Community Links
Community Links, one of the key users of the Britannia Village Hall, is an innovative charity running community-based projects in east London. It works with thousands of vulnerable children, young people and adults every year, with most of its work delivered in Newham, including in the Britannia Village and North Woolwich area.
Community Links aims to tackle the causes and consequences of this social exclusion. It has a network of over 70 projects reaching some of the most vulnerable people in east London.
Its Adult services include;
- Drop In Advice Service and advocacy for local people offering advice about welfare benefits, housing and debt including tribunal representation where appropriate.
- Outreach Advice Services for elderly and disabled people delivered through GP's surgeries, Community Centres and in people's own homes.
- Community Development and Advice Training aiming to develop the skills of local people and help them into work.
Its Children and Youth Services include;
- Teenage Health project - this is a peer advice project offering advice and support about drug, alcohol and solvent abuse and sexual health.
- Education Otherwise - education projects which work with young people who are at risk of exclusion or who have been excluded from school. Each project offers intensive support to help young people back into school or where this is not possible (usually due to complex difficulties experienced by these young people) to ensure they receive the highest quality education possible in an alternative setting.
- Youth Work - a range of youth services for young people delivered from Commuihity Links centres throughout the borough. The Youth Inclusion Project works with the police and schools to offer alternative activities to the local young people identified most at risk of committing crime and anti-social behaviour. Community Links Youth Workers offer advice and guidance on education, health and employment to some of the area's most socially excluded young people.
- After school and homework clubs - a network of over 20 after-school and homework clubs located in some of the most deprived areas in Newham. Each club provides a safe haven for between 20 and 50 children, aged 5 – 11, immediately after school. Many of the children attending these after-school clubs are considered ‘at risk' and are referred by local social services.
- Inclusive work with disabled children and young people - all of Community Links services are fully inclusive bringing together disabled and non-disabled children and young people to enjoy activities in a fun and safe environment. Last year the charity provided respite holidays for over 200 children and young people and its Saturday club continues to provide a vital service to families with autistic children.
For more information about Community Links visit www.community-links.org or contact Toni Theisinger on 020 7473 9682, e-mail: click
here
Top of Page Early Start
Britannia Village Hall is among the venues used by Early Start's Royal Victoria Dock Team to provide a range of services to give all children under five access to tailored children's services, including health, education and family support.
There are activities on most days of the week in term time. Click here to see an extract from their latest brochure (.pdf, 1.07 mb). For more information call the Team on 020 8430 6188.
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 Royal
Docks Community Church
Royal Docks Community Church (RDCC) is a relatively new church established 6
years ago to serve the communities of the Royal Docks. The Church meets
weekly on Sunday mornings in Britannia Village Primary School at 10.30am. These services are suitable for all ages. They have developed a varied programme of events, which include all-age worship, bring and share meals and larger gatherings.  For a more detailed programme, please contact the minister, Rev. Penny Marsh at the church office, e-mail: PennyRDCC@aol.com. The Church also has a weekly homegroup meeting on Wednesday evening. They
run two courses for those who want to discover what it means to be a
Christian, the 'Alpha' course and 'Journeys'. RDCC has always been committed to helping develop a sense of community,
which has resulted in involvement in local fun days, an annual Easter egg
hunt, the creation of a lively toddler group and a meeting for the
over-50's. They have also recently established the Bridges Community
Project, which is based in 'the Hub' in Britannia Village Hall.
The Church is a member of the Evangelical Alliance and the Baptist Union of
Great Britain.
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Royal Docks Book Club
The first Royal Docks Book Club was successfully launched on 19 February on the floating pub the Sir Henry Johnson at the western end of the Royal Victoria Dock. Ten people took part in a lively discussion and chose five books to read and share ideas about. If you like reading or would enjoy a sociable drink join the Tuesday evening meetings of the Club each month stasrting at 7.45pm.
More details from Vaughan on 07961 161366.
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 St
John's Church
St John's is the Anglican Parish Church for West Silvertown.
The church is also used for Roman Catholic services and by the Jesus People's
Church. The Parish Priest, the Reverend Trish Capriello, writes:
"Greetings from St John's - the Anglican
Parish Church of North Woolwich and Silvertown.
"St John's is situated on Albert
Road (near the Woolwich Ferry) and consists of a small but friendly and
thriving community.
"We are in an ecumenical partnership
with the Roman Catholic Church of St Mary with St Edward.
We also share our building with the Jesus People's Church.
"A social/study group has recently
been set up to enable us to get to know one another better. Throughout
the summer a series of day outings to the sea have been planned - ending
with a Parish holiday to the West Country.
"St John's Church is in the very
early stages of restoration. It is very much hoped that the work
undertaken will be of an ecological nature.
"The Church works very closely with
the St John's Community Centre (adjacent to the Church) and looks forward
to sharing in future joint projects.
