Countryside donates £10,000 to Waltham Forest Council to support communities in the Marlowe Road area
Countryside, the UK’s leading mixed-tenure developer, has donated a total of £10,000 from its Communities Fund to Waltham Forest Council as part of the local authority’s drive to support community groups and charities in the Marlowe Road area that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the key recipients of the funds is the Waltham Forest Advocacy & Support Services (SASS), which provides free and confidential support to survivors of abuse within the community.
The service has received a significant increase in referral numbers and several requests for the service to be extended for those looking for longer-term emotional support as a result of the pandemic. To combat this and with the use of Countryside’s donation, Waltham Forest SASS service is looking to appoint a wellbeing worker for the next three months to address these requests. The support will act as an informal service which is user-led, functioning as a remote befriending service, which will have weekly informal check-ins, coffee mornings and mindfulness and relaxation techniques.
The £1m Countryside Communities Fund has been set up to support local charities and groups, food banks and others providing essential local services in locations where Countryside operates across the country.
In addition to the work at Feature17, the £190m-regeneration scheme of the 50-year-old Marlowe Road estate in partnership with Waltham Forest Council, Countryside has also been appointed to deliver the second phase of the Town Hall Campus transformation in the heart of the borough.
Mike Woolliscroft, Chief Executive, Partnerships, Countryside, said: “We have a close relationship with the communities in and around Marlowe Road and we hope this donation will support those that need it the most in the aftermath of this pandemic. We are fully committed to the communities we operate in and this goes far beyond just laying down bricks and mortar.”
Waltham Forest Council Leader, Councillor Clare Coghill, added: “When the Council looks for a development partner to help us deliver regeneration in the borough, we look for more from our partner than high quality homes at the most affordable cost.
“We want them to be part of the community where they will be working and this £10,000 donation to charities which have worked so hard during the COVID-19 pandemic is one example of how that is achieved and our thanks go to them along with a promise that the money will be well-spent to help local residents.”
