Strategic Initiatives
Lea Rivers
Trust
Background
In July 1999 the Trust made a
grant of £723,000, under it's London's Environment
programme, towards the construction of an Ecology Centre as
part of the major regeneration of Mile End Park in east London. The
design, construction and day-to-day running of the Centre were
planned using sustainable technologies and with the highest 'green'
standards in mind. The Centre was formally opened in June 2001 and
a business plan put in place to generate the revenue income
necessary to maintain the Centre and to run activities within
it.
However, it became clear that insufficient income was
being generated to employ the staff necessary to run the range of
activities originally planned at the Centre. Although the local
community made occasional use of the Centre for one-off events
it was not proving to be the environmental showcase it had
promised to be.
Grant to Lea Rivers Trust
In seeking to
reverse this situation, the Trust entered in to discussions with
the Lea Rivers Trust (LRT),
who submitted a fully researched and costed proposal on how the
Centre could be used in the future. As a result, in June 2005,
the Trust awarded a Strategic Initiative grant of £100,000
over two years to LRT to run a programme of environmental
education sessions in the Ecology Centre and surrounding
parkland.
In the first year of the grant the Centre has hosted over 80
visits from schools in Tower Hamlets and neighbouring boroughs
involving well over 2,000 pupils, their teachers and adult helpers.
Sessions have covered a wide variety of themes including wildlife
habitats on land and water, life cycles and observations
techniques, local geography and history, water cycles, renewable
energy and biodiversity.
In addition to the schools programme, Lea Rivers Trust, also ran
ten successful community events over the year. These events
attracted some 450 people and have lead to closer connections with
other local community groups and organisations, which will help to
broaden the overall environmental and educational experiences
available in this part of east London.
User feedback has been extremely positive and the The City
Bridge Trust Committee has congratulated LRT, and in
particular the staff delivering the work on the ground, for the
quality of the service they are delivering.
For further information
contact:
Jayne Barber
Education Officer
Lea Rivers Trust
The Ecology Pavilion
Mile End Park
123 Grove Road
London E3 5RP
Phone: 020 8981 3836
Email: jayne.barber@leariverstrust.co.uk