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Autumn 2012<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> Life<br />
m a g a z i n e f o r p o p l a r h a r c a r e s i d e n t s<br />
POPLAR<br />
2 0 1 2
contact<br />
Head Office<br />
167A East India Dock Road, E14 0EA<br />
info@poplarharca.co.uk<br />
Neighbourhood Centres<br />
aberfeldy<br />
Bromley by Bow<br />
Burcham street<br />
Burdett<br />
hind grove<br />
limehouse Youth club<br />
linc centre<br />
teviot<br />
trussler hall<br />
ASB<br />
Bidding for homes<br />
Parking contractor<br />
Emergency services<br />
police<br />
Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs)<br />
Bow east<br />
Bow West<br />
Bromley-by-Bow<br />
east india and lansbury<br />
limehouse<br />
mile end east<br />
crimestoppers<br />
general enquiries<br />
adult social care<br />
children’s services<br />
council tax<br />
environmental health<br />
healthline<br />
housing Benefit<br />
parking<br />
pest and noise nuisance<br />
streetline<br />
asB<br />
hate crime<br />
Useful Contacts<br />
0800 035 1991<br />
020 7510 0500<br />
020 7515 6794<br />
020 8709 9700<br />
020 7093 3549<br />
020 7538 2553<br />
020 7515 1005<br />
020 7531 6199<br />
020 7538 5748<br />
020 7987 5764<br />
020 7510 9770<br />
07960 031760<br />
http://bit.ly/reportASB<br />
5pm-9am<br />
0845 270 2400<br />
020 8803 2741<br />
999<br />
101<br />
020 8721 2807<br />
020 8649 3521<br />
020 8721 2041<br />
020 8721 2806<br />
020 8721 2852<br />
020 8721 2848<br />
0800 555 111<br />
020 7364 5020<br />
020 7364 5005<br />
020 7364 5006<br />
020 7364 5002<br />
020 7364 5008<br />
020 7364 5016<br />
020 7364 5001<br />
020 7364 5003<br />
020 7364 5007<br />
020 7364 5004<br />
0800 917 5918<br />
0800 917 5918<br />
Between 5.00pm and 9am only emergency enquiries will be dealt with.<br />
On a mobile it may be cheaper to call. Open weekdays 9am to 5pm.<br />
poplar harca official<br />
If team are patrolling they may attend reported incidents out of hours. If<br />
not, messages will be responded to the next working day.<br />
www.thhs.org.uk<br />
Estate parking enquiries if you think your vehicle has been towed or<br />
someone is parked in your bay.<br />
In emergencies when a crime is happening, someone suspected of a crime<br />
is nearby, or if someone is injured, being threatened or in danger.<br />
When situations do not require immediate response<br />
police@metpoliceuk www.met.police.uk<br />
http://content.met.police.uk/Borough/TowerHamlets/contact<br />
Call anonymously with information about crime<br />
Tower Hamlets Council @towerhamletsnow www.towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
Information, advice and assessment for people with learning disabilities,<br />
physical disabilities, older people and support for carers<br />
Social services and education including child protection<br />
Information and advice regarding food safety, health & safety, animal<br />
wardens<br />
To find a GP and other health services<br />
Street parking, paying/appealing a fine, reporting abandoned vehicle,<br />
permits and information on mobility services<br />
Pest control advice and get help with problems, complaints or enquiries<br />
concerning residential and commercial noise.<br />
Commercial waste service, dumped rubbish, Enviro-Champions, flyposting,<br />
graffiti, litter and litter bins, pavements, potholes, recycling, rubbish<br />
collection, street cleaning and street lighting<br />
24 hours number<br />
24 hours number<br />
@poplarharca
POPLAR 2012 4<br />
Editorial..................................................................2<br />
News in brief......................................................3<br />
Nature watch ....................................................5<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> 2012.........................................................6<br />
Focus ......................................................8<br />
Community..........................................10<br />
Annual Repor t 2012 ........................12<br />
Universal Benefit .............................................14<br />
dear readers,<br />
You may have seen our names in previous issues of <strong>HARCA</strong> Life<br />
but we’d like to introduce ourselves to you properly, we are, Rouf<br />
Ahmed, Fran Jefcoate, Gordon Joly and Joan Parrott and together<br />
we are the resident editorial group.<br />
We meet regularly to help decide on the content of our next<br />
edition and try to ensure that as well as all the news you need<br />
to know, there are some fun items too.<br />
Do you have a story of local interest? Memories of growing up<br />
in <strong>Poplar</strong> or Bow or an historical fact you would like to share? We<br />
would love to hear from you and put your articles in print.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> Life is your magazine and with your help we can keep<br />
it fresh and interesting. We look forward to hearing from you,<br />
have fun writing your articles.<br />
Best wishes,<br />
rouf, fran, gordon and Joan<br />
1<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> and<br />
Bow Green<br />
Network<br />
launches 17<br />
Improving <strong>Poplar</strong>.............................................16<br />
Get Involved ......................................................18<br />
Your home.....................................19<br />
Young people....................................................20<br />
Your shout ..........................................................22<br />
Wordsearch.......................................................24<br />
Profile.....................................................................25<br />
from l - r: Joan, Rouf, Gordon and Fran<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
contents
editorial<br />
cover: <strong>Poplar</strong> residents Sadie and<br />
Makeda Sesay enjoying the <strong>Poplar</strong> 2012<br />
Screening event.<br />
photo: Rehan Jamil<br />
Editor<br />
Simone Bresi-Ando<br />
Design and production<br />
Syed Pasha<br />
Mahbub Rahman<br />
Contributors<br />
Helen New<br />
Becky Roberts<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> 2<br />
What a summer!<br />
Wow! What a summer we’ve had. I think even the most<br />
cynical of us have enjoyed the 2012 Olympics and<br />
Paralympics taking place in our back yard. We all joked<br />
about volley ball being a major attraction but when it<br />
came down to it, we embraced the diversity of sports and<br />
supported the athletes fully. Who’d of thought I’d hear<br />
grown men get passionate about dressage?! The<br />
atmosphere has been electric around east London and I<br />
hope some of you have been lucky enough to get to the<br />
Olympic Park.<br />
One of my many highlights was watching our hero, Mo<br />
Farrah, sprint home to victory on a giant screen at our<br />
‘<strong>Poplar</strong> 2012 Screen on the Green’ event at Langdon Park.<br />
There was a real sense of pride from everyone watching<br />
and a great vibe amongst the crowd which included you -<br />
our residents and also visitors from Germany, Switzerland<br />
and Jamaica. It was hard not to be truly inspired by the<br />
medals won, stories told and the personal journeys taken<br />
by these international superstars.<br />
So onto our journey. The challenge that myself and<br />
everyone at <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> will be rising to, is making<br />
sure the <strong>Poplar</strong> area is well placed to take advantage of<br />
