Edgware Community Fund awards £26,900 to local projects

• Edgware Town Centre Community Fund awards grants to 12 local charities and community groups

• The fund will benefit the community including providing cooking classes, supporting food growing and relieving loneliness for residents across Edgware

Ballymore has today announced the first successful applicants to the Edgware Community Fund, which provides grants for local community groups active in and around Edgware.

Grants of up to £3,000 have been awarded to 12 projects seeking to unite people and communities, promote health and wellbeing, champion young people, skills and training or enhance Edgware’s environment and public realm.

Recipients of this year’s fund include:

• Unitas Youth Zone - providing a range of support for young people including employment skills like CV writing and interview practice, as well as a variety of activities for youth age groups.

• Bread n Butter CIC – delivering community cooking classes.

• Barnet Breatheeasy – supporting those affected by lung conditions and providing a forum to discuss their shared experiences.

• Kisharon Langdon – helping residents with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs improve their health and wellbeing.

• Mill Hill Community Choir – providing singing lessons for residents of all ages helping to build community relationships.

• Big Time Pre-prep Nursery and Mill Hill Library – to provide cooking equipment to improve eating habits and cooking skills for families.

• NW7hub Foodbank – grant will help to expand the food growing area to provide more homegrown food for the community.

• Fun Unique Social Enterprise (FUSE) Youth Group – grant will help to fund a school holiday programme for young people during the summer months.

• The Hive Foundation – providing equipment for sporting opportunities for young people improving health and wellbeing.

• Stonegrove Community Trust – providing support and activities to reduce loneliness amongst the elderly.

A panel convened by Ballymore determined the size of the grants delivered by the Edgware Community Fund, in a process which formalises the support for the local community which Ballymore has delivered since 2020.

Ballymore and Places for London’s ambitious masterplan for Edgware town centre proposes to deliver 3,365 new homes, including up to 1,150 affordable homes, and 463 student accommodation spaces. There will also be a significant increase in green space for the town centre including a new Deans Brook Nature Park, which is to be created by unlocking land which has been inaccessible to the public for almost 100 years.

Simon Ryan, Developments Director at Ballymore said: “We are delighted to announce the recipients of the Edgware Town Centre Community Fund. Ballymore are committed to giving back to our amazing community in Edgware, which we are proud to have been a part of for the past four years.

The quality and the diversity of the applications was incredible to see and is a real testament to the community spirit that Edgware is known for. By providing over £26,000 in funding for local community groups we are proud to be supporting projects that will benefit residents of all ages across Edgware.”

Harriet Boamah, Managing Director of FUSE said: “FUSE is a Community Interest Company (CIC) established in 2019 to support children and young people (CYP) living on housing estates in the London Borough of Barnet. The organisation operates across Grahame Park, West Hendon and Stonegrove Estates, providing a safe space and a range of programmes including youth work, outreach, sport, mentoring and family activities. The £3,000 funding awarded by the Edgware Community Grant will enable us to run enterprise days in our youth clubs during the summer holidays. This funding will enable us to take our members on trips and run workshops that will inspire them to think about their individual career paths.”

Robin Moss, Chief Executive of Unitas Youth Zone said: “Unitas Youth Zone’s employability offer is an important service for local young people. With the support of the Community Fund, we are excited to expand it and link in with even more local employers.”

Agnes Keszthelyi, volunteer at Mill Hill Community Choir said: "The Mill Hill Community Choir is thrilled to receive this grant, which will help us deepen our impact within the community. With this support, we can continue to bring people together through singing, nurturing self expression, and promote well-being and sustainability in Edgware."