London

The following few case studies, some of which were used in the report Building Faith in the Future, are from the London region. They follow the same order as the chapter headings in the report.  Please note that it may not have been possible to find case studies for every heading.  If you know of other cases which may be of interest, please let us know.

CHURCHES AS A CENTRES OF VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

Two reports were produced in 2002:-

Laurie Anderson, Terry Drummond, Elizabeth Simon and Madeleine Williams, Neighbourhood Renewal in London: the Role of Faith Communities, Greater London Enterprises and London Churches Group, May 2002  www.gle.co.uk/downloads/GLE%20Faith%20Communities.pdf

Laurie Anderson, Terry Drummond, Elizabeth Simon and Madeleine Williams, Regenerating London: Faith Communities and Social Action, Greater London Enterprises and London Churches Group, October  2002  www.gle.co.uk/downloads/GLE%20Faith%20Communities.pdf

The intention of the above reports was to identify through a mapping exercise the extent and nature of church organised social action in London. It covered all faith communities.

3,298 congregation leaders and faith-based organisations received questionnaires.

The results showed that a very large number of projects are funded and run by faith communities, often aimed at the most vulnerable members of society, particularly those who may not receive support from other sources.

“It proves that faith communities are a valuable resource for tackling social exclusion in London and that they have a role to play with local authorities in neighbourhood renewal”. (Regenerating London: Faith Communities and Social Action October 2002)

Using the responses received as an predictor of overall faith-organised social action in the London Boroughs, then the survey would suggest that faith communities could be running more than 7,000 projects in London, employing 10,000 staff and involving over 45,000 volunteers. 2,200 buildings would be available for community use in many neighbourhoods, the only building available for wide community use. These activities would be serving some 390,000 people.  Projects range from advice and counselling to services for homeless people, disabled, education, family support, youth groups, lunch clubs,  support for prisoners, women, AIDS sufferers, as well as arts and crafts and dance and drama clubs, keep fit and other sport activities. 

Only a small minority of projects have received public funding, much is achieved through local fund raising  and charitable support from the many and various Trust Funds. However, since the development of Government policy towards a more local approach to regeneration initiatives, more public money is becoming available.

If  the wider contribution of faith communities is taken into account and focusing on one smaller area, Hackney Deanery, the huge amount of investment which faith communities provide through all their networks and activities becomes even clearer. (October 2002 figures). It is estimated that each year £2.1 million is deployed by the Church of England for work in Hackney (parish giving, stipends, building maintenance grants obtained for community projects)

• The Borough has 23 parishes with a total of 2,244 people from Hackney on Church Electoral rolls.
• There are 32 stipendiary clergy, 6 non-stipendiary clergy and 15 Sisters of St Margaret all available for ministry.
• There are 8 Church of England primary schools and 1 secondary schools supported by special advisers.
• There are 8 substantial (parish) related community projects employing between them 31 staff. Each year these bring into the Borough £750,000 in grants.
• It is estimated that each week, these projects are involved in 1200 separate contacts with Hackney people. These people are often the poorest and most marginalised.
• It is estimated that each week, that the Church of England in Hackney has active and purposeful contact with 3450 people – of all races and nationalities.
• The Hackney Churches Winter Night Shelter initiative involves 7 churches who have opened their church halls for overnight accommodation for homeless people. Between 1998 and 2002 more than 1,000 individuals were provided with a bed for the night and a further 1,000 were given a hot evening meal. At least 250 Hackney people were involved in volunteering.

Government has encouraged the involvement of faith communities in Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs). In October 2002, in several London boroughs, faith communities had been invited to take at least one seat on the LSP. In Newham, the figure was three representatives, In Lewisham, a Church of England priest sits on the LSP in his own right to represent his local neighbourhood. In Hackney, there are three faith representatives on the LPS: A Muslim, a Jew and a Christian. Things are getting better across more London Boroughs, but the picture is still patchy. Barriers are suggested to be a residual belief that faith communities are still only interested in only promoting their religious beliefs, a lack of understanding of the specific contribution that can be made by faith communities to social renewal and the difficulty of one faith representative being able to speak for a range of faiths. Models need to be developed of regular meetings between faith groups that could allow LSP faith representatives to be fully briefed on all issues from the perpectives of all faith groups.

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THE URBAN CHALLENGE

St John’s Hoxton: a nursery school and family centre in the west end, and community cafe, training project and fitness centre for the disabled in the crypt of this early C19 building have made it a beacon for local regeneration.

