CAMDEN COMMUNITY UPDATE - MAY 2023
COMMUNITY TEAM SUPPORTING LAUNCH OF NEW OPEN SPACE
Wednesday 3rd May saw the launch and opening of the new ‘Starcross Yard’ by Camden Council. The Mayor of Camden, Councillor Nasim Ali, officially opened temporary open space at the former Maria Fidelis School in Starcross Street. The site launch is personal for the Mayor as this was the school he had attended when he was a child. This new open space is part of Camden's programme of work to help mitigate the impacts of HS2 in the Euston Area. Improvements are also nearing completion at Cumberland Market and Ampthill Square Estate. The site is made almost entirely of recycled materials. The pergola's cast iron pillars were recovered from the Kings Cross station development. The cobble setts, granite blocks, and flagstones were rescued from past roads schemes throughout the borough, including some genuine 19th century cobbles from Cumberland Market. Finally, the granite kerbs on which the railings rest were rescued from Alfred Place as part of the West End Project's construction. This strategy minimises the need for raw materials and new goods, hence lowering carbon emissions. Our Community team was proud to support the launch of this event and meet the Mayor once again at one of his last engagements before passing on the torch to the new Mayor.
CELEBRATING THE KINGS CORONATION
In celebration of the King’s Coronation, three centres in Camden hosted an open day as part of the celebrations. The events were supported by the Community Sports team and centre teams. Saturday 6th May, Oasis Sports Centre offered customer an opportunity to watch the ceremony and were provided a breakfast platter consisting of pastries, cookies, fruit, juice and hot drinks. There were 15 customers in attendance including 4 new customers who had seen the event advertised on Gumtree and Camden Council’s newsletter.
Sunday 7th May, Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre offered free Junior activities available to access throughout the day which included soft play, swim for all, football and multi-sport activities on the 3G pitch. Even the regular weekly walking football team took part in the celebrations. There were approximately 25 children accessing free activities on the day and each going home with a copy of our ‘School’s Out’ holiday programme and free Better branded merchandise. Monday 8th May, Kentish Town Sport Centre held a family open day with the highlight being another Arts and Crafts session. The painting table was available from 10:00 – 15:00 and consisted of coronation themed posters as well as resource packs in celebration of International Learn to Swim pack consisting of first aid quizzes, “Spot the Danger”, pool related crosswords and word searches and flag painting. The session was great for children to get stuck in with their creative skills whilst also learning vital information relating to swimming and pool safety. In total throughout the day there was 16 children attending the painting sessions with their parents/carers.
SWIMATHON RAISING MONEY ACROSS CAMDEN
The weekend of 12th -14th May saw swimming pools in Camden host the Swimathon which is the world’s biggest annual pool-based fundraising swim event. Participants were able to choose from a range of different distances which started at 400 meter up to the furthest of 5 kilometres. This is a total of 200 lengths in a 25m pool! This year Swimathon has raised £950,000 nationally for a variety of nominated charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, NSPCC, The British Heart Foundation, The Prince’s Trust, Comic Relief, Marie Curie and Cancer Research UK. Kentish saw 8 swimmers registered and swam with five swimmers completing the full 5 k. One of the highlights was that a 7 year old child called swam 400m lengths including the butterfly and another child who had has swam at the centre for the last 9 years through every stage of swimming lessons who completed 1.5k. Oasis Sports Centre had 26 swimmers registered who completed their distances despite the rail strikes which was a great turn out. Pancras also attracted a great turnout with 13 swimmers completing their chosen distances and Swiss Cottage supporting swimmers of all ages complete their distances.
FIT INTO KINDNESS FUNDRAISER
Following on from the great partnership with Age UK Camden we will be supporting the local charity with their ‘Fit into Kindness’ fundraising campaign between 5th June- 28th July where anyone can sign up to get sponsored for a gym workout, a yoga session, a swim, or their own physical activity to help raise funds to support older people in the local community. Leisure centres in Camden will be encouraging members and customers to pick up a sponsor form and set themselves a challenge at their local centre. Sessions are not free to access but customers will be encouraged by the centre teams to complete their challenge and also take part alongside them.
More updates to follow in the June community update.
RECRUITMENT DRIVE UPDATE
May was an incredibly busy month with recruitment events which was positive for the partnership with the number of vacancies being advertised for various roles. We were invited by our partner KX Recruit to attend their monthly breakfast event at the beginning of the month alongside many other partners. The spotlight was on us to speak about the opportunities for those seeking employment but also other organisations who are recruiting which allowed us to exchange tips.
The next day we was invited to attend the Good Work Camden’s Jobs and Skills event. The event last year was a huge success so we had high expectations for this year. It did not disappoint where we spoke to over 400 people, including 3 Afghan refugees who are in the process of being interviewed and swim tested for a casual lifeguard position. The event was also a fantastic opportunity to network with so many organisations in Camden, including training providers and adult colleges. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to partner with such an incredible organisation like Good Work Camden and make a positive impact on the local community.
On the 25th May, we held our own partnership wide recruitment day at Pancras Square Leisure. This event was promoted through a wide range of channels such as Gumtree, social media and through our recruitment partners. Most people who attended had a keen interest in the Concierge positions. On the day, we gave centre tours along with vacancy information packs. We also supported attendees with their applications forms so that their applications get off to a good start! We have had 5 applications so far. Finally, on the 31st May, we attended a Ukrainian Refugee Recruitment Fair held by the Department for Work and Pensions. We took Polina, who is our fitness instructor at Kentish Town but is also a Ukrainian refugee herself, having moved to the UK in June 2022. Polina was fantastic in engaging with attendees of the event. As most didn’t speak English very well, she was able to discuss our vacancies and career opportunities as well as share her own story with GLL all in Ukrainian. In attendance was the Deputy Mayor of London as well as many NHS Trusts, hotels and training providers. We were able to promote our own vacancies in Camden but also vacancies wider in GLL as attendees came from all over London for this event.
ACTIVE FOR ALL DISABILITY OPEN DAY AT TALACRE
Talacre Community Sports Centre hosted the annual ‘Active For All’ disability open day on Saturday 27th May in partnership with Camden’s Sports Development team where we welcomed over 150 people. Activities included athletics, wheelchair roller sessions, new age curling, boccia, adapted bikes, trampolining and rebound therapy, gymnastics, football, basketball and much more. The open day was an opportunity for people with disabilities to try out different sports and engage with experienced coaches. The event was organised in collaboration with various local organisations that support people with disabilities, including Highgate Harriers, Camden Disability Action and iCanDance. These organisations were present at the event to provide information and advice on the various services and activities available to people with disabilities in Camden. Our sports coach, Lucy, ran some taster activities in the sports hall that mirror our Disability Multisports sessions on Monday evenings and Friday lunchtimes.