Discover our history - Paddington Development Trust

community notice boardA newPaddingtonfestivalSince the 1960s, the greaterPaddington area has been ahotbed of cultural creativity.The Clash was formed here.Bob Marley lived here. StevieWonder gave a free concert here.These icons of popular culturewere inspired by the greaterPaddington area.Local institutions like LondonPrint Studio, Paddington Arts,Flamboyan and Yaa Asantewaa(formerly known as the Factory)have continued this tradition andgained an enviable internationalreputation for themselves and thegreater Paddington area.But the local arts scene doesn’tstop there. To these we can adda host of new and cutting-edgearts movements and groups thathave emerged of late, from theShowroom Gallery in ChurchStreet and the Subway Gallerybeneath the Edgware/Harrow Roadcrossing, to youth arts groups doingmusic, performing arts, fashion anddance. This creative melting potis made even richer thanks to themulticultural nature of Paddington.One outlet for raising the profileof all of this local talent isthrough annual community-basedfestivals, which attract over 6000people each year.2010 will see everything thathappens in the cultural calendarof Paddington between Juneand August presented under theumbrella of a Paddington-widefestival (name to be confirmed).As the programme takes shape,new activities and events will beposted on www.pdt.org.uk Visitthe site throughout the summer tosee what’s on and experience firsthandthe rich cultural tradition ofthe greater Paddington area.PHOTO COURTESY OF 4in10: THE END CHILD POVERTY LONDON PROJECTLack of housing stock, leading to overcrowding, is a major issueaffecting children, young people and parents from low income families.Child poverty and housingWestminster has the 14 th highestlevel of child poverty in London,with a shocking 53% of theborough’s children growing up instruggling families.To explore the issues causing andexacerbating this, End Child Povertyhas been working with local groups inWestminster since March 2009. It islooking to support more parents to getinvolved in campaigning on the issue.4in10: The End Child PovertyLondon Project (4in10) has beenworking with Westminster’s thirdsector organisations to identify themost important issues affectingchildren, young people and parentsfrom low income families.‘The overwhelming response hasbeen that lack of housing stock,leading to overcrowding, is the mostpressing need and deemed the mostimportant issue by our supportersin the borough,’ reported LondonCampaigns Officer Natasha Adams.‘Research by housing charity Sheltersupports this, having shown thatovercrowding causes anxiety anddepression, limits educational successand harms the health of children.’Over 1000 households inWestminster are currentlyexperiencing overcrowding, and 8394households are on social housingwaiting lists in the borough.With the Council consulting on socialhousing renewal plans at the end of2009, 4in10 brought organisationstogether to give their opinions onfuture action the Council should take.24 local organisations (includingPaddington Development Trust)supported and contributed to 4in10’sresponse to the Council’s plans.Notably, the response focusedon reducing overcrowding forexisting tenants, highlighting theimportance of play space in achild’s development, and ensuringsustained investment and responsiblecommunity development. Thefull document can be read in thecampaigns section of the 4in10 website: www.4in10.org.uk‘We now want to support Westminsterparents to get their voices heard bylocal decision makers on the issue ofchild poverty,’ says Natasha.‘To help make this happen, we willbe running free campaigns trainingfor aspiring campaigners who areinterested in forming a parents group.This is a fantastic opportunity forparents to achieve real change locallyon issues they know are important.’To find out more about the free trainingfor parents or the wider housing campaign,please contact 4in10’s London CampaignOfficer Natasha Adams on 020 7278 6676 ornatasha@ecpc.org.ukEventsThe Big BrewSat 6 Mar, 10am-12pm at St Paul’s ChurchCentre, 5 Rossmore Road, NW1. Fair TradeCoffee Morning with free tea, coffee andbiscuits. Fairtrade cakes for sale, as well as aFairtrade stall and Raffle.Cockpit TheatreTHEATRE Tue 2 Mar, 6 Apr & 4 May, 7pm,Theatre in the Pound: a great opportunityfor theatre makers to develop new ideas,get feedback on their works-in-progress. £1.Wed 3 Mar, 7 Apr & 5 May, 7.30pm, Wherefrom? Where now? Mapping Samuel Beckett:fascinating exploration of the work of SamuelBeckett. £7/£5 conc. MUSIC Thu 4 Mar, 8 Apr& 6 May, 7pm, Maqam: exploration of traditionalGreek Turkish music. Series combines concerts,talks, workshops and film. £10/£7 conc. TheCockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, NW8. 