Contents
Welcome
Hidden Treasure - Pepys Resources Centre
SRB Questions & Answers
2000 Community Action Centre
Committees, committees, committees
Splash 'Making Waves on Pepys'
Your Professional staff
Ideas for PCF
New beginnings
Wheelhouse
Creative Supplies
Building Assets for the Future
The purpose of this update is to provide you with information about what is going on within the Forum and what will be happening over the next few months.
Just to remind you, PCF has:
A Constitution
There are 3 important tasks that the Management Committee needs to achieve over the next few months:
1 Listening to your ideas for projects to make things happen for your community
2 Working with you and learn how to turn your ideas into actions for funds or
other support
3 Helping you become more involved in the work of PCF
PCF wants to develop a Community Development Trust to enable the local community to set up, develop and manage their own services and resources in the PCF area.
This means that the community needs to learn how to prepare and organise resources, i.e. money, information, people, and how to manage and monitor how those resources are used. This will begin to happen as local people and organisations get involved in creating projects.
The SRB money mentioned above will be a part of the total resources available
to PCF. Right now, it is the only money PCF has and it can only be applied in very specific ways.
PCF will start to develop additional resources apart from the SRB money. It will also be working with as many other organisations as possible, creating long-term partnerships. Some of our existing partners have written articles for this update.
This update will become a community run magazine, an independent voice for the community and a place where information about PCF and its progress can be found and commented on.
We have 6 years in which to establish PCF as a successful community-led organisation. The more people are involved the greater the likelihood of success.
We will create opportunities for you to talk to us but dont wait for that. Take the initiative yourselves and let us know what you want to do.
Pepys Resource Centre is a registered charity, situated in front of the River Thames, currently funded by Pepys Community Forum SRB and Deptford Challenge Trust. We are a small friendly organisation with a family atmosphere, which has a range of services on offer to the local community.
Services on offer:
Vocational Guidance is a FREE, impartial & confidential service available to Lewisham residents and can help you plan your next step, whether you are seeking work or training. Vocational guidance can give you ideas about a career change or advice on education. Providing help with Application Forms, and Interview Techniques, this is a service with ongoing support.
Job Vacancies are available locally & London-wide via FREE use of daily
newspapers and Periodicals. Staff are available to help you find the right
job.
FREE Computer courses will allow you to enhance and develop your IT skills, as well as gain you a qualification. Specialist One - One IT Training sessions for those attending interviews, to help you secure that job.
Lewisham CV Service can provide you with a FREE professional CV that works, on quality conqueror paper and you can return at any time to update it!
Deptford & New Cross Credit Union is a savings cooperative set up and run by local volunteers. You can save at a level to suit your budget and borrow at a reasonable rate of interest.
Fax, Photocopying and Internet facilities available at a small fee.
Meeting Room available to local groups at low rates.
For a yearly subscription, the Membership fee is 1.00 for the use of these
services.
For further information please contact:
Joan Brooks
1 Old Library
Opening Times :
Tel: 0208 694-2883/2463
Fax: 0208 694-1594
Bus route: 199 to Grove Street, Deptford, SE8
What is an SRB ?
Its a sum of money provided by the government through Lewisham Borough Council to support specific types of community development and services.
How much money have we been given ?
We havent been given the money. We have been given a budget and each year we will have to produce a plan showing how we want to spend the budget for the following year. The plan has to be supported by detailed information about the various activities or projects which are part of the plan. We only get the money after the work has been done.
O.K. How much money is in the budget ?
There is approximately 3.3 million pounds of SRB cash, 0.5 million of
other cash, and 1.2 million in match funding. Match funding means that other organisations have given or will give services or facilities that are
worth 1.2 million. All this is spread over the years 1999 to 2006.
Does PCF control the SRB Budget ?
PCF, through the Management Committee, decides how its SRB funds are
allocated to projects and activities. It has to make sure that the right kind of information is provided about a project, that the organisation that will run a project is able to do that, and that the right documents are correctly completed by the organisation asking for SRB support. PCF itself has to produce further documentation.
Why produce all that paperwork, isnt that wasting the SRB cash ?
Without the correct paperwork, SRB cash will not be given to PCF. This
is because the Council, on behalf of the government, has to make sure that
the SRB cash is being properly managed. The Council has appointed a Project Manager, Barbara Wright, to run a small team, to audit the way PCF and
other organisations manage SRB funds and related projects. That team also has
the final approval over SRB projects, again to make sure that the information provided is correct.
So, at least if we complete the right paperwork, we can do what we like
with the money ?
No we cant. SRB is provided for very specific purposes. That is why PCF
will have to raise additional cash for itself. The SRB has been provided to
support:
The creation of childcare services and places
There are detailed targets, over the life of the SRB, associated with
each of the above which must be met. These are already agreed as part of the total SRB bid and cannot be changed.
