Peter Bedford Housing Association were honoured to welcome the Rt. Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP, a long standing supporter of the local housing charity, to speak at a launch event for a new project Enterprising People held in our north London social enterprise shop and gallery, Outpost.
Over 40 guests gathered late morning for tea and birthday cake refreshments at Outpost, our popular social enterprise arts and craft home wares shop on Holloway Road. Guests celebrated the launch along with the third birthday since the shop was re-launched as Outpost (although it has actually been operating as part of the local fabric since 2000). The event marked the launch of a new project Enterprising People for which the housing charity will receive a £410,825 grant from the Big Lottery Fund, as part of its Reaching Communities strand.
Enterprising People will work with residents of Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets who experience vulnerabilities and exclusion, to unlock talents, develop job skills and build peer support networks. The project will engage 900 people over three years. It will target homeless people, people with mental health problems, learning difficulties and disabilities, people with a history of drug/alcohol misuse and offending.
The project will unlock talent through activities such as joinery, textiles, art, printmaking, product design, and creative writing. This will be supported by inspirational visits, discussion groups and a programme of exhibitions, workshops and tasters. These activities will focus on participants discovering and using their talents, improving confidence and well-being, and developing new skills.
“We were thrilled that Jeremy Corbyn MP could join us to launch our new project Enterprising People which will allow us to grow our social enterprises and creative industries across three North London Boroughs and empower more people to live independent and fulfilling lives.” Clare Norton, CEO, Peter Bedford Housing Association