We’re delighted with the difference we’re making to residents’ lives on Grahame Park in partnership with Wates.
Our Make It Happen team on Grahame Park work in collaboration with a number of partners to enable residents to access financial services, skills and training.
We wanted to let you know about some of the recent activities that have been going on with the help of Wates’ social value team, who have been instrumental in supporting residents. Their commitment has been wonderful to see and we’re so happy to see what we can achieve together.
Helping local businesses access grants
Wates delivered more than 75 hours of help to the businesses set up through our business incubator on Grahame Park. They worked with Youth Engagement Solutions to host grant finder workshops and provide business support. The workshops went through essential skills and knowledge to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.
Victoria Olawaoye runs her business, Diwi’s Creations, from the incubator . Diwi’s Creations encourages upcycling, reusing of materials and teaches people new transferable skills, with the aim of boosting mental health and emotional wellbeing. She was delighted to receive a grant to keep her business going:
“I am happy that the grant has enabled a lot of people that cannot afford basic workshops to do this kind of thing. It has helped a lot of them, as people struggled with the effect of the pandemic and they need a place to go. This place allows them to create, learn and connect with people around them.”
Site visit and careers talk
In partnership with Shaw Trust and BOOST, we and Wates welcomed local residents to a careers talk and site visit aimed at those considering a career in construction.
The site visit was so they could see what a real construction site looked like and have a chance to ask the site manager questions. Wates Construction then did a talk on available employment opportunities as they will soon be embarking on a new development in Barnet and are looking for local residents who want to get involved.
BOOST were on hand to show the group how they can apply for current employment opportunities in the borough and help them with the necessary requirements and employability skills to apply for these opportunities.
This was a great demonstration of working with our partners to provide opportunities for local people.
Time capsule with Blessed Dominic primary school
We’ve also been working with a local primary school in Grahame Park, Blessed Dominic, to place a time capsule on the estate. Wates ran sessions with the school to talk to year 5 children about what they wanted to put in the capsule to leave a lasting legacy.
The time capsule was placed earlier this year and recently a plaque was installed so that the kids could go visit the site of the time capsule. The plan is to dig it up in 30 years’ time.
Painting and decorating workshop at The Loop
Following on from the successful DIY workshops held at The Loop earlier this year, we recently had A&B Group work with residents to develop their painting and decorating skills. Stortford Interiors and Community Wood Recycling both donated offcuts of wood and Doug from The Loop turned that into a mimic wall with a skirting board.
They were taught how to cut and caulk the edges, use filler for any gaps and battered surfaces and paint the skirtings and the boards. They all left gaining some new skills and experience. A&B Group even gifted them paintbrush and roller set so they can use their skills at home.
