24 June 2022: The Elephant and Castle Town Centre team and Get Living have announced the successful applicants for the new Inspiring Elephant Community Fund. The £50,000 a year fund provides grants to local groups, supporting short term projects, and contributing to longer term initiatives in the community.
12 successful applicants will receive grants of between £2,500 – £4,950 which will help support various local community initiatives. These initiatives will help fight inequality and benefit disability groups, senior citizens, and members of the BAME community.
The full list of this year’s successful applicants include:
Over the next five years, the Elephant and Castle Town Centre team will distribute £250,000 of funding to the local community. Local organisations have been able to apply for multi-year grants of up to £5,000 and a panel of local community leaders – including members of Southwark Council, Get Living and members of the Community Hub – carefully considered all applications.
Since the launch of the Community Hub in 2019, the Elephant and Castle Town Centre team have been thrilled to watch the community come together over the activities it offers. The team is working hard to bring the much-loved Community Hub back to a physical space to create a new place for everyone across the area to enjoy various activities from arts and crafts to yoga and dance.
Ailish Christian-West, Executive Director of Development, Portfolio Management and ESG at Get Living said: “We’re excited to announce the list of 12 outstanding organisations that have been successful in the first round of funding from the Inspiring Elephant Community Fund.
“As part of Get Living’s commitment to creating sustainable neighbourhoods, we are always looking for ways to help build a sense of community and togetherness.
“I would like to congratulate these organisations and I look forward to hearing more about how the grants will help to support the wellbeing of the Elephant and Castle community.”
Diana Barranco, Community Director at Elephant and Castle Town Centre said: “We have been delighted by the high level of applications that the Fund has received and that we’re able to offer 12 of these excellent applicants a grant.
“The fund helps to build on the success of the Community Hub which since opening in 2019, has become a key component of the community for classes and support.
“As the new hub is due to open later this year, alongside the various initiatives receiving a share of the Inspiring Elephant Community Fund, we hope that local people will have a variety of opportunities to make friends, support each other, and come together in Elephant and Castle.”
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The Elephant and Castle Town Centre team has long been committed to creating new opportunities for the community, with £300,000 of donations already distributed to local groups, such as Shakespeare’s Globe, Evelina London Children’s hospital through the National Portrait Gallery’s Hospitals Programme and the Prince’s Trust.
Progress on the Elephant and Castle Town Centre development continues to move forward, with construction starting on the next phase of the new town centre. Construction partner Multiplex are now on site and will be managing the project as the new town centre starts to emerge.
The redevelopment of Elephant and Castle is being led by Get Living and will provide a diverse new town centre incorporating housing, restaurants, shops, a university, workspace, leisure and cultural facilities, transport infrastructure and acres of new public realm. The project also brings new jobs to the area, creating 1,230 construction jobs per year for a decade and then approximately 2,000 full-time jobs in the new town centre.