the regeneration opportunities that will come with the<br />
Olympic legacy over the months and years ahead.<br />
What will be your legacy?<br />
Let me know on @stevestride_ph<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> Life is published four times a year. The next issue is due out in December<br />
2012. If you would like to contribute something, such as a story, poem, photo, letter<br />
or recipe, please get in touch before November 9, 2012 and send to<br />
contributions@poplarharca.co.uk or phone 020 7510 0848.<br />
Printed on 100% recycled paper.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> Life editorial group<br />
Rouf Ahmed, Fran Jefcoate, Gordon Joly, Joan Parrott<br />
harca life is published by poplar harca, 167a east india dock road, london e14 0ea<br />
and distributed to 8,600 homes in poplar.<br />
For large print, audio or braille phone 020 7510 0535<br />
Haddaad Jeclaan lahayd akhbaar ku qoran Soomalli fadlan soo wac 020 75100535
Have you ‘liked’ us on Facebook and do you ‘follow’ us on Twitter?<br />
DID YOU kNOW that <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> has a presence on Facebook<br />
and Twitter? Since 2011, the communications team has been<br />
updating our fans and followers on news and snippets of trivia and<br />
facts about the area. We want to grow our numbers so please take<br />
a minute to ‘like’ or ‘follow’ us so you can keep up to date too.<br />
We are also working hard towards revamping the current <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> website to make it more interactive and user-friendly than<br />
present. We are creating it with residents views in mind and hope for<br />
launch before the end of the year. Watch this space…<br />
Do your bit to bring cheaper<br />
energy to the borough<br />
SOME OF YOU could see cheaper energy bills<br />
thanks to T.H.E Community Power, a new<br />
energy co-operative. By buying energy in bulk,<br />
T.H.E. Community Power will give local<br />
people the chance to switch providers and<br />
benefit from a cheaper energy tariff.<br />
All residents have to do is sign up now via<br />
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/energy or calling<br />
free phone 0800 508 8364 to express your<br />
interest. Registration is free and only takes<br />
five minutes, there will be no obligation to<br />
switch. Once 5,000 households have<br />
expressed their interest by registering, T.H.E.<br />
Community Power will negotiate with energy<br />
providers to secure a cheaper deal on your<br />
befalf.<br />
no more towing<br />
3<br />
poplar harca official<br />
@poplarharca<br />
Aberfeldy gets healthy<br />
IN EARLY SUMMER, a Lottery funded programme<br />
called ‘Well London’ spoke to 150 residents<br />
from the Aberfeldy estate and asked them what<br />
made a healthy community. The aim was to<br />
involve residents to deliver projects, access<br />
training and develop solutions to local health<br />
problems. If you are interested in finding out<br />
more, being involved or volunteering for this<br />
project, please contact: Vicky Coakley or Patrick<br />
Harrison on 020 7515 6794.<br />
On 1 October the law changes and <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> will no longer be able to tow away vehicles<br />
parked on our estates. We have no control over this.<br />
If someone is parking in your bay you should call 01992 764520 and let our<br />
contractor, Elite Car Parking, know. They will issue you with a number to<br />
display in your vehicle so you will not receive a parking ticket if you park<br />
somewhere else on the estate until whoever is parked in your bay drives<br />
away. The vehicle parked in your bay will be ticketed, and we will be treating<br />
repeat breaches as anti social behaviour and using enforcement powers to<br />
tackle people who break the parking rules on our estates.<br />
if you have any queries about this, or anything else to do with parking, please<br />
call 0800 035 1991.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
news in brief
news in brief<br />
A summer of action<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> was successful in court obtaining six<br />
Injunction Orders against young men causing serious<br />
trouble in and around the Aberfeldy Estate.<br />
In July, two of the group were banned from Jura House<br />
and the surrounding area and one received a<br />
suspended six-month jail sentence for a breach of a<br />
previous injunction <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> had obtained<br />
against him. In August, interim injunctions were obtained<br />
against three other members of this group who were<br />
each banned from parts of the Aberfeldy estate. One of<br />
them has been banned from the whole of the Aberfeldy<br />
area with an exclusion order now in place.<br />
All of the orders have a power of arrest attached – this<br />
means if we prove a breach of the order, the individuals<br />
can be arrested and risk a jail sentence for contempt of<br />
court. We are also considering serving notices for<br />
possession in a number of cases which could lead to<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong><br />
shortlisted for<br />
Sustainable<br />
Housing Awards<br />
POPLAR <strong>HARCA</strong> HAS been shortlisted for two<br />
awards in popular industry<br />
magazine’s ‘Inside<br />
Housing’s Sustainable<br />
Housing Awards<br />
2012’.<br />
We have been selected in the ‘sustainable<br />
housing partnership of the year’ category for our<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> and Bow EcoHomes Pilot where we<br />
worked with Tower Hamlets Homes, the Institute<br />
for Sustainability and the Optimum Consultancy.<br />
We were also nominated for the ‘transformation’<br />
category for our work on Leopold Park with PRP<br />
Architects and Thompson Landscaping.<br />
We will let you know how we get on in the<br />
next efdition of harca life. Wish us luck!<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> 4<br />
Six injunction orders obtained<br />
against troublemakers<br />
people losing their homes. This is because tenants and<br />
leaseholders are in breach of their contracts with <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
<strong>HARCA</strong>. This also counts for anyone that if anyone who<br />
lives or visits a <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> tenant or leaseholder<br />
and is involved with anti-social behaviour.<br />
With residents’ support, <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> will always take<br />
action against anyone whose behaviour is unacceptable.<br />
Our success in these court cases were due to local<br />
residents providing evidence and officers working<br />
closely with the Police to identify those responsible. If<br />
you want to report ASB you can do so by contacting<br />
your housing manager on 0800 035 1991.<br />
Walks with<br />
Gordon Joly<br />
P oplar<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
resident, Gordon<br />
Joly is hosting<br />
night walks<br />
through <strong>Poplar</strong>,<br />
on Saturdays for<br />
residents on<br />
October 6 and<br />
13 from 6:30pm<br />
to 8pm.<br />
The walk will<br />
highlight recently<br />
installed lighting<br />
schemes<br />
including Chrisp Street Market,<br />
Lansbury North, Devon’s Estate and<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> Library. The walks will begin and<br />
end at <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong>’s head office at<br />
167a East India Dock Road.