St Martin in the Fields, a well known Grade I building which also has a major outreach to the homeless and to London’s Chinese community.

St Paul’s Old Ford, Bow,  a grade II Gothic Revival church of 1878 in London’s East End, had been closed since the early nineties due to safety concerns. The only option then seemed to be redevelopment by a private property developer. Inspired by the local support for the building, the new vicar, the Revd Philippa Boardman and the PCC decided to explore options for renovating the church for continued worship and community use.

“The day I arrived local people, who didn’t even go to church kept coming up to me and saying ‘I hope you’re going to save the church’. They didn’t want the church to go”. (The Revd Philippa Boardman 2004)

A feasibility study and concerted local fund-raising gradually attracted funding of more than 3m from bodies such as Church Urban Fund, the New Opportunities Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Community Fund, the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund,  ERDF NEW Interreg 3, the Mercer’s Company and the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, the Tudor Trust, English Heritage, the Diocesan Fund, and several other Charities.  Matthew Lloyd Architects then took on the demanding brief of inserting a whole new steel structure within the existing historic shell. The resulting ‘Ark’, the pod on stilts, provides for an art galley and project room, a gym, physical and therapy counselling rooms and even a sauna. On the ground floor, a significant dedicated place of worship is retained as well as a small community hall, a crèche, a cafe and kitchen, a reception office. The building opened in May 2004 and is managed by the PCC with a small team of staff including volunteers. 

St Paul’s Church Centre, Rossmore Road, North Marylebone, Westminster

This is an area where housing is made up of both council flats – particularly the large Lisson Green and Church Street estates – and private housing. A very diverse community. Like anywhere, it has its drawbacks, but these are dealt with by a strong community spirit.

The parish boundaries are formed by the Edgware Road, the Regents Canal, the railway line into Marylebone Station and Marylebone Road.

The Christian Community that meets in St Paul’s Church Centre is a mixture of people of very different people, variety of ages, social standing and from many different cultures, mainly from the local community.

There are Services every Sunday and several during the week at different times of the day: lunchtime, mornings and evenings.

Also numerous groups meet regularly at the Church: Alcoholics Anonymous, The Association for Pastoral Care in Mental Health, Baking Group, Barnardo’s (Families in Temporary Accomodation Project), British Epilepsy Association, Coffee Mornings once a month, Mental Health Group, Valman Budo Ryu Martial Arts Club, Wedge (Westminster Group for Physcially Disabled Women), Weightwatchers, and Youth groups, Craft group, Drop-in Centre, Georgian Choir, Homework Club, Indoor Bowls, 1 O’Clock club for Toddlers, Line Dancing, Social clubs for older people.

The Good Shepherd Community Youth Project, in Hounslow West is a joint venture between the London Borough of Hounslow and the parish. As a recognised deprived area, it has a Sure Start and Home Start status. Currently focusing on both maintaining and expanding its scope. A Saturday Morning Breakfast Club for 5-11 year olds already has a waiting list. Links are being strengthened with bodies ranging from the Community School and the Brownies to the Racial Equality Council and Hounslow Homes.

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 CATHEDRALS

Southwark Cathedral

Millenium Project

“The aim is to meet the needs of the visitor, schoolchild, student and worshipper in the 21st century, maintaining a sanctuary of prayer and holiness alongside a public precinct by the river where once the monastic cloister offered the food for body, mind and soul we seek to offer once again”. (Source: The Very Revd Colin Slee OBE)

The site of Southwark Cathedral has been a place of worship for over a thousand years, the building itself being older than both St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster. A This £10 million project half of which came from the Millenium Commission has opened up the immediate environs of the Cathedral into a single precinct, and a new refectory wing and a technological teaching library have been built. There are now conference facilities and the education centre has been further developed. There is also a visitor centre with state of the art technology allowing the visitors to look at the history of the Cathedral, London especially Southwark and also the views to be had from the tower. There is also a display of the archaeological work undertaken as part this project. The preservation and interpretation of archaeological finds is being supported by a further enhancement grant from the Commission.  Outside landscaping has increased the green space around the Cathedral by one third and flood lighting accentuates this striking architectural landmark.

Opened in 2001, the Cathedral is now a resource for the diocese, itself and the local community as well as for visitors far and wide.

In 2002, it won an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for its high architectural standards and its contribution to the local environment.

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