A community arts hub and vegetable garden at the North Acton Pavilion. We will deliver classes and volunteering opportunities in gardening, cookery, arts and crafts. Residents will be provided with the facilities to grow healthy food and the skills and knowledge to create economical and tasty meals from scratch. This will be a community hub for residents of all ages to come together to co-create an exciting creative & cultural community hub with an indoor and outdoor training, eating and social space and a dedicated arts & cookery training room. The cafe will provide fresh coffee, sandwiches, cakes & pastries. There will be regular community food sharing, art exhibitions and musical events. We will work closely with local primary schools to provide gardening & cookery for children during term time and as part of our summer programme. Attend a "Plot to Pot' workshop, be a volunteer gardener or just enjoy. Together we can co-create the community space that you want.

What we'll deliver:

• We will create three raised garden and herb beds
• We will deliver cookery workshops with an emphasis on affordable, tasty and healthy meals
• We will host community events to share food, craft, musical and artistic skills
• We will manage a local cafe providing delicious coffee, sandwiches and pastries.

Why it's a great idea:

The project will *reduce isolation & loneliness residents can meet indoors & outdoors to enjoy a coffee, learn art & crafts, gain gardening & culinary skills &/or become a volunteer *improve mental & physical health Residents more active, walking in the park, connecting to the earth & gardening *improve finances through donations of food & classes on cooking delicious, healthy food on a budget *increase happiness & well-being by seeing the beauty & potential of their area through knowledge & experience of growing food in & creating art for an urban environment *build skills & confidence through participation in classes and volunteering. *be an inter-generational project for residents of all ages to skill share. i.e. younger people teaching older people how to get more from their smart phone *increase pride in the environment & encourage action to improve the area. *increase a sense of belonging and connection that will contribute to a stronger community

Steps to get it done:

• June 2021- contractor creates the beds with irrigation system
• June 2021 - launch of art classes and basic gardening.
• May 2021 - liaise with West Acton primary school to offer a summer programme of arts, gardening and craft facilities
• July - Sept 2021 - community food sharing and music event to launch gardening project
• June 2021 - Cafe open to the public
• May 2021 - bids submitted for funds for Volunteer Co-ordinator
• Sept 2021 - event to celebrate the harvest

The Pavillion has potential to be the heart of the North Acton community and ripple out to serve the neighbouring communities throughout Acton. With funds to equip the kitchen and outdoor area we will provide educational, cultural and social events for residents of all ages and cultures. We will make everyone’s day a bit brighter by serving great food and beverages, by providing a choice of places to meet both indoor and outdoor, a wide range of learning and social activities and by beautifying the area with local art pieces and gardens. Artification has acquired the Pavillion building and an area of North Acton Playing Fields for community gardening. It has18 years experience of delivering pioneering creative arts & community development programmes. It has a solid track record of transforming spaces & empowering people. We ask the community to support us to create a vibrant community cultural hub to build community cohesion, a sense of belonging & a space to be enjoyed by all.