Autumn time<br />
THE DAYS ARE getting shorter as nature<br />
prepares for autumn, leaves will very soon<br />
be turning to all those earthy shades from gold<br />
to brown and our summer visitors such as<br />
swallows, swifts and martins are on their way to<br />
Africa for the winter as well as in a few weeks<br />
the pipistrelle bats disappearing to go into<br />
hibernation.<br />
You might think that there’s nothing much to<br />
see at this time of year but there’s still a lot of<br />
activity going on. The squirrels are very busy<br />
preparing their winter dreys and collecting food<br />
for the lean months to come, the Canada geese<br />
are to be heard honking loudly as they fly<br />
overhead in that distinctive ‘V’ pattern and all the<br />
creatures are eating as much as possible to put<br />
on weight for winter.<br />
I know a lot of you don’t like spiders but I find<br />
them most fascinating creatures; their webs are<br />
works of art, so beautifully strung especially<br />
when dew is on them from a damp autumn<br />
morning. You’d have to be up very early to catch<br />
them and it’s also the best time to spot fungi,<br />
they love the damp conditions and if you look<br />
closely at most grassy areas; you’ll spot various<br />
types from the tiny fairy-ring campignon<br />
mushroom (pictured above) to the much larger<br />
field mushroom. Our woody areas are full of a<br />
manner of weird and colourful fungi but please<br />
remember, that although most are harmless, we<br />
do have some poisonous<br />
ones too and it takes an<br />
expert to know the<br />
difference.<br />
Insects had a bad time at the<br />
start of the summer due<br />
to all the rain we had,<br />
particularly the bees<br />
who have been in<br />
decline for the last<br />
couple of years. They<br />
need all the help they<br />
can get so I’m going to<br />
be putting ‘bug hotels’ out for shelter as a lot of<br />
insects hibernate too. Bug hotels are little<br />
clusters of hollow tubes that you can hang from<br />
a fence or hide in a corner, ideal for ladybirds,<br />
moths and some types of bee to snuggle down<br />
until spring. We forget about insects when we<br />
think about wildlife but they have such an<br />
important role to play in pollinating our flowers,<br />
fruits and crops; we’d be in terrible trouble<br />
without them.<br />
Our green spaces are teeming with life, I hope<br />
you get out there and enjoy exploring them this<br />
autumn.<br />
5<br />
By Fran Jefcoate<br />
See your article here – write about something<br />
you want to share and we’ll publish it in a future issue.<br />
Send it to: contributions@poplarharca.co.uk<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
nature watch
poplar 2012<br />
POPLAR 2012<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
E14 and E3 came together for the biggest olympic weekend<br />
HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS turned up to<br />
watch history being made, records<br />
broken and British medals won at ‘<strong>Poplar</strong><br />
2012: Screen on the Green’ over a<br />
weekend in early August, this was one of<br />
the only free screenings of the Olympics in<br />
London.<br />
The event held at Langdon<br />
Park was an opportunity for<br />
the local community and<br />
international visitors to<br />
celebrate the most exciting<br />
weekend of the London 2012<br />
Olympics.<br />
A crowd of 1500 people attended<br />
over the two days and included a<br />
mix of the local community and<br />
visitors from as far as Germany,<br />
America and Holland. The<br />
atmosphere was electric despite rain<br />
at some points.<br />
6<br />
Paul Augarde, project manager for <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
2012 said: ‘Even the rain could not deter<br />
the enthusiasm for our amazing athletes,<br />
who were breaking records just
down the road in Stratford. There was a<br />
lovely international vibe at <strong>Poplar</strong> 2012. We<br />
were delighted to bring the Olympics to a<br />
community that inspired London to be<br />
chosen as the host for London 2012.’<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> resident Sandra Chalmers said:<br />
‘Thank you very much for organising <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
2012. We had a great time on Saturday and<br />
Sunday. The park came alive with cheers and<br />
clapping when Murray won Gold! WELL<br />
7<br />
DONE and THANk<br />
YOU for a great<br />
community event.’<br />
We would like to<br />
give a huge thank<br />
you to Tower<br />
Hamlets Council<br />
for their full<br />
support with<br />
this event.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
poplar 2012
focus<br />
National Fraud<br />
Initiative<br />
POPLAR <strong>HARCA</strong> IS committed to protecting public<br />
funds. We participate in the National Fraud<br />
Initiative (NFI) data matching exercise carried out by<br />
the Audit Commission. An estimated £450 million of<br />
fraud and overpayments have already been<br />
identified.<br />
Data matching involves comparing computer<br />
records held by one public body against other<br />
computer records held by the same or another<br />
public body to see how far they match. This is usually<br />
personal information. Computerised data matching<br />
allows fraudulent claims and payments to be<br />
identified.<br />
Our participation in NFI will assist in the prevention<br />
and detection of fraud against <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> and<br />
other organisations within the public sector. To view<br />
this and find out more, please visit<br />
www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi<br />
YOUR NAME IN<br />
LIGHTS?<br />
We're looking for<br />
residents interested<br />
in taking part in a<br />
fantastic new film<br />
celebrating <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
and its community.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> 8<br />
Equality and<br />
diversity charter<br />
POPLAR <strong>HARCA</strong><br />
HAS now signed<br />
up to the Chartered<br />
Institute of<br />
Housing’s equality<br />
and diversity charter.<br />
The charter is a framework that aims<br />
to help identify what outcomes a fair<br />
and accessible housing service can<br />
deliver.<br />
By signing up to the charter, we want<br />
to make public our commitment<br />
towards greater equality and diversity<br />
in housing.<br />
To view the framework please visit:<br />
www.cih.org/equalityand<br />
diversitycharter<br />
Young stars,<br />
old hands and<br />
wannabes<br />
may apply!<br />
We are<br />
looking for<br />
people who<br />
are passionate<br />
about the <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
area and have a<br />
willingness to work with a professional film<br />
team. No acting experience necessary, just get<br />
in touch.<br />
If you're interested, please contact Paul Augarde with your<br />
name, address and contact details to:<br />
paul.augarde@poplarharca.co.uk or call: 020 7005 7618
The true cost<br />
of dumping<br />
POPLAR <strong>HARCA</strong> WILL spend more than<br />
£300,000 of your money this year clearing<br />
furniture and other items dumped on our land.<br />
This costs each of our 8,776 tenants and<br />
leaseholders over £34 each year! An amount<br />
we are sure you would want us to plough back<br />
in to the services we provide for you.<br />
Dumping spoils the quality of your home<br />
environment and puts lives at risk as it increases<br />
the chances of accidental fires and arson. It may<br />
also hinder the evacuation of people and access<br />
of emergency services if a fire does start.<br />
IT’S AWIDE MISCONCEPTION that young people<br />
are not interested in discussing policies and<br />
services which impact the area where they<br />
live. But at <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> we don’t believe<br />
that and we are consistently impressed by<br />
the work our young residents do to develop<br />
the local area.<br />
We have developed a Youth Empowerment<br />
Board (YEB) where residents aged 16-25<br />
years can ensure their views and opinions<br />
are not forgotten or overcrowded when<br />
discussing key matters. The YEB has the<br />
9<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> has a clear<br />
policy which forbids rubbish and bulk items<br />
being left in communal areas. If you need to get<br />
rid of large waste items Tower Hamlets council<br />
provides a collection service that costs £15 for<br />
up to five items. For residents in receipt of<br />
housing benefit, they are entitled to two, free<br />
collections each year. For more information or<br />
to book an appointment please call the council<br />
on 020 7364 5004.<br />
‘Young residents do not want to make a difference’…says who?<br />
Lansbury<br />
Gardeners<br />
opportunity to hold <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> to<br />
account by ensuring that they respond to the<br />
needs of an residents. Members of the YEB<br />
have been involved in many initiatives<br />
including policy development, presenting at<br />
conferences, designing a multi-purpose world<br />
class youth centre and tackling ASB.<br />
If you are aged between 16 -25 years, live<br />
within the <strong>Poplar</strong>, Bow and Mile End area and<br />
would like to be involved in the YEB please<br />
contact, Aleef Ahmed on 020 7510 0587 or<br />
email: aleef.ahmed@poplarharca.co.uk.<br />
LANSBURY GARDENERS IS a voluntary gardening organisation with a<br />
