News

Time and time again when people are asked what they would do if they had a big lottery win they say ‘pay off the mortgage’ or ‘buy a place to live’. Next they say they would make sure their kids and family had a home that is paid for, or at least a big chunk of the mortgage paid off. Many people say they would carry on working but do less hours and lots of people say they would give money to good causes. In other words, most of us are not greedy fools desperate to live a celebrity lifestyle. 
We want security in the basics of life so we can get on with other things. And you can’t get much more basic than a secure home for yourself and your family. There is a national housing crisis and as many Londoners know, there’s a huge housing crisis in the capital. There are of course plenty of houses and flats in London. In 2017 it was calculated that 20,000 houses and flats stood empty for 6 months or more. But even if these empty flats and houses were rented out, most would be unaffordable to people on average incomes. 
The Pomeroy Street Development: 
This is a good news story in the New Cross area, as Peabody, one of London’s oldest and largest housing associations, is building 65 new homes on Pomeroy Street, due to be finished in the summer of 2020. The development, as the trend nowadays, is a mix of ‘affordable rent’, part-buy/part-rent and some private sales as well as a commercial property. Add to this the development soon to start on Besson Street and other developments in the New Cross Area and we are beginning to see a picture of a good mix of new properties coming available in the next 2-4 years. With the extension of the Bakerloo line adding to the already excellent transport links in the area, we have to make sure that New Cross remains a place for the widest and most diverse range of people to live, work and study. 

This amazing service has been in the area for more than 40 years and has served tens of thousands of local residents, providing them with high quality welfare and housing advice, free of charge. This has included support with tribunals and appeals – making a real difference to the lives of local residents. 

Since 2010, the government’s austerity cuts have had a huge impact on many local residents’ lives and on funding to local services. As demand has increased services have been cut. We want to extend our offer to local people when they most need it, but to do this we need well trained advice workers, up-to-date on all the legislation and regulations. To do this we need more funding. We are constantly looking out for grants and spend a significant amount of time completing funding applications. 

In addition to grants, we are looking at other ways to raise funds and so we are inviting local residents who may have benefitted from our services in the past or who understand the importance of such a service to become a ‘friend of 170’ and to make an annual donation (or a one off donation) to help develop this essential service. We are asking people to start at £5, but the sky is the limit. 

To find out more about becoming a ‘Friend of 170’ please contact Kath Dunbar, Co-chair of 170 Community Project at Kath.dunbar@hotmail.co.uk

Our Autumn courses are now available for booking: 

Emergency First Aid – 21 September, 9.15am-4.15pm. Book here
Food Safety – Friday 5 October, 9.15am – 4.15pm. Book here
Paediatric First Aid – Friday 13 October, 9.00am-4.30pm. Book here
Safeguarding of Children and Young People – Friday 9 November, 9.30am – 3.15pm. Book here. 

London Borough of Lewisham are currently undertaking a consultation on their main grants programme. If you would like to have your say on their priorities and proposed approach for grant funding of voluntary and community organisations within the borough, then please complete the attached consultation.

There will also be two public meetings, taking place on 17 September and 17 October. More information is available from the link above.  

Women into Construction are a not-for-profit organisation that promote gender equality in the construction field. On 9th September they are delivering an event in Tower Hamlets focused on helping women realise the job opportunities available in the industry. If you would be interested in attending this event, please contact us at the NXG Trust, as we have some spaces available.

A big thank you to Goldsmiths’ Company Charity who have kindly provided £2000 funding towards the continuation of our very popular sewing clubs. Sewing clubs run on Mondays, 9.30-11.30am and 1.30-3.30pm, where participants can learn a range of sewing techniques including appliqué and patchwork, while meeting new people and building friendships in a fun, creative space. Contact the office on 0207 630 7605 for further details. The sewing club will be starting back on the first week of September. 

 

https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/for-health-professionals/healthy-start-resources/

If you enjoy the outdoors, and are looking to improve your fitness, check out these fabulous new walking routes across different parts of Lewisham. 
https://riversandpeople.com/how-to-get-involved/walk-guides/

 

Friends of Eckington Gardens have undertaken their first clean up of the park, and are looking for other people to get involved in making use of and looking after this open space. If you would like to get involved, email: contact@eckingtongarden.org. Their first newsletter is attached: 

Please find attached weblink for information about the development that is currently taking place in Pomeroy Street. From January 2019, Peabody will start the consultation with the local community as to how they would like to see Hatcham Gardens restored to use when the development is complete in summer 2020. More information will be shared here as we have it. 

https://www.peabody.org.uk/homes-in-development/lewisham/pomeroy-street

 

NXG Trust will be running a free Online Safety for Parents course in August.

This course aims to provide parents with practical advice and guidance on how to keep yourself and your family safe whilst using the Internet. The course is designed as a useful guide and will outline the key ways to keep ourselves and our children safe online. You’ll learn how you can reduce risks or worries you have about using the internet. 

Contact Liam to register your interest: 07458 994 705 or email liam@nxgtrust.org.uk