The Earls Court Development Company awards grants to eighteen local organisations as part of their annual £180,000 Community Fund

• In its second round of funding ECDC has awarded eighteen local organisations grants from its annual Community Fund
• The Fund aims to support the local community in and around the Earl’s Court area
• These grants will build upon the help ECDC has provided to the community to date and will allow local organisations to deliver projects and ensure local groups can continue to provide longer term support for the community

The Earls Court Development Company has today announced that eighteen local charities and organisations are to receive grants from the Earls Court Community Fund.

The total value of the Earls Court Community Fund is £180,000 per year and the Fund aims to support the local community in and around the Earls Court site, in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

The organisations awarded grants today are dedicated to supporting individuals in the local community, including children and young people, disabled and vulnerable individuals, homeless people and rough sleepers, displaced women and refugees, and old people. Each organisation is committed to tackling issues through education, theatre, sports, wellbeing support groups and much more.  

ECDC received nearly 40 applications with just under £500,000 worth of requests which were assessed by an independent panel, recruited through an open process and comprised of Rebekah Paczek, Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations at ECDC, alongside community stakeholders from both LBHF and RBKC.

Since acquiring the Earls Court site in 2019, ECDC has committed to making a positive contribution to the local community. The Earls Court Community Fund has already supported local organisations in its first round of funding, which included events, performing arts organisations, children’s holiday activities and workshops, in addition to sporting activities and volunteering opportunities to support vulnerable families, and rough sleepers.

Recent analysis of the impact of the Earls Court Community Fund in 2021 has found that close to 11,000 people have been supported by the Fund so far, providing over 14,000 meals to people who need them, more than 900 1-to-1 support sessions and supporting close to 200 rough sleepers or people at risk of homelessness in the local area.

The second round of the Fund will build upon the help ECDC has provided to the community to date which includes ongoing support to organisations such as Dads House, London Sports Trust and Earls Court Film Festival, as well as new organisations.

Speaking about the announcement, Chief Executive of The Earls Court Development Company, Rob Heasman, said:

“As a local business, The Earls Court Development Company is proud to play a role in our community. Over the last year, we have seen the incredible impact that organisations have had, through the grant they received from the Earls Court Community Fund. We are therefore thrilled to be able to award another eighteen grants, so that these organisations can continue to support our local communities through the mediums of sport, art, culture and many others.

Over the next year, we look forward to working with these groups, as well as our partners, to continue to deliver real difference to our local communities.”

The eighteen organisations that successfully applied for grants for funding in 2022 are:

• 10^th Fulham Scout Group – To provide an enhanced programme of activities for young people in all sections (Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers) and training of volunteers
• Action on Disability – To expand Action on Disability's support activities, promoting disabled people to live independently and be confident citizens in Earls Court
• Barons Court Project - For the Project's morning drop-in service which supports people sleeping rough or at risk of homelessness in Hammersmith and Fulham and the surrounding areas
• Burnt Orange Theatre – To support the group’s operations for the 2022/2023 academic year, including youth-led theatre production courses and school holiday programmes
• Community Education Forum – To provide mentoring, academic and pastoral support for children and young people
• Doorstep Library – To support the library’s weekly visits to 60 children aged 0-11 from 30 families on the Clem Atlee Estate
• Earl’s Court Community Trust – To provide an 8-piece band for the 2023 summer play
• Earls Court Youth Club – To provide activities which support families that are experiencing hardship by providing meals and running cooking workshops
• EQUAL PEOPLE mencap – To offer vulnerable individuals a regular weekly space for 40 weeks a year to come together to experience music and dance
• Finborough Theatre – For Finborough Theatre's September 2022 live season, which aims to deliver a full programme
• FOR WOMEN CIC – To give displaced women support, including delivering activities in Ukrainian and Russian to support refugees from the war in Ukraine
• Minaret Community Centre – To support the Somali and West African community located in Earls Court by delivering wellbeing support groups, mental health first aid training, drop-in counselling, women support groups and signposting services
• Open Age – To engage older people and tackle loneliness and isolation in venues across the Earls Court opportunity area
• Response Community Projects – To provide a volunteer at the centre to support the Project’s activities, including sessions for refugees, asylum seekers, older people and those in vulnerable positions
• Solidarity Sports – To support the Family Den and International Food Night programmes which support local families, carers and children and young people
• St Andrew’s Church, Fulham Fields – To support the Youth Club with activities including crafts, poetry and specialist football coaching
• St Cuthbert’s Centre – To support the Centre’s work to tackle food poverty and isolation by providing a nutritious, and free, 3-course restaurant quality meal to the hungry
• London Limited – To support the Discover Your Earls Court workshops which aim to empower local people to learn more about the history of the local area

ENDS

CASE STUDY – Earls Court Community Fund recipients 2021

Dadihiye Somali Development Organisation - Earls Court Family Support

• The Dadhihiye Somali Development Organisation applied for funding in 2021 to deliver their ‘Earls Court Family Support’ project. The project would help deliver support, information, and signposting services in areas such as finances, health issues, and education to BAME residents. The funding would help run activities including coffee mornings, a sewing group, English classes and after-school provision including educational support and cultural visits
• Thanks to the funding received from the Earls Court Community Fund, the Dadihiye Somali Development Organisation have been able to carry out their project and local community members, often with language barriers, have been able to gain employability through the centre, have received help on financial and health services and have learnt new skills when signposted to educational opportunities with other organisations

Dahabo Isse, from the Dadihiye Somali Development Organisation, said: “If we don’t get the funding, we cannot support them. That is why we’re able to support. Thanks to the funder... We can’t do this without that money from The Earl’s Court Development Company.”