focus on growing food which is run solely by residents. The<br />
organisation has received funding from <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> in the past which<br />
has been used in a variety of ways.<br />
In the summer, the organisation started Lansbury Young Gardeners, an<br />
after school club for children aged 8 to 12. As well as gardening, the<br />
children spent part of session creating art, often with a link to the<br />
gardening theme. In addition to the weekly gardening sessions, there are<br />
organised fruit picking trips and outings to the beautiful and inspiring<br />
gardens at RHS Wisley in Surrey and RHS Hyde Hall in Essex. Check out<br />
www.lansburygardeners.org.uk to see what the group does.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
focus
community<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
Camera, Lights,<br />
Actions!<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> has been awarded funding<br />
from First Light to re-produce the success of<br />
2011 by devising another hat-trick of films<br />
created by young people living in <strong>Poplar</strong>. From<br />
September, it is kickstarted with a series of dance<br />
and drama workshops followed by a shooting and<br />
editing schedule which will culminate in a local redcarpet<br />
premiere at a cinema before Christmas!<br />
To see an example of the films that were produced in 2011 go to http://vimeo.com/17009111 and<br />
www.4shared.com/video/6v3KofVm/olympic_dreams.html<br />
For more information, please contact Tessa Dugmore on tessa.dugmore@poplarharca.co.uk<br />
Volunteering:<br />
my story by mike Watts<br />
MIkE WATTS IS the director of Elite Buildings Ltd, a local<br />
company that provides a lot of essential<br />
maintenance work for <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> as well as being a<br />
keen golfer who has played for over 25 years. He began<br />
playing golf when he was young with his father and<br />
carried this tradition on by teaching his son to play. Mike<br />
feels that golf is a great sport and one that can be played<br />
over a very wide age group and skill level.<br />
Mike was born locally and lived on the Teviot Estate whilst<br />
growing up and still lives in East London. In his spare time<br />
Mike volunteers as a community golf coach at the<br />
Orchard Community Golf organisation which encourages<br />
more children and young people to get involved in sport.<br />
Mike decided to volunteer as he wanted to contribute<br />
something to the local community that he grew up in.<br />
Mike has supported <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong>’s Vicky Coakley in<br />
providing after school golfing sessions for the local<br />
community in Bartlett Park on a weekly basis from May<br />
until July. Mike encouraged participants to partake in the<br />
inter-borough tournament that was held in Bethnal Green<br />
Gardens on July 21 as part of the school Olympiad<br />
competition. This is a competition that aims to highlight<br />
golf as a potential Olympic sport for the 2016 Olympics<br />
in Rio.<br />
10
<strong>Poplar</strong> youth get fit<br />
AN ExCITING NEW youth-led project in<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> is encouraging local teens to<br />
get active. Commissioned in partnership<br />
by Tower Hamlets public health and the<br />
council, the ‘Get More Here Now’ project<br />
has been led by local young people<br />
working with <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> and ‘Leaders<br />
in Community’ over the past few months.<br />
The project group aims to increase<br />
confidence amongst their peers with the<br />
‘My Life, My Choice’ slogan and share<br />
favourite ways of getting active via social<br />
networks, be it skateboarding or dancing.<br />
The project participants have been on<br />
11<br />
quite a journey themselves in order to<br />
become ambassadors and now want to<br />
get the message out to their peers to<br />
promote exercise. The group has designed<br />
promotional material and recently staged<br />
a launch event led by eight young people<br />
who packed the day with all-age activities<br />
including a Zumba dance-off, hula hoops,<br />
an obstacle course, sack race and<br />
egg/spoon races.<br />
Get involved by visiting the group’s Get<br />
More Here Now Facebook page and<br />
upload your favourite way to have fun and<br />
get fit.<br />
Teviot gets ‘Mad About Meadows’<br />
L ONDON IN BLOOM’S: ‘Mad<br />
About Meadows’ campaign<br />
have teamed up with <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
<strong>HARCA</strong>, the Teviot Action Group<br />
kids’ (Unity) club and Meet The<br />
Species to improve the<br />
environment of the Teviot Estate<br />
by creating new wildflower<br />
meadows. The project was funded<br />
by the Big Lottery Fund’s ‘Awards<br />
for All’ programme and so far, nine<br />
wildflower areas have been created.<br />
The meadows have been flowering<br />
all summer, transforming what were<br />
once unloved and underappreciated<br />
grassland into colourful strips of<br />
wildflower meadows, swarming with<br />
bees and butterflies.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
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, 306<br />
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13<br />
RRepairs<br />
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Emergency<br />
repairs<br />
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99% 9 9 %<br />
Urgent<br />
repairs repairs<br />
in<br />
target<br />
99.4% 99.<br />
4%<br />
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<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
annual report
universal benefit<br />
Do you know the benefit<br />
system is changing?<br />
THE GOVERNMENT IS changing the benefits<br />
system and these changes mean that some<br />
people will get less housing benefit.<br />
how many bedrooms do you have?<br />
From April 2013, if you have one or more ‘spare’<br />
bedrooms your housing benefit may be reduced.<br />
This could affect your if :<br />
l you are 16 to 61 years old<br />
l you only get a minimal amount of housing<br />
benefit (for example: if you are working)<br />
l you are sick or disabled<br />
You won’t be affected if:<br />
n you live in a one bedroom flat or bedsit.<br />
n you or your partner are old enough to receive<br />
pension credits – in April 2013, this age will be<br />
61 years and 6 months<br />
What is a ‘spare’ bedroom?<br />
Under the new rules, if you have more bedrooms<br />
than the Government says you need, you will lose<br />
part of your housing benefit. The Government says<br />
you need one bedroom each for:<br />
l an adult couple<br />
l any other person aged 16 or over<br />
l two children of the same sex under the age of<br />
16<br />
l two children under the age of 10 regardless of<br />
their sex<br />
l any other child<br />
l a carer (who does not normally live with you) if<br />
you or your partner need overnight care.<br />
It does not matter how you use any ‘spare’ bedroom,<br />
the new rules will apply even if:<br />
l you and your partner need to sleep apart<br />
because of a medical condition<br />
l you have a spare room for when relatives stay<br />
What happens if you have a ‘spare’<br />
bedroom?<br />
If you have one ‘spare’ bedroom your housing<br />
benefit will be cut by 14% of the rent you pay every<br />
week. If you have two or more spare bedrooms, you<br />
will lose 25%. You will then have to pay the<br />
difference between housing benefit and the rent.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> 14<br />
LiMit ON BeNefitS<br />
From April 2013, the overall amount of benefit you<br />
can receive will be capped.<br />
The Government will add up how much money you<br />
get from a range of benefits. This includes : housing<br />
benefit, jobseeker’s allowance, income support,<br />
employment support allowance, child benefit, child<br />
tax credit and carer’s allowance. If the total comes<br />
to more than the maximum amount allowed your<br />
benefit payments will be reduced.<br />
The maximum amount of benefit you will be able to<br />
receive will be:<br />
l £500 per week for single parents<br />
l £500 per week for couples with or without<br />
children<br />
l £350 per week for single people without<br />
children.<br />
This will not apply i.e:<br />
n you get pension credit or working tax credit<br />
n a member of your household is claiming<br />
disability living allowance, attendance allowance,<br />
industrial injuries benefits or the support<br />
element of employment support allowance.<br />
do you have a disability and need<br />
overnight care?<br />
If you are of working age, have a disability and need<br />
a ‘spare’ bedroom so that a carer can stay overnight<br />
you should contact Tower Hamlets council as soon<br />
as possible so that staff can help you keep more of<br />
your housing benefit.<br />
changes to council tax benefit<br />
From April 2013, if you are of working age and claim<br />
council tax benefit, the amount of support you<br />
receive may be cut. This is because the Government<br />
is reducing the amount of money available and<br />
asking local councils to run their own schemes.<br />
example<br />
Bob and sandra are both 46. they live alone in<br />
a 3-bedroom home. their rent is £120 a week.<br />
for benefit purposes the government says they<br />
need 1 bedroom.<br />
from april 2013 their housing benefit will be<br />
cut by 25%. they will now need to pay £30<br />
every week towards their rent.