0207258 2925. www.cockpittheatre.org.ukQueen’s Park LibraryThu 4 Mar 5.30-7pm, World Book DayParty for Kids: a chance to come tothe library dressed up as your favouritecharacter. Prizes for the best dressed andall the best games. Plenty of food anddrink. Tickets £2.50. Thu 11 Mar 5.45-7pm,Screening of Hidden Herstories: a locallyproduced documentary on four womenand their political and social successes(http://hiddenherstories.org). Refreshmentsprovided. Mon 19 Apr 6.30-8pm, QuizNight: a chance to prove your knowledgein the library. Team bookings encouraged butnot required. If interested call 020 7641 1300and ask for Queen’s Park Library. Thu 6 May6-8pm, Open Mic Night: Show off yourmusic or comedic talents at the library. Firstcome, first served. Refreshments provided.Queen’s Park Library, 666 Harrow Road,W10, 020 7641 1300.West 9 Community BazaarWed 3 Mar, 7 Apr & 5 May, 1-4pm. The thrivingbazaar will offer an impressive array of sights,tastes and textures, not to mention a FREEcup of tea or coffee. Entrance costs 20p foradults. You can hire a stall to sell your goods atthe bazaar (£3 per session). St Peter’s ChurchHall, 59 Elgin Avenue, W9. 07982 802 725 (askfor Sandra or Jackie), sansdc@hotmail.comCourses & TrainingCOLLEGE OPEN DAYWe are holding a College-wide Open Dayon Thursday 22 April from 2-7pm. Meettutors, take a look at our classrooms andfacilities, get advice and course informationand apply for a course. Call 020 77238826 or visit www.cwc.ac.uk for moreinformation. We look forward to seeing you!FREE TRAINING PROGRAMMES:The Prince’s Trust Team ProgrammeThis is an exciting personal developmentprogramme for unemployed people aged 16-25, offered by Safer Westminster Partnership,working with youth charity The Prince’sTrust and City of Westminster College. Theprogramme offers a range of skills and trainingincluding Computing, Job Search and WorkExperience, plus tasters in areas including Sport& Leisure, Media & Arts, Administration andRetail. The course runs for 12 weeks. The nextprogramme starts Monday 26 April. For moredetails call Sheromie Brewster on 07920 723504 or email sheromie.brewster@cwc.ac.ukPersonal Best(Olympic Volunteering Programme)Do you find returning to work challenging?Do you want to increase your confidenceor gain new skills? Personal Best is a FREE10-week training programme that includesa volunteering placement, first aid and aguaranteed interview for volunteering postsat the 2012 Olympic Games. You will alsocover a range of subjects including conflictmanagement, health and safety and teambuilding. The programme will work towardsthe Certificate in Personal Best, a nationallyrecognised qualification. For details call 0207258 5536 or email stephen.hayes@cwc.ac.ukSKILLS AND EMPLOYMENTTRAININGOver 18 and unemployed? We offer free adviceand guidance and various programmes that canhelp you gain the skills, training and experienceyou need to get into work, including interviewand job search skills, job applications, computingskills and a range of vocational tasters. Formore information, call 020 7258 7224.Over 19, employed and seeking training?Through Train to Gain and Apprenticeships,we offer training programmes in a wide rangeof skills and sectors. Employees can gainvaluable skills, while employers can improve theefficiency and productivity of their business. Wealso offer various bespoke training courses. Formore information call 020 7258 7215 or emailjoanne.bailie@cwc.ac.ukCOURSE INFORMATION &ADVICEIf you would like full details of all of our coursesyou can visit www.cwc.ac.uk or ring InfoPointon 020 7723 8826. If you would like to talk tosomeone about your choice of course you candrop-in to InfoPoint at the Paddington BasinCampus, North Wharf Road, London W21LF. You can talk to our InfoPoint and CourseAdvice staff and get information on fees,support and other details. Drop in any weekdayfrom 10am to 4.30pm and some Tuesdayevenings from 5-7pm (call to check first).Voluntary Action WestminsterFree training for voluntary and communitygroups. 2 Mar, Business planning for faithbasedgroups; 3 Mar, How to prepare thefinal accounts; 10 Mar, How to developa child protection policy and undertakeCRB checks; 17 Mar, How to improve yourfundraising skills. 15 Apr, Getting ready forcommissioning and procurement; 20 Apr,Project management; 21 Apr, Developingsocial enterprise. 12 May, Managing for thefirst time; 17 May, Welcome to Westminster;18 May, Final accounts and preparing forindependent examinations and audit; 19May, Involving volunteers; 25 May, Settingup a group; 27 May, Paying volunteers. For abooking form, email training@vawcvs.org orcall 020 7723 1216.Westminster Centre forIndependent LivingTue evenings over 24 weeks (60 hours intotal), BSL Sign Language Course. Wed2-3pm, Learn French: WCIL is offeringdisabled people the opportunity take regularFrench lessons. Contact Catherine atcnjau@trainingforlife.org Healthy EatingCooking Class: runs over 6 weeks andis divided into three parts - How can I eathealthily?; How to shop; and Get cooking!To reserve your place contact Naima atnaima@trainingforlife.org Training for LifeWestminster Centre for Independent Living,42 Westbourne Park Rd, W2. 020 7243 9720.Support & AdviceAdvice PlusMon 1-4pm. Welfare benefits advice, free10-minute benefit entitlement checks andin-depth debt advice available with Arabicand Bengali translation. Advice is alsoavailable from various agencies providingadvice around housing, shared ownership,employment and training options plus aweekly councillors surgery. The BeethovenCentre, Third Ave, W10. 020 8969 5881.Wed 10 Mar, 14 Apr, 12 May, 3-5pm. Sameas above, but with health checks and advicearound immigration. Greenside CommunityCentre, Lilestone St, NW8. 020 7245 2861.6 This page is sponsored by City of Westminster College7