Mayor of London announces funding for South Bank’s skate space
Howard Lake | 7 March 2018 | News
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has awarded £700,000 in community growth and development funding to develop the Queen Elizabeth Hall Undercroft. The world famous skating space will be extended and a children and young people’s creative education centre built.
The funding is part of the Mayor of London’s £70 million Good Growth Fund, which drives investments in community growth and development across the capital.
Today’s grant was one to 27 projects across the capital, totalling £24 million. Over 200 organisations and groups submitted funding bids. The funding is for community assets, workspaces, green infrastructure and cultural venues.
As well as the extension of skate space, the funding will enable improvements to lighting and a restoration of original 1960s banks and concrete paving.
Children at a creative event at London’s South Bank
Elaine Bedell, Southbank Centre’s Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected as recipients for this generous grant, from such a strong pool of funding applications.The development of this space will give skaters and BMXers access to newly opened up, and restored, sections of the Undercroft whilst young people and schoolchildren from across the capital will benefit from a new fully accessible arena for diverse creative and learning activities.”
Crowdfunding
The grant builds on the joint crowdfunding campaign for this space, launched by Long Live Southbank and Southbank Centre in June last year, which has seen support from the international skateboarding community, general public, businesses and philanthropists.
Louis Woodhead of Long Live Southbank said: “Southbank has a unique creative feeling and it’s great to see this supported by the Mayor of London. LLSB and Southbank Centre have been working hard to show what can be achieved through collaboration and we’re grateful to everyone who continues to donate and support the campaign. Receiving the Good Growth Fund brings us closer to our vision to provide more space and opportunities for this creativity to grow and flourish.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, explained: “I am using this funding to challenge preconceptions about how regeneration takes place. I want to give all Londoners – regardless of background – the opportunity to be actively involved in their city and have more places to live, learn, work and play.”
Other Good Growth Fund recipients
Music talent development organisation Urban Development and dance development organisation and creative producer East London Dance also secured joint funding from the Good Growth Fund. They have received £1 million to create the UK’s first National Talent House for urban culture in Stratford, east London.
The GLA funding will match £1 million (£500,000 per organisation) already secured from the Arts Council England Small Capital Grants programme in 2017 and will enable the fit-out of a 1,000+ square metre historic warehouse and modern extension as part of the Sugar House Island Development (formerly Strand East) adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park that will be delivered by developers Vastint UK.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.