The area of Tower Hamlets served by Bromley-by-Bow Centre is one of the most deprived in the country, and also one of the most culturally diverse. The Centre provides vital services to the community, from health to social and cultural. It is one of few green spaces for many miles around. And it's also a stone's throw from the site of the Olympic Park.
Its development began some 24 years ago. Then it was just a small church with a congregation of 6 or 7, with no connection to the community. The then Minister (now Lord) Andrew Mawson kickstarted a long process of social and economic regeneration in the area. It has led to massive change; the Centre now serves some 2,000 visitors each week. It has a really well functioning health facility and provides a real fulcrum for community life.
It was to this humbling location that a small LOCOG team turned up on a grey and overcast London morning, to make our contribution to London Better Together Day, a day when volunteers from the 'business community' help to transform the city we live in. We were treated extremely well by our hosts, and after a short briefing and tour, were assigned our task for the day. This was to clear out and 'makeover' two rooms in the Centre used by the community for art projects. It was a real before and after – Changing Rooms – experience. On first sight, the rooms were cluttered and really dirty, the most obvious thing about one of the rooms was the industrial sized metal sink taking up most of the floor.
Here's the team as they prepared for the days hard graft...
In an unfortunately gender predictable start, the boys started of on the heavy lifting, filling a skip very quickly with old pieces of furniture, wood, general detritus and said sink, while the girls got on with the cleaning and sweeping up. Their role was vital though, in clearing the way for the main event – the painting. When the obstructing items were removed, we worked as a well honed team to transform the space. Specialisation was a core feature of the Industrial Revolution, but was also integral to the LOCOG Better London Together team volunteering effort. Louise and Chelsea led the painting line. Here they are smiling for the camera...
Neil B. was the man with the extending paint brush, and was able to reach the parts others couldn't. Bev marshaled the cleaning ladies, Natalie and Rebecca, who very effectively prepared the way for the painters. And Roger, Matt and Hugh were the preparers and pollyfillers – making all the holes disappear. Bev was also in overall control and didn't have to say much to keep us all focused on the task at hand.
We worked hard and in extremely good spirits for the whole morning, almost completing the first room. Lunch was a tasty locally made curry – the obvious choice really for an area like Tower Hamlets.
The afternoon saw more outstanding application and effort from the team as well as a bit of a changing of the guard. Neil W. arrived, closely followed by our new Project Leader, Craig (replacing Bev), and with the two lead painters – Louise and Chelsea – required back at HQ, they were replaced by Ray. And Ray (by some coincidence he hadn't spotted before he arrived) remembered as he walked to the Centre he had lived on the very same street when he was a small boy!
Loads more application and effort and we managed to nearly complete the second room by the time we were called by the Centre team for a group photograph and a closing game of football. But with levels of commitment others would die for, we returned to our task and completed the second room.
So we went at the start of the day from two rooms and a corridor filled with clutter, with walls all dirty and full of holes; to two rooms which were free of clutter, had fresh white, pretty much hole free, walls, begging to be filled with arts equipment and materials. The team at the end of the assignment are pictured here...
When all was suitably tidied up and we had left the Centre, we spent some time together with a drink, reflecting on our experience and how important it was to make sure the Games were able to inspire change in the local area in the same way the Bromley-by-Bow Centre had done. Reflecting on a day when we had made a small contribution to the local community, and were all fiercely keen to do it again. And, to boot, we had got to know a few more of our LOCOG colleagues a bit better.
As I cycled home through the streets of Tower Hamlets, I couldn't help but think what a truly great opportunity the Games in 2012 offers to communities like this one, in terms of further economic and social regeneration, particularly those so close to the site of the Olympic Park; and how important it is that we and they do our utmost to maximise those opportunities.
And I thought about the Changing Rooms team, and how the LOCOG team could give them a real run for their money...