London Sports Trust – FBS City Sports Programme

• The funding from the Earls Court Community Fund allowed London Sports Trust to offer three weekly sessions of sporting and outdoor activity for over 150 vulnerable young people in the local area during term-time, in addition to 4 hours of activities each day of the school holidays. London Sports Trust works directly with young people aged 10-18 living in the Earl’s Court community and prioritises those who are not engaging in extra-curricular activities, are displaying behavioural problems or who may be at risk of offending and/or developing physical/mental health issues
• As a result of the sports programme, participants have improved their physical fitness and wellbeing. London Sports Trust also says there has been lower incidents of illegal or criminal activity because of their engagement in the programme. Participants also have the opportunity to enter into coaching courses once they turn 16
• The programme has also been beneficial for the volunteers who run the activities as they have been able to learn new skills in coaching sports, which can provide employment and a career path

Ulick Tarabanov, from London Sports Trust, said: “The community fund has enabled us to put on a variety of free sports programmes which the community has requested and enjoy and love. Without that funding that wouldn’t be possible.”

ABOUT THE EARLS COURT DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) is an Earl’s Court based business, responsible for driving the regeneration of the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre site, covering around 40 acres, on behalf of the Earls Court Partnership – a joint venture between Delancey (on behalf of its client funds including the Dutch pension fund manager, APG) and Transport for London (TfL) that was formed in December 2019. The first decision we took after acquiring the site was to hand back the West Kensington and Gibbs Green housing estates - originally part of the previous owners’ masterplan - to Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

Regeneration of the Earls Court site
We have had thousands of conversations with residents, neighbours and local business about the future of the Earls Court site. In late 2021, we launched our latest phase of consultation, showcasing the priorities that will guide the regeneration of the site. This involved a series of in-person public events, webinars and masterplanning workshops with representatives of the local community, to ascertain their priorities for the emerging masterplan. 

Over the coming months, more detailed plans will be shared with the public, showcased at in-person and virtual events, alongside drop-ins at train stations and markets.

Further information about the consultation, and the latest materials, can be found here.

Early delivery at Earls Court 
ECDC’s site activation programme is central to the early delivery of our commitments both now and for the longer-term masterplan. We have succeeded in opening parts of the Earls Court site to the public for the first time in over a century. 

Since acquiring the site in 2019, we have developed close ties with our neighbours, local businesses and the wider community. Investing in the future of the area forms a core principle of our vision for Earls Court. To date, we have done the following:

• Homes at Empress Place: Refurbished and brought back into use properties along Empress Place, which were left derelict. During the height of the first national lockdown, these were provided as homes for key workers.
• Earls Court Community Fund: Last year, we established a £180,000 a year community fund. In October, grants were awarded to nineteen local organisations, including Dads House, Finsborough Theatre, Barons Court Project, Family Friends, and the Earl’s Court Community Trust, to support their work with local communities, young people and those at risk or vulnerable. Applications have now closed for this year’s round of funding, with successful applicants set to be announced in August.

• Warwick Road Apron: We are supporting K+C Art Week for the second year in a row, with Azarra Amoy presenting ‘Stars of Earl’s Court’ at Warwick Road, a huge 39-metre mural celebrating artists, past and present, who lived and worked in the area. It follows last years ‘Pleasure Garden’ installation and forms part of our ongoing cultural and site activation strategy.
• Underbelly at Earls Court: For the second year in a row, we collaborated with Underbelly for a festival showcasing world-class performances and live shows, as well as providing the local community the opportunity to showcase on the bandstand and in the studio – a new, 75-seater event space. After running from May to July this year, we have transformed the site into a free public beach and open-air cinema, alongside street food traders, pop-up bars and games for all ages. It will be open every day from 12pm from July to early September. 

• Community Hub: We have refurbished the former replacement homes ensuite along Aisgill Avenue into a Community Hub. Opened in June 2022, a dedicated manager is based at the hub, with a range of activities and classes running throughout the week for people of all ages. We hope the space will become a focal point for the community to come together and meet with friends and family.

• Empress Studios: Working in partnership with This is Projekt, we have converted six derelict Victorian townhouses into 8,500 sq. ft of workspace for creatives and innovators within Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea. Opened in May 2022, upwards of 30 new workspaces have been created, providing affordable studio and office space for the local arts and science industries.
• Lillie Road: We have turned part of Lillie Road into an active high street, providing opportunities for small businesses and charities, including providing start-up local organisations with the opportunity to create brand awareness at The Pop Up.
• Mannequin Factory: We have recently announced plans to create a temporary visionary immersive theatre in the former Mannequin Factory located in West Kensington. The theatre, operated by The Lost Estate, tells the greatest stories ever told through a fantastical fusion of immersive sets, world-class performances, themed food and drink. It will also give back to the local community, with free tickets, job opportunities, co-working space for local creatives. The Lost Estate will be opening in November with the show - ‘A Christmas Carol’.
  
  

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