion design classes, Roller Hockey sessions and ending with day trip out.

Weekly Classes:

  • Football club – as we will have our new sports area outside we would like to create a football club for our Juniors and Seniors. We have worked with Mill Wall in the past and would like to develop this partnership again
  • Saturday Film Making workshops – for the last three years we have been providing performing art workshops and have done a range of themes and styles from live talent shows, musical performances and most recently short films around comedy zombies and sword fighting superhero’s.

Through providing the additional activities, we will be addressing the Young People priority that was action by Perry Vale. As the only youth club within Perry Vale our service has a great impact on the priority.

The project will mainly involve Young People from the local area, however through our existing partnerships with other service providers (Mill Wall Community Football, True Kaizen Dance Company, The Fold Music Studios, Southern Exposure PG, RollerHockeySchool), they will also play a vital role in supporting the work we will be doing.

Our numbers for the sessions and projects will all depend on which session or project is running, on average at the moment we get between 15 – 40 young people during an evening session. Over the summer holidays all our places get booked and we even have to develop a waiting list, per activity or per day we have about 20 young people.

Q What is the age linit

A From 8 to 25 years

Q Where does your funding come from

A Our salary is paid by the council, but we have to apply for funding for projects, we are not a business and we are linked with a charity too.

Proposal 3 Sports Leaders Qualification

Applicant - Teach Sport - Amount applied for £7,390

Project Details

We want to train up young people within the sports environment to enable them to improve the local programme of community sports activities available to residents including underpinning the activities already available. Both courses offered are Nationally Recognised Qualifications. The project has 3 strands, strand 1 is to run a Junior Sports Leaders Awards (Level 1) course to give the young people the skills to work with younger ages and peer groups to deliver community activities once qualified. Strand 2 will be to offer the young people the opportunity to work alongside our Teachsport coaches and Lewisham Thunder Basketball Club for 2 months to gain further experience and put their new knowledge into practice. Strand 3 is to run a Community Sports Leaders Award course (Level 2) this will include working closely with local schools and community groups running activities and tournaments plus each candidate has to complete 10 hours of community Voluntary work (160 hours of free sports coaching within Perry Vale). Once completed the young people will be qualified to work as assistant coaches across the Ward.

The first course Level 1 will involve 20 young people aged 14+. These places will be specifically offered, in the first instance , to residents within the Perry Vale ward. We will work closely in partnership with ForestHillSchool and BrentKnollSpecialSchool plus volunteer staff at PerryValeWardPrimary Schools to ensure this will be the case. Places will be offered to residents regardless of gender, disability or religious beliefs.

The second course Level 2 will involve 16 young people aged 16+ and be offered in the same way as above.

Partners for the project are Teachsport, ForestHillSchool, BrentKnollSchool, ChristChurchSchool, PerrymountSchool, AdamsrillSchool, Lewisham Thunder Basketball Club.

Q Are you going to be able to play cricket in MayowPark

A Yes and at Hillyfields too

Q Are the pitches in MayowPark finished

A Yes, but not signed off yet

Proposal 4 KilmorieSchoolGardens

Applicant - Friends of Kilmorie - Amount applied for £3,800

Project Details

The Kilmorie School PTA, Friends of Kilmorie have developed a plan to improve the KilmorieSchool gardens. The main school playground is a large area of tarmac with smaller areas of vegetation such as the ‘WildGarden’ (an area with trees and raised beds) and the ‘TimeGarden’ (an area of bamboos). At the back of the school there is an outside space running the length of the building in which we have created raised beds for planting and have started to create an outdoor classroom.

Two years ago we spent £12,000 on the first purpose built playing equipment for the children, an Adventure Trail. This money had been raised over many years. We also raised and spent over £3000 on developing our WildGarden which encourages wildlife and is used by the school for science lessons. This included building raised beds, creating paths, pruning trees and providing seating. £1000 has also been spent on developing a previously unused area at the back of the school by pruning back existing plants, building raised beds and making benches. All the work was carried out by parents from the school using their own tools, skills and hard work. We now need extra funding to continue this work, in particular we are looking for money in the following areas:

  • In the WildGarden we need structures to create an environment for imaginative and constructive play. The children really enjoy den building and exploring and we would like to add some structures to enhance their play. We would also like to create more wildlife areas for
  • example using plants for butterflies and making ‘houses’ for animals so that children can explore the animal life all around us.
  • In the TimeGarden we need new plants; this area was created over 10 years ago and a number of plants have died, it urgently needs new planting. The planting will also be used to create shade for the children.
  • We want to introduce artwork such as murals and sculptures. These will compliment the plants and provide the children with a stimulating and inspiring environment.
  • In the area at the back of the school a number of raised planting beds have been created which the children use to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers. Timber benches have been made to create an outdoor teaching space which is very bare and needs plants to provide shading for the warmer months. We also want to encourage the children to compost with compost bins and a ‘worm café’.

