Centre honoured by Royal visit

The Hanworth Centre, based in Hanworth, were honoured to receive a visit by Prince William last week, and Alan and I went over to meet Darren and Siobhan, who are behind the initiative, to learn more about what they are trying to do.

By Sally

Two of the organisations based at the centre, Rise and Thrive and Perfectly Imperfect are not-for-profit organisations, based in Hanworth, and provide a safe space for local young people helping to divert them from crime. I was struck by something Siobhan said during our meeting, which is a proverb they align to ‘It takes a village to raise a child, but if they don’t feel they belong, they will burn it down to feel its warmth’. They are working tirelessly to make children from the community feel a sense of belonging. Last year they supported over 450 young people. Darren is an ex-offender and speaks movingly about his experiences and how it took him to reach rock bottom, to have the courage to take the first step on the road to recovery. He has now been clean and sober for four years.

During his school years, he found his escape in sports and this is where he excelled. He ran with Mo Farah and almost made it to the Olympics for powerlifting and boxed with Duke McKenzie (former 3-time world champion). He had his plan to be a boxer, but due to an injury he had to retire and life to a drastic change and lead to a life of criminality by his late teens. This later led to addiction, and he lost everything; his home, his family, his marriage and a meaning of life. His life only turned around through the help of a friend/mentor who introduced him to recovery, the 12 step program and this was the start of his journey of a new life.

Siobhan, who has served as a Youth & Community worker in the Hanworth/Feltham area for almost 20 years, heard Darren speak at an event and she saw how the young people were moved with the power of his story and saw potential that he didn’t see in himself. Through mentorship, guidance and training, Darren and Siobhan formed an invaluable partnership.

Darren and Siobhan recognise the importance of collaborative working to bring the community together. They work closely with the community, parents, local Police team, schools, businesses and other voluntary organisations.

To quote from their policy statement:

‘Rise and Thrive and Perfectly Imperfect are part of a collection of organisations who aim to provide a wide range of services to; improve the health and well-being of people in our community, improve the quality of life of local residents, provide support services for young people and families and offer crisis support. Through all these services we aim to reduce violence and create more peace in the West of Hounslow. We know that to tackle violence, we need to focus on the root causes of violence within our community.

We need to work with parents/carers, the wider family, with trusted partners and with the community so we can really move towards eradicating violence.’

They conducted research through their work funded by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), young people and the community shared their views on how violence could be reduced in the area;

• Improved relationships with the police

• Improved access to mental health provision

• Improved relationships with teachers (to reduce exclusion)

• More activities and safe spaces for young people to access

To respond to the needs of the community, they are seeking to secure a space in the heart of Feltham. This space will offer services which benefit the whole community;

• Youth clubs and activities

• Enterprise provision; dessert cafe and clothing brands to help provide income for sustainability as well as work experience and job opportunities for young people

• Schools provision (for students during the day)

• Boxing and fitness

• Adult classes and activities

• Activities for the wider community

• Volunteer training

The space will be for the community and run by the community - this is the model they use and has seen life changing results.

Prince William’s visit has given them much needed publicity, and a huge boost to the young people. They were only told about the visit three days before it happened and of course could not tell anyone. Days previous to the visit, Darren was fundraising with a team from the Police, climbing Pen Y Fan 10 times, which is the equivalent to Mt Everest. The visit went well with Prince William showing great interest in their work and there is now a handmade sign made by the young people in the communal seating area, showing where he sat!

In the words of Darren & Siobhan, ‘It was a surreal week and then all the follow up press interviews, but you don’t turn down a visit from Prince William, who was so easy to talk to and really laidback’.

If any organisation is able to support with the Community space initiative in Feltham, please do let us know.

Of course, they need money – they always do! But, they also need help with HR, accountancy, web design … All the things a small charity/business needs, and which an active Chamber of Commerce can help with.