"Our main weekly service is at 11am
on Sundays - with occasional additional services.
"Please do not hesitate to contact
me if you have any inquiries about the life of the Church"
Contact:
The Revd Trish Capriello, St John's Vicarage, Manwood Street, North Woolwich,
London, E16 2JY. Telephone 0207 474 7008
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St John's Community Centre
The St John’s Centre at North Woolwich is a well
established important local community facility. In February 2004 the Centre
re-opened following the completion of a £0.9m project to modernise
and refurbish the premises which are now suitable for a range of up-to-date
community uses.
Centre Manager Elahe Panahi writes:
“St Johns Centre was established
in 1968 for the benefit of the local community and young people living
in North Woolwich and Silvertown areas of Newham.
 “St
Johns is one of the few local service providers which is firmly rooted
in the area. It offers a wide range of services to support members of
the local community in gaining access to social, educational and recreational
activities with the object of improving their condition of life.
“Having waited for many years for
the plan to refurbish the Centre to bear fruit, I am happy to say that
we have just returned to a newly refurbished, modern and resourceful building.
The funding from Royal Docks Trust, the Single Regeneration Budget and
Newham Council allowed the Centre to transform the building into a great
new facility for the community.
“We currently provide after school
services for children 5-12 years old. The service is offered on 5 days
a week from 3.30 pm to 6.00 pm and runs all year round. During the Summer
and Easter holidays we run holiday schemes from 8.30 am to 6.00 pm to
support working parents. This is complemented by open access for other
local children from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm during which they can join in
the activities of club. Please call Raj on 0207 476 9922 for further information. 
“Our Youth Club runs from 7.00 pm
to 9.00 pm on Mondays to Thursdays inclusive and offers a wide range of
sports, recreation, art and games for young people aged 11 to 18 years.
The activities are divided into junior, senior and mixed groups. The youth
project also offers Summer and Easter holiday schemes which include trips
and visits, residentials and many other exciting activities. For further
information call Marion on 0207 476 9933
“The Centre runs 60+ social clubs
on Thursday and Friday afternoons each week. Activities include line-dancing,
games, mat ball games, cards, pool, darts and trips and visits to interesting
places. For further information call the Centre’s main office on
0207 476 1666
“We also run world-wide cookery
on Saturdays from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm for people interested in healthy
living and healthy eating. The sessions allow participants to share information
and offer each other support in a culturally and ethnically diverse environment.
We are in the process of setting up a fresh fruit and vegetable co-op
in partnership with Newham Food Access.
"In partnership with Newceys the Centre offers a wide range of adult and community
education courses and on Saturdays we have regular Yoga classes from 10am to 12pm and Keep
Fit from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.
“We have started a new project to
support isolated and marginalised women living locally. Our Women’s
Support Project aims to offer these women advice and information, a drop-in
service for crafts, health related actives and mutual support.  The
project will offer workshops, training, discussions and informal gatherings
to enable participants to utilise their potential and feel able to make
positive contribution. You can contact Theresa on 0207 476 1666 for further
information.
“The resources of the Centre are
available for hire to projects and local people for important social,
educational, leisure and cultural and family events. For information call
Dora on 0207 476 1666.
“In line with needs and interests
of local people the Centre is open 7 days a week. “
The Centre is located in Albert Road, North Woolwich
[Map].
Adjacent is St John’s Church. There are pictures of the newly refurbished
centre on the website of the Royal Docks Trust.
Contact Details:
St John's Centre, Albert Road, North Woolwich, London, E16 2JB.
Telephone: 020 7476 1666, Fax 020 7473 0804, e-mail: click
here
Top of Page Digital Learning Ring
This organisation offers free courses for those who want to develop their Job Search skills, Interview technique and CV writing or to improve their Maths, English or IT and gain a recognised qualification (equal to GCSE).
Contact Simon or Julia at Digital Learning Ring, 2e Royal Victoria Place, Wesley Avenue, West Silvertown,
London E16 1UQ Tel: 020 7474 9714
This organisation runs under the auspices of the Peabody Trust with funds from LearnDirect, the EU and the London Development Agency
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 The Bridges Community Project
Thge Bridges Community Project is an initiative of Royal Docks Community Church and managed by a management team comprising of local residents. It operates in Britannia Village and West Silvertown.
In March 2003 Neighbourhood Renewal funding was made available and local residents, in consultation with the local community forum, agreed that such a project reflected the needs of the local community and would therefore be the best use of such funds. The project was not without its early difficulties, not least in finding a home, but it has clearly been successful in empowering local people to be a part of the solution in tackling some of the issues of the community in which they live. The project's vision is simple: To develop and support a relevant community initiative characterised by:
* Establishing an effective community partnership between local people, agencies and organisations.
