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Community Payback in action
This page is updated regularly with information and pictures of
our recent Community Payback projects taking place in London.
November 2009
Spring Hill Towpath, Hackney
Spring Hill Towpath, which runs along the River
Lea and forms part of the Lea Valley Walk, is one of the projects
which has been done in Hackney. It was nominated in April and voted
on by members of the public as a project that they wanted done by
Community Payback.
This is a popular leisure facility which is used
by Londoners and many local schools for leisure activities such as
walking, running and cycling. Councillor Alan Laing, Member
of Cabinet for Neighbourhoods had this to say:
“Residents are bound to have a favourite place
in Hackney that needs a lick of paint or perhaps an entire
facelift. This is their chance to speak up. The Council agrees with
the Police that offenders on this scheme owe it to Hackney
residents to pay back some of what they have taken from our
community.”
London Probation, Hackney Council and Safer
Neighbourhood Police welcome suggestions for Community Payback
projects from individuals and community groups.
Community Payback in Greenwich and Lewisham
There have been three sites in Greenwich and
Lewisham where offenders are working on projects. The first of
these was at Greenwich Cemetery, where offenders were preparing and
painting railings and shelters in the grounds. Offenders in
the group thought the work they were doing was beneficial to the
community because it improved the appearance of the cemetery and
they said that passers-by often praise their work.
In Woolwich Common Estate in Greenwich, offenders were busy
painting walkways and communal areas in a block of flats. The
estate which covers a large area is quite run down and the work
being carried out by Community Payback will brighten it up and
hopefully improve the quality of life for residents.
The final project was Honor Oak Community Centre in
Lewisham. The work involves painting and decorating inside
and outside and gardening. Although it was a new project, Sharon
Marshall, Centre Manager, said “The referral process to set up the
project was good and based on the first morning’s work it is
already making a difference and the offenders are enthusiastic and
hard working.”
September 2009
High Sheriff visits Ealing
On the 15 September, Andrew Morgan, High Sheriff
of Greater London, visited Southall Community
Payback unit. At the unit he talked to staff about their
work before visiting a Community Payback project in Ealing. The
project was an alleyway clearance at the rear of Wilkinson Way,
which had limited access due to overgrown vegetation, litter and
fly tipping. This project was identified by local residents
and will improve access to their properties, reduce
crime/anti-social behaviour as well as the fear of crime. The High
Sheriff commented on how impressed he was with the way the project
was managed and the positive attitude of the offenders who were
involved in hard physical work.
The
High Sheriff visits Southall Community Payback Unit