What should i do?<br />
If you are worried about being able to afford to pay<br />
your rent from April 2013 you should ask for advice<br />
now. If you don’t pay your rent you could lose your<br />
home. You can also:<br />
l consider moving to a smaller home or taking in<br />
a lodger<br />
l contact the council to ask about extra financial<br />
help. Council’s have a limited amount of money<br />
available to make discretionary payments<br />
towards housing costs.<br />
l make sure you are claiming all the benefits you<br />
can – for example, money to help with the<br />
costs of a disability, seek advice<br />
l try to find some paid work to increase your<br />
income<br />
account 3<br />
1-9 Birkbeck St, E2<br />
020 7739 7720<br />
account3.org.uk<br />
BYm<br />
21 Henriques St, E1<br />
020 7488 1831<br />
Bromley By Bow centre<br />
St Leonard’s St, E3<br />
020 8709 9737<br />
bbbc.org.uk<br />
citizens advice Bureau<br />
32 Greatorex St, E1<br />
020 7247 1050<br />
adviceguide.org.uk<br />
chinese association of tower<br />
hamlets; Sailor Pl 680<br />
Commercial Rd, E14<br />
020 7515 5598<br />
city gateway<br />
Ensign Court, 28 Ensign St, E1<br />
020 3189 0405<br />
citygateway.org.uk<br />
city Jobcentre plus<br />
60 Commercial Rd E1<br />
0845 604 3719<br />
consumer credit counselling<br />
service<br />
0800 138 1111 cccs.co.uk<br />
debt advice foundation<br />
0800 644 60 89<br />
debtadvicefoundation.org<br />
directgov website<br />
direct.gov.uk/jobseekers<br />
island advice rights shop<br />
296 Bethnal Green Rd, E2<br />
020 7739 4173<br />
island-advice.org.uk<br />
island advice centre<br />
Island House, Roserton St, E14<br />
020 7987 9379<br />
island-advice.org.uk<br />
legal advice centre<br />
University House<br />
104 Roman Rd, E2<br />
020 8980 4205<br />
legaladvicecentre.org.uk<br />
limehouse project<br />
Cheadle House,<br />
Copenhagen Place E14<br />
020 7538 0075<br />
limehouseproject.org.uk<br />
london community credit<br />
Union<br />
020 7729 9218<br />
londoncu.co.uk<br />
national debt line<br />
0808 808 4000<br />
nationaldebtline.co.uk<br />
osca somali advice project<br />
Concordia Community Centre<br />
420 Burdett Rd, E3<br />
praxis<br />
Pott St E2<br />
020 7729 7985 praxis.org.uk<br />
15<br />
example<br />
John and patricia have 4 children. 3<br />
girls aged 2, 4 and 8 and a boy of 7.<br />
they live in a 4-bedroom home.<br />
their rent is £150 a week.<br />
for benefit purposes the<br />
government says they need 3<br />
bedrooms.<br />
from april 2013 their housing<br />
Benefit will be cut by 14% - so they<br />
will need to pay £21 every week<br />
towards their rent.<br />
We know that many residents are worried about what all this<br />
could mean. Free confidential advice is available:<br />
poplar Jobcentre plus<br />
13 Dod St, E14<br />
0845 604 3719<br />
Quaker social action<br />
020 8983 5043<br />
quakersocialaction.com<br />
st hilda’s east community<br />
centre<br />
18 Club Row, E2<br />
020 7739 8066<br />
skillsmatch<br />
8 Heron Quays<br />
Canary Wharf, E14<br />
020 7364 3727<br />
south Bromley forum<br />
27 Aberfeldy St, E14<br />
020 7987 9584<br />
stifford tJrs<br />
The Stifford Centre,<br />
2-6 Cressy Place, E1<br />
020 7790 3632 stifford.org.uk<br />
tower hamlets law centre<br />
214 Whitechapel Rd, E1<br />
020 7247 8998 thlc.co.uk<br />
toynbee hall<br />
Toynbee Hall<br />
28 Commercial St, E1<br />
020 7247 6943<br />
capitalise.org.uk<br />
turn2us<br />
turn2us.org.uk,<br />
0808 802 2000<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
universal benefit
Improving <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
Stroudley Walk<br />
ON AUGUST 16, the council’s planning<br />
committee gave the go ahead for the<br />
regeneration of Stroudley Walk. This will mean the<br />
provision of 130 new homes to replace Warren<br />
House and other housing. The mixed tenure<br />
scheme will include new family homes as well as<br />
new shops and public realm works. We expect the<br />
work to start within the next 12 months.<br />
Chrisp Street Shopping Centre<br />
T ALkS ARE CONTINUING with our regeneration<br />
partners on the regeneration of Chrisp Street<br />
Market. We expect to have a scheme that will be<br />
ready to announce to the world by the end of the<br />
year, so watch this space for further information!<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> 16<br />
Bartlett Park consultation<br />
AFTER MANY YEARS of talks and planning<br />
with the council, <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> are<br />
about to begin a consultation exercise on the<br />
replacement of the Cotall Street block<br />
adjacent to Bartlett Park.<br />
The council owned block made the national<br />
press because of the squatters that moved in<br />
after the residents had left. The squatters<br />
caused much distress to local residents before<br />
and a major Police exercise was mounted to<br />
evict them so the block could then be<br />
demolished.<br />
The proposed scheme, backed by the Mayor<br />
of Tower Hamlets will include 150 new<br />
homes, many aimed at families to help reduce<br />
the overcrowding in the borough. The<br />
scheme will include a cafe as well as a<br />
Waterside Centre that will maximise the<br />
relationship between the park and the canal.<br />
Giving local people the opportunity to<br />
experience boating in the heart of <strong>Poplar</strong>.