Oh. So how am I supposed to know if what I want to do can be helped by
the SRB ?
You can come and talk to or write to the Management Committee explaining
what your idea is. They will advise you what to do next. It may be funded
through the SRB. It may be funded from other sources.
It sounds like the SRB is a kind of deposit in our Community Bank Account.
Yes thats right. And we have to show that not only can we manage that
deposit well, but that we can also add to the account from our own efforts. That is what being a Community Trust is all about !
This new purpose built facility gives YOU the residents of the Deptford
area the opportunity to develop services to enhance YOUR:
Physical Health
LBL, SRB and local residents from the Pepys Estate who have been part of the management committee have supported this initiative.
Its now YOUR time! YOUR turn to make a difference! YOUR turn to contribute to the development of YOUR area!
What would YOU like to see! What would YOU like to do! What ideas do YOU have for the future!
The 2000 Community Action Centre and its entire staff are committed to
aiding and supporting all worthy causes that enable the achievement of the mission statement along with the aims and objectives of the organisation.
However if this new facility is to provide YOU with the opportunity to
progress then YOU will need to be involved.
The 2000 Community Action Centre will be holding an AGM between October
/ November to elect a new management committee and board of trustees. This will be strongly advertise and is YOUR opportunity to become involved and help to shape the future of services for YOUR area.
All sections of the community are invited to contribute and the 2000 Community
Action Centre would like to hear from YOU if YOU are interested in becoming a board member.
Want to know more! Contact the Centre Manager Conroy St. Hilaire
You can drop in or call at: 2000 Community Action Centre
Tel: 020-8691-8611
Fax: 020-8691-8611
Committees, Committees, Committees ...
PCF is a legally constituted organisation. It has an agreed set of rules about how it manages itself that is called a Constitution. Those rules have been written in a manner that will satisfy the Charity Commission, and eventually PCF will become a Charity.
All charitable organisations have to be run in a certain way. They have to be able to show that matters are being discussed, money is being managed,
decisions are being taken in a democratic manner, and that the organisation
communicates with its members.
PCFs members, those over 18 years of age who live or work in the PCF area, vote for a Management Committee to run the organisation on their behalf. The Management Committee will have a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. They will also establish Sub-committees to concentrate on specific areas of running the organisation.
PCF is currently organised as follows:
Chair - Jessica Leech
Both the Management Committee and the Sub-Committees can co-opt people to join them on the basis of their skills, knowledge, experience or interest
and enthusiasm for a particular area of work.
PCF has to have 4 open meetings each year so that its members can meet with and ask questions of the Management Committee. Sub-Committees can also arrange open meetings whenever they wish to enable more members to join in with their discussions. This has happened already for Childcare.
Some staff members are actively involved in Sub-Committees. William Lowe, the Finance Worker is a member of the Finance Sub-Committee, and Sam Harper, the Childcare Development Worker, co-ordinates the activity of the Childcare
Sub-Committee.
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The main interests of the Sub-Committees are:
Staff - Staff employment, personnel procedures, recruitment, training,
supervision
Finance - PCFs financial position, assets, income, expenditure,banking
Constitution - Legislation, rules and regulations, Community Development
Trust, charity
Economic Development - Employment development, training, education, partnerships/links with local business, employment information,resource centre
Youth - Involvement opportunities, school and community links, youth centre representation
Childcare - Provision, training, parental involvement, partnerships with
providers
Publicity - Events, community magazine, equal opportunities regarding access
to material
Healthy Living - Diet, exercise, health, support
Splash 'Making Waves on Pepys'
Pepys Estate is river based and young people from our area should be able to enjoy the thrills and excitement of sailing and canoeing on the Thames and its surrounding waters. With this in mind, local tenants and young people set up 'Splash', a new organisation that raises money to provide free water sports activities in the safe, supervised environment of the Surrey Docks Water Sports Centre.
So far over 70 young people have taken part and many have gained certificates
from the British Canoe Union (Paddle Power Scheme) or the Royal Yachting
Association (Young Sailor Scheme). The completion of a three day course trains youngsters to use the boats at our local water sports centre. However, we aim for the young sailors and canoeists to become as proficient as they want to at these sports. And we want to link these activities with the Youth Achievement Awards and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. But more than anything our provision of water sports is a small way that lets local youth know that they can achieve whatever they want. As more local people get involved with the PCF we can set up other projects that help develop the talents and abilities
of our kids.
To take part in Splash you just need to be 8 years old or over, be able to swim and not mind getting wet. To book your place phone Sharon on 0208 469 0237.
PCF currently employs two professional staff to service the organisation and support its committees [ and is recruiting three others ].
