Community Southwark has been awarded over £16,000 of funding towards a Support Officer for the local BAME community, writes Simon Throssell…
The organisation is the charity umbrella body for Southwark’s voluntary and community sector, providing support to more than 1000 local not-for-profit organisations.
They have been awarded £16,747 as part of the National Grid’s Community Grant Programme.
The grant will fund a dedicated Voluntary Council Service (VCS) Support Officer to empower Southwark’s growing BAME communities.
They will advise community groups on development, sustainability and financial matters.
The Support Officer will also lead the newly formed BAME network lobbying for changes to inequality across the borough and beyond to ensure minority voices are heard.
Director of Community Southwark, Krzysztof Mikata-Pralat, commented: “We are very grateful for the generous support we received from National Grid.
“We know that the communities those groups serve are often marginalised despite many unmet needs. We are honoured to be able to serve them.”
The National Grid has given out a total of £477,472 worth of funding to 39 community organisations and charities that provide a range of social, economic and environmental benefits.
Community Southwark was particularly important to them given its close proximity to the London Power Tunnels; a £1bn project rewiring the electricity network between Wimbledon and Crayford.
The project is also working in partnership with MyKindaFuture to deliver a STEM careers outreach programme to secondary pupils along the South London route.
Ben Muncey, Lead Project Manager at London Power Tunnels, commented: “We’re delighted to be able to award a CGP grant to Community Southwark.
“National Grid is committed to working with local communities impacted by the London Power Tunnels project, and we look forward to seeing the positive changes the VCS Support Officer can bring to local communities across Southwark.”