* Actively working towards the regeneration of the local community by addressing the identified issues of isolation and social exclusion and promoting stronger community cohesion.
Bridges aims to address some of these issues by providing locally based facilities, empowering local people, developing a signposting service which will assist in accessing other existing services and supporting those who are disadvantaged as a result of the geographical isolation.
An early priority for the Project was the setting up of a community base in the Britannia Village Hall. Known as "The Hub" this provides a venue for existing groups, and as well as a drop-in facility for local residents. A signposting service enabling people to access local information is a key part of this facility as well as a programme of training workshops and social events. The new facility was formally opened on 11th November 2004 [More details of Launch].
The Project's current activities include:
For Children.....
During term time…
Monday's: 3.20-4.20pm - Craft for 7-11's. 50p per child, refreshments provided.
Thursday's: 1.30-3.00pm - Bounceabout (parent & toddler group). £1 per session, refreshments provided
Half term/school holidays…
Every half term Bridges holds an event for children and their parents. They also have events at Christmas, a summer programme and the Easter egg hunt on Good Friday.
For the local community.....
Wednesday's: 1.30-3.00pm - Community drop-in, with coffee and home made cakes
Friday's: 1:30-3pm - Fruit and Veg co-op
For the over 55's...
Tuesday's: 10.00am minibus to ASDA 
Thursday's: 10.00am minibus to Tesco's The project engages with other groups, including the Shaftesbury Society, St John’s Community Centre (North Woolwich), Community Links, local residents groups, local council services and Britannia Village Primary School. There are plenty of opportunities for people to get involved - the Project is always in need of volunteers! If you have any ideas, time or skills you would like to offer please contact Keeley Prowse, telephone 020 7055 0958, E mail. Keeley is also the one to contact for more details of the Project's activities.
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The Britannia Village Residents' Association
BVRA was formed in July 2005 by a group of residents wanting to see improvements in the management and maintenance of the estate. It's aims and objectives are to ensure that Britannia Village is well maintained and to protect the investment of those who have bought homes here.
For more information visit their website
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 Royal
Docks Trust (London)
The Royal Docks Trust (London) was established
and registered as a charity in March 1995. It works to provide community
benefits to the Docklands part of Newham between the A13 and the River
Thames. The Trust is structured to ensure its Board is representative
of local businesses, community organisations and residents as well as
members appointed by Newham Council.
The Trust's main income is earned from the investment
of its core £2,700,000 endowment provided by the former London Docklands
Development Corporation (LDDC) when it was wound up in 1998. This was
to allow the Trust, in partnership with Newham Council, to continue to
run the Corporation's annual grants programme for Newham's Docklands.
The Trust also has the income earned on funds left with the Trust to implement
some of the LDDC's unfulfilled social projects - although this is declining
as the projects are completed - and from lands used for community purposes
where the LDDC left the freehold interest with the Trust.
Bids for the annual grants programme, worth more than
of £200,000 to local organisations, are usually invited in October
or November and grants are awarded in the following February or March.
Minor grants, up to £1000, are available all the year round.
The grants programme is administered by Newham Council who provide a quarter
of the cost of the grants each year. All grants require the concurrence
of the Trustees and the Council. The maximum period of funding for any
project is 3 years. The Trust is precluded by the terms of the endowment
from making grants to individuals.
For more details about the work of the Trust, and for
a concise history of the Royal Docks and the ongoing development of the
area, visit its website at www.royaldockstrust.org.uk/
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 London
City Airport Consultative Committee
Although the Airport offers a wide range of jobs and
brings economic benefits and prosperity to the area. it can give rise
to problems and concerns for local people, particularly on issues such
as aircraft noise, pollution and traffic problems. The London City Airport
Consultative Committee provides a forum for the discussion of these issues
as well as a source of information for local people and a mechanism for
monitoring the Airport's impact on the local environment.
The
Committee, which operates under section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982,
includes representatives of the Airport and the airlines, local authorities,
other local agencies and the travel trade as well as seven representatives
of local residents, including the three community forums south of the
A13 and tenants and residents associations across the area. The Foundation is presently looking for someone to represent West Silvertown Foundation in succession to Pamela Bertrand who has now left the area..
 The meetings of the Committee, which are open to the
press and the public, are held at the Airport four times a year usually
at 7.00 pm on the first Tuesday of January, April, July and October.
For details of the Committee’s work, including
the dates of meetings, visit their web site at www.lcacc.org
The site also offers information on the Airport’s environmental
regime, its history and its place in the London Docklands story and is
a great favourite with schools and colleges.
The Committee’s Secretary, Stuart Innes, can be
contacted on 020 8123 6374 or by E mail
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Local Water Sports Clubs
The Royal Docks provide a wealth of water sporting activities.
For details of the various facilities visit the website
of the Royal Docks Trust.
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Page last modified: 30th August 2007
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