Briefing Note Berkeley Foundation engagement with LB Westminster The need Just over 200,000 people live in the City of Westminster according to recent census data, and about 30% are young people. Since 2011, the percentage of young people under the age of 15 has decreased by nearly 20%. Young people in Westminster grow up surrounded by a wealth of opportunities, however, they are also conscious of the disparity around them. Real anxieties exist about housing, the cost of university, the threat of terrorist attacks, pollution, gangs and crime. In 2017, more than two in three pupils in Westminster had a first language other than English. This was much higher than both the London and national averages. Currently, around one in twelve young people in Westminster, aged between 18 and 24, is unemployed. At the end of 2019, approx. 1 in 4 young people in secondary schools were eligible for and claimed free school meals; 1 in 5 young people in nursery and primary schools were eligible for and claimed free school meals. Our current work in Westminster The Berkeley Foundation supports a range of charitable activity in and around Westminster. This briefing note summarises our work in the area. We would be happy to arrange visits to any of these projects for Berkeley staff or key external stakeholders. The Mayor’s Fund for London – Kitchen Social (https://www.berkeleyfoundation.org.uk/who-we-support/the-mayors-fund-for-london) • •
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Our funding supports one Kitchen Social hub in Westminster at the Avenues Youth Project, as part of a wider network of Berkeley Foundation funded hubs across London. Kitchen Social provides a network of community hubs across London where children, young people, their families and carers can feel comfortable to play, explore new ideas, make new friends, learn and get a good balanced free meal during the school holidays. The programme aims to improve educational outcomes for children living in poverty by reducing holiday hunger. We started funding Kitchen Social in 2017. Since the start of the programme, we have awarded £287,760 in grants, and reached over 11,000 young people. Trustees recently approved a further three-year grant to The Mayor’s Fund for London, which will run until September 2025. This will support 25 Kitchen Social hubs, with an aim to increase support for outer London boroughs. The value of this partnership is £85,000 p.a., for three years.
Lord Taverner’s - Super 1’s The Lord's Taverners | Berkeley Foundation •
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Our funding supports a successful Super 1s hub in Westminster, which provides year-round cricket training and match playing for disabled young people aged 12-25. We have been working with the Lord’s Taverners since 2014. Overall, our partnership aims to deliver 1,900 coaching sessions across 67 hubs each year. Last year, 496 young people took part and enjoyed the health and wellbeing benefits of taking part in team sport. The Lord’s Taverners hosts an annual awards ceremony in which they showcase the achievements of the Super 1s programme and recognise some of the outstanding young people who take part.