The BBCs ‘Flowerpot Gang’ comes to Teviot<br />
AIRED IN EARLY September,<br />
BBC1’s ‘Flowerpot Gang’<br />
show with presenters Anneka<br />
Rice, Phil Tufnell and Joe Swift<br />
came to the Teviot estate to<br />
help the local residents<br />
transform an area into a<br />
working community garden.<br />
17<br />
Many varieties of colourful<br />
flowers have been planted,<br />
raised growing beds built,<br />
artwork created and benches<br />
made from reclaimed wood<br />
installed in order to transform<br />
the space into somewhere<br />
the community can enjoy.<br />
The project also provided a<br />
rare opportunity for<br />
residents, both old and young,<br />
to work together to create<br />
something both groups can<br />
enjoy. The garden will now be<br />
managed and developed by<br />
local residents.<br />
The garden was featured in<br />
the final episode of the BBC<br />
series.<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> and Bow Green Network launches<br />
IN MID-SEPTEMBER, the <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
and Bow Green Network<br />
launched with a lively and wellattended<br />
event for new<br />
members held at Tower<br />
Hamlet’s Cemetery Park. The<br />
independent network<br />
supported by <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong>,<br />
Tower Hamlets Homes and<br />
Tower Hamlets Cemetery<br />
Park, is a platform for groups<br />
and individuals to support each<br />
other in creating a more<br />
sustainable place and<br />
community within the area.<br />
The network involves local<br />
resident groups and individuals<br />
undertaking sustainable<br />
activities like community<br />
gardeners, walking groups,<br />
biodiversity interest groups,<br />
material reuse projects as well<br />
as initiatives to help reduce<br />
energy bills. Beyond providing<br />
practical face-to-face support<br />
between members it also<br />
offers an online forum helping<br />
residents to share knowledge,<br />
post events and collaborate<br />
with funding applications.<br />
Overall the network will help<br />
ensure that individual projects<br />
have the best chance of<br />
surviving while pulling people<br />
together with wide-ranging<br />
knowledge, skills and<br />
experience around this vitally<br />
important area.<br />
If you’d like to join this free,<br />
independent network or find<br />
out more, please contact:<br />
Nick Martin, Environmental<br />
innovation coordinator<br />
nick.martin@poplarharca.co.uk<br />
07957 491 030.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
Improving <strong>Poplar</strong>
i<br />
get involved <strong>HARCA</strong>18<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong><br />
D URING<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
THE SUMMER, we asked 3,000<br />
residents of <strong>Poplar</strong> and Bow, “What do<br />
you love about where you live?”<br />
We wanted to focus on the positive attributes<br />
of this very special part of London and the way<br />
we can build on those strengths in the<br />
community.<br />
We consulted children, young people and the<br />
older community to playgroups, bingo teams,<br />
gardening enthusiasts, estate boards and<br />
schools.<br />
They were asked to either draw or write what<br />
they love about where they live on colourful<br />
plastic postcard. The postcards were then<br />
displayed at our head office on East India Dock<br />
Road (pictured above)and on other buildings<br />
around the market.<br />
The project was a colourful and interactive way<br />
to celebrate the local area and highlight why<br />
we should all be proud to live in this undercelebrated<br />
gem of the East End.<br />
Lighter Linc - weekly healthy eating group<br />
LIGHTER LINC IS a weekly healthy eating group<br />
that aims to bring residents together to<br />
explore healthier lifestyles.<br />
Every Wednesday, the group meet to share<br />
and taste healthy foods, check their weight, BMI<br />
and blood pressure. The group also conduct<br />
walks, exercise sessions and often invite guest<br />
speakers are invited along.<br />
Last Christmas the group cooked a three<br />
course meal with all the trimmings. Each<br />
member brought something to cook and it<br />
was great to share each other’s recipes.<br />
If you would like you to get involved with the<br />
group that meet every Wednesday at 6pm,<br />
please contact Joan Parrott: 07946 062337<br />
The first two weeks are free and then £1 per<br />
week there after.<br />
It takes place at:<br />
Gayton House community room 1,<br />
Chilton Road, E3
fire safe – are you?<br />
kEEPING OUR HOMES smelling nice is a<br />
multi-million pound industry.<br />
We’re sold numerous gadgets<br />
such as scented candles,<br />
incense sticks, plugins, sprays<br />
etc. just to keep our homes<br />
reminiscent of a rather nice<br />
garden or dreamy tropical place. I<br />
doubt fire safety came into your minds<br />
when buying these things but, when<br />
using candles and plugins, firesafety should<br />
be at the forefront.<br />
Recently, several fires have occurred where<br />
plastic baths have been set alight by scented<br />
candles that have been placed on them. In<br />
order to prevent such incidents, it is important<br />
to always place your candles/tea lights in a<br />
suitable, fire-resistant candleholder. Always<br />
ensure the candleholder holds the candle/tea<br />
light firmly and do not position them on<br />
surfaces that can melt, such as bath surrounds<br />
19<br />
or are uneven.<br />
Plug-in air fresheners also<br />
present potential fire hazards<br />
and have caused a number<br />
of fires too. To reduce<br />
the chance of this;<br />
ensure the plug-in air<br />
remains upright and are<br />
never covered. Read the<br />
instructions on the packet carefully<br />
before use, to ensure you are using<br />
them safely and correctly.<br />
Remember, having a smoke alarm is a basic, free<br />
and lifesaving thing you can do. By phoning the<br />
London Fire Brigade on 0800 028 4428, they<br />
will visit you to perform a free home fire safety<br />
check and fit a good quality smoke alarm (fitted<br />
with a 10 year battery) - all free of charge if<br />
you don't already have one. You can also<br />
arrange a visit via their website: www.londonfire.gov.uk/homefiresafetyVisit.asp.<br />
Here are some frequently asked questions about smoke alarms:<br />
Q: how often should i check these and<br />
replace batteries?<br />
a. Test your smoke alarms monthly using the<br />
test button. If your smoke alarm is<br />
battery-operated, replace your<br />
batteries annually (unless you<br />
have a ten-year battery) or<br />
whenever required.<br />
Q. i have a ‘wired-in’<br />
smoke alarm fitted<br />
by poplar harca,<br />
what do i do if it<br />
doesn’t work?<br />
a. Contact us on our<br />
usual freephone number<br />
0800 035 1991 to report it<br />
and we’ll go from there.<br />
Q. my alarm is making a chirping noise. how<br />
can i stop this?<br />
a. Smoke alarms chirp if the battery runs low,<br />
this includes the ‘wired-in’ type which also<br />
have a back-up batteries to ensure that the<br />
alarm will still work during a power failure.<br />
Change your battery to stop the chirping.<br />
Q.is there anything else i can do<br />
