Congratulations to the 10 local groups which are sharing £35,000 of this year’s Brent Cross Town Community Fund.

Every year we offer financial support to a range of good causes based in and around Childs Hill, Golders Green and West Hendon, which have new ideas or existing projects that boost local wellbeing and celebrate the community. And this year grants of between £500-£5,000 were available.

The successful applications and their projects are as follows:

All Saints Church – a mural along the Childs Hill Walk, to make the passage more welcoming to local people and celebrate the community’s heritage

Brent Bulls CIC Basketball Club – a women’s 3×3 basketball tournament as well as basketball club sessions to children at local primary schools

Cricklewood Millenium Green – repairs to their iconic wooden train sculptures and benches, installation of a water tap and new gardening tools

Friends of Mapledown – Opportunity for 100 students with severe learning difficulties and disabilities opportunities to go on school trips to enrich learning and enhance their life experiences

FUSE Youth Project – a summer programme of youth worker led activities and free meals for young people in West Hendon

iheart – a 10-week programme to support 30 local students develop mental health resilience, giving them the emotional skills to overcome setbacks and improve confidence

Kisharon – accredited gardening sessions to adults with learning disabilities, with a guaranteed internship at the end of the programme

Phoenix Canoe Club – a new Bell Boat which will be used to offer school canoe sessions and set up a Bell Boat Regatta for local primary schools

Railway Terraces Residents Association – installation of an accessible shed for the book exchange, and setting up a toy exchange and kits to get children interested in growing and green activities

Wessex Gardens Primary School – installation of outdoor gym equipment to be used by students, visiting children and local families who cannot afford gym membership.

This was the third year of the Fund, which is delivered by independent organisation Semble.

These 2021 recipients follow the other 18 community groups which have been given a combined £55,000-worth of funding in 2019 and 2020. This year’s Fund was targeted at initiatives that create flourishing communities and reflect the ambition for the new town centre to be an inclusive, people-first place which strives to be healthy and sustainable.

Councillor Daniel Thomas, Leader of Barnet Council said: “From canoeing and women’s basketball to book exchanges and murals, it’s great to see the wide range of projects and initiatives that will benefit from the third round of the Brent Cross Town Community Fund which supports activities that will improve the health and wellbeing of the local community.”

Nick Searl, Partner of Argent Related, added: “It is always really encouraging for us to see that the Brent Cross Town Community Fund is popular with the local community. We enjoyed reviewing all the brilliant submissions and despite the challenging time that has persisted were pleased to see that there remains many vital community groups and initiatives that are supporting the community.

“This year we wanted to focus on projects that celebrate the togetherness and wellbeing of the local community so are pleased to have been able to provide funding for ten initiatives that are actively encouraging and enabling people to enjoy being outside and active.”

Argent Related and Barnet Council, are working in partnership to deliver Brent Cross Town.

More information about the Community Fund can be found here.