News

The LandAid-funded construction workshop at St Eds in Norwich was a hive of activity when Caroline Fraser and me paid a visit on Friday.

On Friday I attended the grand opening of Eikon's beautiful new offices at Fulbrook School in Surrey. After several years of planning and six months of construction, supported by a £20,000 refurbishment grant from LandAid, the new centre will enable Eikon to double their services and reach out to more young people across the county.

Thursday lunchtime Caroline and I were joined by LandAid Chairman Robin Broadhurst and Trustee Suzanne Avery at Circle Sports, Hackney. With all the buzz around vibrant creative businesses and pop-up food experiences in Hackney, it can be easy to forget that it still remains one of the most deprived boroughs in the UK and its young people can have a hard time getting into employment.

Yesterday saw the start of Living Wage Week, the annual UK-wide campaign organised by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF). The occasion was marked with a widely-publicised rise in the UK and London Living Wage rates for 2014-15 to £7.85 and £9.15 per hour respectively. This, the LFW hopes, will in principle improve the take home pay of 35,000 low-paid workers who are employed by over 1,000 Living Wage supporting organisations.

Figures released by the Campaign to End Child Poverty yesterday paint a bleak picture, particularly for London's children. Our capital, home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, officially contains the highest child poverty rates in the UK. Ten London constituencies hold this unfortunate accolade. Bethnal Green and Bow, which has 49% children in poverty, is the highest in the country. The leafy environs of well-heeled Wimbledon, Twickenham and Richmond Park each have 15%. That's one child in seven.

Last Thursday, Russell Brand brought the public's attention to the Focus E15 occupation in Newham. A group of women and their babies were living illegally in flats earmarked for demolition after spending cuts meant their hostel was forced to close leaving the women to be rehoused outside of London, away from families and friends.

On Monday 22 September, officially the last day of summer, I accompanied LandAid chairman Robin Broadhurst on a visit to an unusually sunny North East, to see first-hand the positive changes that LandAid funding has brought to two Newcastle projects. First on the day's agenda was a trip to the YMCA in Walker, where Robin had been invited to officially open a refurbished premises on Welbeck Road.

Are you a UK charity providing support to young people under 25 years old looking to improve your premises within the next 3 years? LandAid's open application round autumn 2014 is now live on our website.

I was delighted to visit Stepney Bank Stables and to join in with the celebrations at the grand opening of the new Learning Centre, a LandAid-funded refurbishment.