Rachel writes…

Make a difference in Upton Lane
Monday 20th March, 5.30pm – 7pm
Pie Republic , 80 Upton Lane, London, E7 9LW

Do you have an idea for a community event or group? Come to our drop-in and find out more about the funding and support available from Newham so you can make it happen. Meet local councillors, meet other interested residents and get the information you need to make a difference to your local area.

For more details, or if you are interested but cannot make this event, please contact:
glennette.bowlesdove@newham.gov.uk
or call 0203 373 8382 or 07817 385000

Now, those who have been reading this blog closely, or those who are as fascinated by ward boundaries as we are, will notice that this is taking place in Forest Gate South, not North. Avid readers will also remember that I am no longer lead councillor for Forest Gate (Forest Gate North and South). This is all true. But whilst I was lead councillor, a drop-in surgery in Upton Lane was one of the things I was planning. And we’d even got a date in the diary, so it seemed churlish to cancel once there had been a reorganisation.

The idea was prompted by several things. Firstly, exactly like our drop-in in Maryland last year, by the idea that the constant availability of Let’s Get the Party Started funding, and Go for It grants is all very well, but it’s also great to get out and talk to people about them, and to focus on a particular area. Also, there was some discussion in a break out session at the Faith Conference last year from participants from Upton Lane that they would like to see some more community events there, and in particular they wondered if there could be an Upton Lane food festival. I thought this was a great idea, but also an ambitious one, and that trying to encourage some smaller community action would be a useful first step.

So here we are. We’ve printed leaflets that have gone out to the surrounding area, but I thought I’d blog about it too. If you live on or around Upton Lane and you are free, please do pop into Pie Republic tomorrow to buy a hot drink, say hello, and chat with me, Mas Patel, and officers about how you could get involved in creating a group or holding an event. Or just pop in to say hi. I hope to see some of you there.