Community news
People Powering the Royal Docks
Basketball coaching and barber training. Community kitchens and creative hubs. Wildlife workshops and fitness fun days.
From painting in the park to rowing in the Royal Docks, youth-leadership to peer support, an exciting range of projects have received residents’ votes in the Royal Docks.
The Royal Docks Team is pleased to support the 33 projects, chosen by local people across the Beckton & Royal Docks, Custom House & Canning Town community neighbourhoods, as part of Newham Council’s pioneering People Powered Places programme.
The Royal Docks has a proud reputation for its pioneering spirit, and so it is fantastic that we are able to contribute to such a ground-breaking initiative.
Dan Bridge, Programme Director Royal Docks Team
This year, the programme gained new momentum and reached more residents and voluntary, community and faith sector organisations than ever before. Across the Royal Docks’ neighbourhoods, over 100 project applications were submitted, nearly double the number received last year, with a record number of local people directly engaging in deciding how funding was allocated.
Barb n Engage, a youth employment and mentoring programme inspired by Canning Town based King Ogunremi, proved to be one of the most popular projects for Custom House and Canning Town residents. His project aims to train young people in the art of barbering, providing vital skills and employment opportunities.
The Royal Docks Team is pleased to support the 33 projects, chosen by local people across the Beckton & Royal Docks, Custom House & Canning Town community neighbourhoods,
King Ogunremi says: “After the Barber Connect Project's success, we're launching a new project to provide youth employment opportunities in our community. With 17 years of Newham barbering experience, I'm concerned about rising crime due to limited opportunities for children who've faced rejection.
“I'll mentor teens in barbering to provide them skills to earn a living. We will also organise free summer haircut events at places like Canning Town Library to promote community engagement and spirit. The funding from Newham People Powered Places will help us to empower youth and promote an inclusive economy, benefit our community.”
Other Royal Docks’ projects include Nourish my Neighbourhood, which plans to revitalise green space along the waterfront at UEL, bringing together the university and the local community to collaborate on a shared vision around sustainability. In North Woolwich, RDLAC is launching a Wellbeing Hub to include a mental-health project, fitness classes and social events, while at the other end of the Royal Docks in Royal Albert Wharf, Art in the Docks is offering a 12-month programme of creative workshops.
Waymakers Kids activities in the park
Dan Bridge, Programme Director Royal Docks Team, said: “The Royal Docks Team is delighted to support Newham Council’s People Powered Places programme. Ensuring local people are at the heart of the area’s transformation is a key priority for the Team, and through this initiative we will be able to help nurture and grow genuine community-led initiatives that will improve the area and its amenities - as decided by local people. The Royal Docks has a proud reputation for its pioneering spirit, and so it is fantastic that we are able to contribute to such a ground-breaking initiative.”
The Royal Docks Team looks forward to continued partnership with Newham Council, supporting the resident working groups and connecting with projects as their ideas come to fruition.
The Newham Co-Create platform provides information on the successful projects, events and key timelines.
People Powered Places is one of the largest participatory budgeting programmes in the country. For the first time, Newham residents had the opportunity to decide how the £1.6m of Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL), money allocated to the programme, will be spent in a single round – with £200,000 per Community Neighbourhood made available and an additional £80,000 from the Royal Docks Team for projects in Beckton, the Royal Docks and Custom House & Canning Town.
