BLOG: Successful Places start with People

Last week, Tim Clement, our Director of Social Value and Sustainability, arranged a two-day visit and workshops around Placemaking for our Social Value group at the Bromley by Bow Centre, looking at how they can be instrumental in transforming the communities we work within by creating long-term partnerships. The two days were facilitated by 360 Degree Society, hosted by Catherine Smith, CEO and Kris Mackay, Chief Social Impact Officer who kicked off our visit with an icebreaker around “What a place means to you?”. It was very evident even at this stage that relationships and partnerships are key to it all.

Lord Andrew Mawson, Founder and President of Bromley by Bow Centre and Chairman of 360 Degree Society followed by taking us on his own journey of how the Bromley by Bow Centre evolved, leading onto other developments around it which we visited afterwards. It was very clear from the outset that if you find the right people who are pillars of their communities, are curious and want to make a difference, there will be something to build on. One of the Social Workers, Sharon, then walked us around the centre giving a first-hand account of all the good work and services they deliver which literally does change people’s lives. Bromley by Bow Centre is open to everyone seeking support, littered with art which is a known medium to support wellbeing and rebuild self-confidence and also doesn’t have any signage which leads to people having to ask their way around and follow-up conversations!

From there, we were given a tour of Poplar HARCA developments and St Paul’s Way showcasing the difference between community or local authority-led developments. The tour included visits to new primary and secondary schools, now both excelling in achievements, as well as the local pharmacy and medical practice which showcased education and wellbeing are paramount to good health alongside having a stable job. Those discussions were led by Professor Sir Sam Everington, a Board Member of NHS England and Vice President of the British Medical Association, and Practice Partner, Dr Joe Hall, who are both advocates of social prescribing rather than traditional medicine for a lot of health issues. To demonstrate the intrinsicality of the community, the sixth form of St Paul’s Way School is on the top floor of their medical centre and their practice has the highest rate of on-line consulting despite English not being the first language for most of their patients.

The second day’s tour took us through Stratford and the Olympic Park where Paul Brickell, ex Newham Councillor and now Exec Director of Regeneration and Community Partnerships for the London Legacy Development Corporation, talked through taking the same principles as Bromley by Bow Centre. Taking this approach with the right strategic partnerships brought in large organisations such as University of the Arts London, the V&A Museum, BBC, Sadlers Wells and Loughborough University to attract new people and new ideas alongside other large corporates to move away from central London to Stratford. Westfield Stratford is the most successful of the Westfield chain of shopping malls globally. Some of the venues in the Olympic park have been demolished and replaced with parkland and new commercial developments including Here East, an innovation and technology campus where the activities are on show again to enlighten passers-by rather than wondering what is going on behind closed doors.

The visit concluded with a workshop to create a Morgan Sindall Partnership Placemaking Blue Print Playbook of key principles as our own guide to be more influential in leaving lasting legacies within the communities we work and creating a great place to live, work and play for local residents.