to maintain my smoke<br />
alarms?<br />
a. Carefully vacuum<br />
them periodically. This<br />
reduces the dust build-up<br />
thereby helping to<br />
prevent false alarms.<br />
Q. how can i obtain a<br />
smoke alarm free of charge?<br />
a. On request from the London<br />
Fire Brigade by calling 0800 028 4428<br />
or visiting their website: www.londonfire.gov.uk/homefiresafetyVisit.asp<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
your home
young people<br />
My <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
by Pheobe Deary<br />
PHEOBE DEARY IS 17 and studies at Cambridge<br />
Heath Sixth Form. We recently visited her at the<br />
Aberfeldy centre where she is working towards<br />
getting the Duke of Edinburgh award. She is also a<br />
contender in the Tower Hamlets Young Mayor race.<br />
name: Pheobe Deary,<br />
age: 17<br />
college: Cambridge Heath Sixth Form<br />
What is your favourite subject?<br />
Politics because I like to get engaged with everyday<br />
news.<br />
What kind of projects are you involved with?<br />
I am involved with a Duke of Edinburgh project<br />
which means I get to be involved in lots of different<br />
things. We go on expeditions and residentials and<br />
we also get to work with the elderly community.<br />
We recently worked on community gardens and<br />
were involved with the BBC Show, ‘The Flowerpot<br />
Gang’.<br />
What are your hopes for the future?<br />
I hope to go onto university and study law.<br />
Who is your inspiration?<br />
THE CONSTRUCTION OF what<br />
will be the Spotlight Youth<br />
Centre and Langdon Park<br />
Sixth Form is well under way<br />
as the 'topping out' ceremony<br />
of the building, celebrated in<br />
July marks the final stages of<br />
the concrete structure being<br />
erected.<br />
The centre is a the<br />
culmination of a partnership<br />
between <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong>,<br />
Langdon Park School, <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
Boys and Girls Club and the<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
that tops it off!<br />
London Borough of Tower<br />
Hamlets and the result of a<br />
consultation with over 1,600<br />
young people from across the<br />
borough. It will boast state of<br />
the art recording, producing<br />
and performance spaces as<br />
well as creative programmes;<br />
all to be launched in 2013.<br />
This is part of our offer to aid<br />
the huge amounts of creativity<br />
in Tower Hamlets.<br />
The event consisted of<br />
speeches from Juliana Ben<br />
20<br />
I don’t really have an inspiration, I just like to<br />
motivate myself!<br />
What do you like about the poplar/Bow area?<br />
I like the youth centres and facilities, there are a lot<br />
of opportunities for young people.<br />
What would you do to change the area?<br />
I am not sure that young people in the area really<br />
take advantage of the opportunities open to them; I<br />
think that should be changed.<br />
spotlight Youth centre has its ‘topping out’ ceremony<br />
Salem, chair of <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong><br />
Youth Empowerment Board,<br />
Nahimul Islam, Young Mayor of<br />
Tower Hamlets and John Parry,<br />
a representative from Langdon<br />
Park School as well as input<br />
from Cllr Rania khan and Jim<br />
Fitzpatrick MP. A huge<br />
Spotlight banner was unveiled<br />
(pictured above) as a<br />
trowelled finish was applied to<br />
the final pour of concrete to<br />
the roof. Local Artists, ‘Armz<br />
and Outlaw’ also performed as<br />
the group walked to the roof.
Here is another chance for under 7’s to have fun and colour in this picture. Please send to<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> Life colouring competition, 167A East India Dock Road, E14 0EA by november 1<br />
2012. The prize is a £20 voucher for the Early Learning Centre. Please let us know if you want<br />
it returned. the winner of the summer competition was Josh from lansbury West. Well done!<br />
name:<br />
address:<br />
21<br />
age:<br />
phone (parent/carer)<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
young people
your shout<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> 22<br />
We asked local<br />
people which word<br />
or phrase best<br />
summed up the<br />
Olympic and<br />
Paralympic<br />
Games
23<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
your shout
wordsearch<br />
Find 15 autumn themed words in our grid below to win £25 worth of Love 2 Shop high street<br />
vouchers which can be spent at 85 leading retailers.<br />
send this page to the address below with your circled answers to the address below no later<br />
than november 1, 2012.<br />
harca life word search competition<br />
C/O Communications Team<br />
167A East India Dock Road<br />
London E14 0EA<br />
the winner of the summer issue’s word search was mr. laryea.<br />
APPLE<br />
AUTUMN<br />
BROWN<br />
COLOURFUL<br />
FALL<br />
FIREWORkS<br />
FOOTBALL<br />
HALLOWEEN<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> 24<br />
AUtUMN theme<br />
find and circle the following hidden words in the grid above<br />
JUMPER<br />
LEAVES<br />
ORANGE<br />
POPLAR<br />
PUMPkIN<br />
SOUP<br />
SUNSET<br />
YELLOW
Putting the spotlight on the Spotlight team<br />
THE POPLAR <strong>HARCA</strong> Youth<br />
Service now includes the<br />
Spotlight Youth Centre team. Helal<br />
Ahmed, the youth services manager<br />
will manage the centre, supported<br />
by strategic development managers,<br />
Blossom Young and David<br />
Pilkington. Together, Helal, Blossom<br />
and David will be responsible for making sure<br />
that <strong>Poplar</strong>’s young people get the world-class<br />
opportunities that they deserve.<br />
What do you think are the biggest challenges<br />
poplar harca has?<br />
helal: Continuing to provide a high quality<br />
service for local people and sticking to<br />
our commitment to provide a worldclass<br />
service for <strong>Poplar</strong>, Bow and Tower<br />
Hamlets young people.<br />
david: Helping young people to see there are<br />
other opportunities for them and to<br />
raise their aspirations.<br />
What do you love about working for poplar<br />
harca:<br />
david: In the organisation, there’s a real passion<br />
for change. We have a big vision for a<br />
small area, this is quite unique. I really<br />
like the way the centres and housing<br />
works together to help build a<br />
community.<br />
helal: As an organisation, we have set standards<br />
and won awards for our work. We have<br />
taken risks only when there’s been a<br />
benefit to local people – <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong><br />
puts money where it’s mouth is and it<br />
has paid off!<br />
from l - r: Blossom Young, helal ahmed and david pilkington<br />
25<br />
Blossom: There’s something about<br />
this community which draws people<br />
to it. It has its challenges – the<br />
deprivation but, there’s a drive in<br />
people in the area to make it better.<br />
if you could change one thing about<br />
poplar, what would it be?<br />
helal: I would cut some of the beauracracy in<br />
place to make things smoother and<br />
quicker to execute.<br />
david: Things are changing already; the<br />