Sam Harper Childcare Development Worker
Sam has over 12 years of experience in childcare both in professional and voluntary roles. She has worked with children and families across all cultures and abilities.
William Lowe Finance Worker
As we said earlier, we want to:
1. Help you tell us your ideas for projects to make things happen for your community
2. Work with you and learn how to turn your ideas into actions for funds
or other support
3. Help you become more involved in the work of PCF
We also said that the SRB funding areas and related targets have already been agreed, and that your ideas may be funded from the SRB or other sources. We plan to have a professional fundraiser working as a staff member for PCF from next April.
Meanwhile there is nothing to stop you telling us what your ideas are. What is important is that you think about the points identified in the paragraphs below. Everyone involved in wanting to make an idea happen will need to learn how to collect and prepare information that supports that idea.
Creating and maintaining good information will be the backbone of all ideas and projects.
The easiest way to begin this process is to just contact the PCF Office and arrange to meet and discuss your idea with the PCF Coordinator. Whether you meet someone or you send them a letter, it will always be helpful to organise your idea first by preparing the following information:
1. A general description of your idea
Dont be afraid of sharing your idea with us. We may not always be able to help but all your ideas matter.
PCF needs to be very clear and very detailed about the information it has to provide about projects which require SRB or other funding. That principle will be applied to all requests for support because PCF is publicly accountable for what it does. It has to do the right things, and do things right.
This means that everyone involved in thinking about a future project idea will need to think in the following kind of way:
1. Who is your project going to help ? How do you know that did you
ask people, if so how many, when was that. Is that what most people think
how do you know that ?
2. What kind of things need to happen to make your project work in practise
? Is there a place where it will happen, what resources are needed e.g.
people, furniture, training.
3. What will the resources cost ?
4. How much time do you think is needed to get your project ready ?
5. Who else is involved in making this project work e.g. another organisation .
6. Will your project employ anyone on a full time or part time basis
? If so, what will they do ?
7. What will change and in what way, because of your project e.g. an unemployed person will now have a job.
8. Will PCF have new assets because of your project e.g. 2 new computers.
9. What are the risks ? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your idea ?
It will be very important to ensure that you have uptodate information about who will benefit from your project. If you are an organisation it will be very important to regularly collect information about actual and potential clients. For example: if you are a youth organisation - how many members do you have, in what age groups are they, how often do they come to your organisation, how many young people are there out there that could be members, what are their age
groups and so on.
PCF will provide the documentation and training to help you complete the
required paperwork. But you will need to keep records of any research you have carried out or any meetings you have had which support your project request.
Talk to us
Since its formation in December 99, the aim of The Pepys Community Forum has been to give the local community support and guidance in creating a community where people would be proud to live and work in.
It is equally important that the community become involved in order for this programme to be successful.
I have been employed to address the lack of childcare provision on the Pepys Estate. Without your input it will be difficult to provide you with the childcare YOU WANT!
My job is to ensure childcare needs are addressed and also to actively involve the community in doing so. Alongside this I aim to support you, through providing affordable childcare, to enable you to remain in employment, retrain, study or to attend meetings. The potential is endless.
A sum of money is now available solely designated to improve childcare
facilities
Should you wish to become involved or require information regarding the
childcare initiative, you can contact me at The Pepys Resource Centre on:0208 694 3503. Or please come and visit me to discuss your childcare issues
I need you to help me in order that I can help you!!
Sam Harper
The Wheelhouse Family Centre was opened in March 1999 by Joan Ruddock, our local MP. We are a member of the Lewisham Pre-School Learning Alliance and have formed links with other childcare projects on the Estate.
Since we opened we have been home to a Pre-School, and under-5s group, the Vietnamise Womens Project, Lewisham Pre-School Learning Alliance Parent Support Drop-In, Childcare Training and a summer holiday playscheme.
The Pre-School is registered with the Department for Education and has
recently passed an Ofsted Inspection, gaining the recommendation for re-inspection in 2-4 years. This year we gained funding from PCF to run a holiday playscheme at the Centre, meeting some of the Year 2 SRB targets for childcare places. The Centre is registered with Social Services.
Over the next year we plan to extend our Pre-School sessions, offer extra
Under-5s sessions, expand our training to offer childcare training, targeting
residents of Pepys Estate.
We look forward to the coming year with its challenges and exciting new
projects.
Jan Coleman
Creative Supplies offers a valuable service in providing re-usable materials
for play, education, recycling based economic development in the arts. These include paper, fabrics, wood, plastic as well as more unusual items.
We are a completely separate project now building on the 14 years hard work of
the now closed South London Childrens Scrap Scheme.
