Micro funding for Lewisham projects

When our lovely colleague left for a glorious new career at the Mayor's office during the Olympic year, punting out stories about micro-funding in Lewisham may not have been what she dreamed of. However, we did challenge her to find some evidence of Mayoral interest in our borough and she has come up trumps within a few days in the job. She reports:

Special micro grants have been awarded to two community initiatives in Lewisham following successful bids to The Mayor’s Team London funding scheme.

The grants are being awarded to smaller community projects across the capital which aren’t usually eligible for funding of this kind. This new cash injection, which totals almost £80,000, follows an earlier round of funding of almost £600,000 of Team London small grants delivered to over 60 community groups across London in October 2011.

The local initiatives to benefit from the new round of funding, receiving up to £1000, are:

- Friends of Beckenham Place Park - The money will help to restore a disused compositing area within the ancient woodland of Beckenham Place Park
- Farmstead Road Community Garden – The funding will help enlist volunteers to take part in a community garden project

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “These micro grants are ensuring that smaller community projects right across the capital are receiving the support they deserve. Often, it only takes small chunks of cash to provide a much needed boost."

Through the Mayor’s Team London programme volunteers can get involved with organisations working in three priority areas - cutting crime, increasing youth opportunities and improving quality of life. For more info visit www.london.gov.uk/teamlondon