The children in the school council have plans to develop their ‘buddy scheme’ which involves the older children helping others who are finding it hard in the playground; this will include a ‘buddy bench’. We would like to integrate this bench into the gardens.

Q How are you deciding upon the Sculpture

A The Sculpture will be sourced

Proposal 5 It Kickz Music Project

Applicant - It Kickz - Amount applied for £10.000

Project Details

The It Kickz Music Project (IKMP) is a 2 year music education programme developed in collaboration between Forest Hill School (FHS) and Millwall Community Scheme (MCS).

The project aims to provide opportunities for children and young people living and/or receiving education in the Perry Vale, Forest Hill and Sydenham Wards, to experience, engage and participate in live music making activities where normally they would have limited or no opportunities to do so.

The IKMP will deliver a unique programme of 90 x 1½ hour out of school hours (OOSH) music workshop, 50 hours of summer programming, peer mentoring activities, and collaborative/partnership projects and performances. The project will engage with 70 children and young people, working directly with 30 young people aged 13-16 years, plus a further 40 children and young people aged 10-18 years, through outreach, transition and collaborative work.

Through the project young people will be introduced to live music making, developing practical skills and musical understanding and appreciation. They will develop creative musicianship through playing in small and large ensembles; performance skills (including musical expression); and have an opportunity to gain a nationally recognised arts qualification (i.e. Bronze and/or Silver Arts Award). In addition, participants will have the opportunity to take up volunteering and peer mentoring roles, developing their leadership (as well as music) skills and experience.

The IKMP will target 70 children and young people aged 10-18 years living and/or receiving education in the Perry Vale, Forest Hill and Sydenham Wards.

The project will draw on FHS’s and MCS’s existing partnerships with local primary, secondary and special schools (e.g. Brent Knoll, Adamsrill, Perrymount, Christ Church), service providers (e.g. Rockbourne Youth Centre, St Christopher’s Hospice) voluntary and community organisations (e.g. Sydenham & Forest Hill Youth Forum, The Grove Centre), and/ arts organisations and institutions (e.g. Lewisham Music Service (LMS), Trinity Laban), who will be invited to become involved as outreach and transition partner organisations, referral agents, collaborators, programme deliverers and strategic partners.

St Michael’s CofE and Kelvin Grove primary schools have provided written confirmation of their desire to become primary transition partners for the IKMP, and we are currently in consultation with Goldsmiths College, Trinity Laban, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, LMS, Youth Music and Lewisham Arts Service, exploring feasible means through which to collaborate and work together in order to develop sustainable music education provision within the target area beyond the life of the current project, and for the long-term benefit of the local community.

Q Are you affiliated to Lewisham Music Service

A Yes, and we’re also trying to forge links with other strategic groups

Q What will happen if other assemblies do not fund

A We will need to streamline and re-evaluate

Q Is it singing or instrumental

A It is a instrumental base programme providing after school activities and provision

Proposal 6 Sydenham Arts

Applicant - Sydenham Arts - Amount applied for £3,000

Project Details

The third annual Sydenham Arts Festival will run from 1 July to 17 July and is currently being planned. In 2011 we intend to provide live performances in the High Street including theatrical performances and exhibitions in “pop-up” shops, “Arts in the Park” and Family Fund Day in the (Home) Park with live entertainment and children’s activities working with Friends of Home Park, an open-air Free Film Show in Mayow Park, a Visual Arts Trail and performance workshops.

Events will take place in ForestHillSchool, MayowPark, DietrichBonhoefferChurch and Normanton StMethodistChurch (Visual Arts Trail and a Raise the Roof Choir concert) all in Perry Vale Ward. We are currently in discussions with the Sydenham and Forest Hill Youth Forum, local musicians and performers and many other event organisers about approximately fifty other arts events taking place during the Festival.

The Sydenham Arts Festival is already established as a major community event in the SE 26 and SE 23 area and we want to build on this to improve community cohesion and a sense of place.

With a wide variety of Arts events at free or accessible prices throughout the festival period, as well as free taster arts workshops every opportunity will be given to everyone in the local area of SE26, SE23 and SE6 to take part in festival activities

We are also planning to encourage young people totake part in activities and to put on performances organised by them during the Festival period. This will not only involve activities and performances during the Festival but will involve planning these events in the months leading up to the Festival.

All local residents in SE26 and the surrounding area of SE23 and SE6 will be invited to take part in the Festival as performers or volunteers, as well as audience members. The Festival has made it apparent over the past two years that it is all-inclusive with all sections of the community actively encouraged to take part in the festival as performers, volunteers or audience members. There is free admission to many of the events, whileothers have concessionary rates. No group is excluded from getting involved. Most venues are DDA compliant

Q Will the money from this assembly go towards anything specific

A Yes, it will fund a film show in MayowPark

Proposal 7 Houston we have a problem

Applicant – Houston Road - Amount applied for £16,000 (estimate)

Project Details