Our service currently operates 2 days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays from 10AM till 5PM. This project must remain on a temporary basis as a condition of securing more funding. Creative Supplies operates using membership fees and handling charges. These charges enable us to make collections, pay overheads and running expenses. To reduce administration and environmental costs we require all members to contact Creative Supplies firstly by email if you have it available, secondly by fax, then in writing enclosing a Self Addressed Envelope.
The address is 10A Victoria Wharf, Next to the Victoria Pub, Grove Street
Deptford London SE8 3QQ.
Pepys Community Forum have commissioned the Deptford Discovery Team to look into some ways in which we might build an asset base in order to support the social development of the area after the SRB money has run out.
The most obvious asset to explore at the moment is Aragon Tower, since Lewisham Council seem determined to dispose of it by any means possible. Our thinking here is that if it has to be redeveloped, why not try and do it in a way that gives local people some say in how it is done. There is a strong local feeling that it should be retained as some form of social housing, rather than an enclave of fat cats and yuppies who would almost certainly turn their backs on the rest of us and contribute little to the life of the area.
With the current trend towards ethical investments, i.e. investments that do not exploit Third World labour and resources, raising the money for such a development would appear to be a strong possibility.
It will be the job of the Discovery Team to establish if it is possible and, if not, what other possibilities might exist. They will submit a report to the Community Forum by 30 September. It will then be the job of the Forum to make the necessary decisions and develop an action plan, and we will aim to involve as many people as possible in this process.
The Deptford Discovery Team are an environmental project consultancy based on the New Cross Road. Over the last eight years their work has included initial development of the soon to be built Hapenny Hatch Bridge, management and
delivery of a large number of SRB funded projects for the Groundwork Foundation
and, most recently, the renovation and rededication to public use of two large jetties in East Greenwich.
The jetty projects were realised in partnership with two major multinational
corporations, Alcatel and Amylum (U.K.), so the Team are no strangers to the worlds of high finance and big business.
Locally, the work of the Team can be seen in the globe off Deptford Wharf, the faces on Aragon Tower and the interpretation panels on Deptford Strand, which form part of the Thames Valley Cycle Route.
Welcome!
A Management Committee and Sub-Committees
Two employed staff
3.3 million pounds of single regeneration budget [SRB] until 2006.
HIDDEN TREASURE on the Pepys Estate.
Also daily use of computers, if you would like to practice your typing speed with Mavis Beacon or just word process, you can do it all at Pepys Resource Centre.
Every Credit Union is owned and controlled by its members.
Deptford Strand
London SE8 3BA
Monday 9:30 - 4:30
Tuesday 9:30 - 7:30
Wednesday 9:30 - 5.30
Thursday 9:30 - 5:30
Friday 9:30 - 12.30
Questions and Answers about the Single Regeneration Budget [SRB]
The provision of employment training, career advice and related support
The development of projects for young people at school and in the community
The use of the new Community Centre
The development of the community becoming a Community Trust
Its helping us get started ?
WELCOME TO THE 2000 Community Action Centre !
Social Health & Welfare
Education
Religious Welfare
Economic Ability
199 Grove Street
Deptford
London
SE8 3PG
Vice Chair - Malcolm Cadman
Treasurer - David Fleming
Secretary - To be decided
Kwaku Akowuah
Maki Babiker
Thomas Bangert
Andy Beadle
Kenneth Ellison
Sharon Gunning
Ahmed Hassan
Ibrahim Kamara
Alex Law
Marina Mendoza
Elizabeth Solano
Fred Williams
By Jim Sarup, Sharon Gunning and Liz Jones
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William has over 20 years experience of financial management and control, mainly within housing associations, and has direct experience of working with tenants and the general public.
Telling us your ideas
2. Who you think will benefit from your idea and why
3. When your idea could start
4. What your involvement with your idea will be
5. Who else will be involved and in what way
6. What things you might need to help make your idea happen, as well as money !
7. What you think it will cost to run your idea on an ongoing basis
Turning ideas into action
How to become more involved
Write to us
Find out about the sub-committees and get involved
Attend Open Meetings
Visit the office and talk to the staff
Set up an open meeting for people to attend about something that you want to do. We will help you arrange that
Write an article for the Community Magazine
If you are an organisation invite one of the Officers to one of your meetings
If you have a skill and dont know who would benefit, let us know, we will put you in touch with someone
If there is something you want to know, ask us
If you need someone to translate for you, let us know, and we will do our best to help
Talk to us
BUT, YOUR INVOLVEMENT IS NEEDED NOW
Childcare Development Worker
Pepys Community Forum
Creative Supplies
A Non Profit Community Reuse Project
You can contact us on telephone 020 86916006 or 020 7701 5707,
fax 0870 0548570 or e-mail cs@london-recycling.demon.co.uk
BUILDING ASSETS FOR THE FUTURE
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