regeneration of Chrisp Street, more<br />
infrastructure into the area which in turn<br />
attracts more people. But, I would also<br />
like to see more coffee shops.<br />
Blossom: There are lots of organisations doing<br />
the same thing, more collaborative<br />
working is needed. The gaps need to be<br />
recognised and then filled. I also think the<br />
distribution of resources are not always<br />
as effective as they could be.<br />
thoughts for the future:<br />
helal: It would be great if we, as an<br />
organisation could recognise our<br />
strengths and play to that and where<br />
we’re weak, partner with organisations<br />
that have the expertise. We’re great at<br />
supporting grass roots organisations and<br />
building their capacity. A lot of these<br />
organisations have gone on to be fully<br />
fledged businesses in their own right, I’m<br />
proud of that.<br />
<strong>HARCA</strong><br />
profile
Changes to Parking scratchcards for visitors<br />
FROM OCTOBER 8, you can buy scratch<br />
cards from <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> for your<br />
visitors to park in designated bays on our<br />
estates. If you have Tower Hamlets<br />
scratchcards these are still valid until<br />
December 31, 2012. From January 1, 2013<br />
they won’t be. We don’t accept cash but you<br />
can pay for scratchcards by postal order, credit<br />
or debit card or cheque.<br />
Visitors can also use ‘contractor’ or<br />
‘authorised vehicle’ marked bays on <strong>Poplar</strong><br />
<strong>HARCA</strong> estates between 5.30pm - 8.00am<br />
from Monday to Sunday (if available) as long<br />
as a valid parking scratchcard is displayed.<br />
Current use of tower<br />
Hamlets scratchcards<br />
Tower Hamlets scratchcards last a maximum<br />
of five hours between Monday and Fridays.<br />
Providing the cover is at least until 10.30pm,<br />
the scratchcard will be valid until 8am the<br />
INITIAL DEMOLITION NOTICE<br />
SECTION 138A AND SCHEDULE 5A OF THE HOUSING ACT 1985 AS AMENDED<br />
THIS NOTICE IS GIVEN by <strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> of 167a East<br />
India Dock Road, E14 0EA (“the Registered Provider”)<br />
The Registered Provider is required by Schedule 5A of<br />
the Housing Act 1985 as amended (“the Act”) to publish<br />
the following information:<br />
INTENTION TO DEMOLISH<br />
The Registered Provider intends to demolish the<br />
following properties (the “Relevant Premises”):<br />
•1-18AdamsHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE140NS<br />
•1-15ArapilesHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE140PH<br />
•1-23AtheniaHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE140PA<br />
•1-12GazeHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE140PR<br />
•1-24HelenMackayHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE14<br />
0PW<br />
•1-18JervisBayHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE140PP<br />
•1-18JonesHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE140NT<br />
•1-18RitchieHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE140PS<br />
•1-18SamMarchHouse,BlairStreet,LondonE140PG<br />
REASON FOR DEMOLITION<br />
•DemolitionoftheRelevantPremisesisnecessaryfor<br />
amajorredevelopmentschemetoregeneratethe<br />
area. This is known as the Aberfeldy Village<br />
Regeneration project which has recently obtained<br />
planning consent to demolish 297 existing dwellings<br />
and to provide up to 1,176 new homes on the<br />
Aberfeldy Estate. In addition, the regeneration will<br />
deliver 11,231 m2 of high quality public open space<br />
and public realm, 1743m2 of new retail space, 826m2<br />
of new community and faith space, 960m2 of new<br />
space for health facilities.<br />
DEMOLITION PERIOD<br />
•TheRegisteredProviderintendstodemolishthe<br />
Relevant Premises by 11 July, 2019 being no more<br />
than seven years after the date of service of this<br />
Notice and being a reasonable period within which to<br />
carry out the proposed demolition.<br />
Date by which the initial Demolition Notice shall no<br />
longer have effect<br />
•ThisNoticewillceasetobeinforceon11July,2019<br />
unless previously revoked under the provisions of<br />
Paragraph 3 Schedule 5A of the Act.<br />
Effect of the Initial Demolition Notice<br />
•WhilstthisNoticeremainsinforcetheRegistered<br />
Provider will not be under an obligation to make such<br />
agrantasismentionedinSection138(1)oftheActin<br />
respect of any claim made by you to exercise the<br />
Right to Buy or Right to Acquire in respect of any of<br />
the Relevant Premises.<br />
This Notice does not prevent:-<br />
(i) you from making a claim to exercise the Right to<br />
Buy or Right to Acquire<br />
(ii) you taking such steps pursuant to Part V of the<br />
Act in connection with any such claim up to the<br />
point of operation of Section 138 (1) of the Act<br />
(iii) the operation of Section 138 (1) in most<br />
circumstances when this Notice ceases to be in<br />
force but<br />
If the Registered Provider subsequently serves a Final<br />
Demolition Notice in respect of the Relevant Premises, the<br />
Right to Buy or Right to Acquire will not arise in respect of<br />
the Relevant Premises while that Notice is in force and any<br />
existing claim will cease to be effective.<br />
following morning. At weekends, visitors<br />
need only one scratchcard for a Saturday or<br />
Sunday (all day). For instance, if a scratchcard<br />
is placed in the vehicle to last up until<br />
10.30pm on a Friday<br />
night, then another<br />
scratchcard must be<br />
placed in the vehicle by<br />
8am on the Saturday<br />
morning. This will<br />
expire at 8am on the<br />
Sunday morning<br />
when another<br />
scratchcard must be<br />
placed in the<br />
vehicle. Only one<br />
scratchcard can be<br />
displayed at any<br />
one time. This<br />
will only be until<br />
December 31,<br />
2012.<br />
RIGHT TO COMPENSATION<br />
•YoumayhavearighttocompensationunderSection<br />
138C of the Act in respect of certain expenditure<br />
incurred if at the time when this Notice is served on<br />
you there is already an existing claim to exercise the<br />
Right to Buy in respect of the Property. In such<br />
circumstances if within the period of three months<br />
beginning with the date when the Initial Notice comes<br />
into force (“the Operative Date”) you serve on the<br />
Registered Provider a written notice claiming an<br />
amount of compensation, the Registered Provider<br />
shall pay that amount to you.<br />
•Compensationisinrespectofexpenditure<br />
reasonably incurred by you before the Operative<br />
Date in respect of legal and other fees and other<br />
professional costs and expenses payable in<br />
connection with the exercise by you of the right<br />
to buy.<br />
•Yourclaimmustbeaccompaniedbyreceiptsorother<br />
documents showing that you have incurred the<br />
expenditure in question.<br />
• The Operative Date of this notice is 11 July, 2012<br />
being the date a copy of this notice was served on<br />
the tenants of the Relevant Premises<br />
<strong>Poplar</strong> <strong>HARCA</strong> at 167a East India Dock Road, E14 0EA<br />
or on 0800 035 1991 or at info@poplarharca.co.uk<br />
Dated this 11th day of July, 2012<br />
Andrea Baker,<br />
Director of Housing