Krystina Stimakovits, the coordinator of Peckham voluntary sector forum, has just submitted an application for lottery funding on behalf of 25 groups. There have been a lot of successes, but there's a lot of frustration because a lot of things that could have happened, didn't. But the church halls get booked up over weekends. Regeneration was meant to be holistic, but very little has been reflecting the community's needs, she says. There had been many lost opportunities.
Space is always the key problem.
There's a lot of positive energy about and will to do things, but I think it's a struggle to get resources. The people who are good at communicating with youngsters are not necessarily the ones who write good funding applications or reports. It all boils down to listening to what the community is saying. After the terrible events of a month ago, it is just possible that Southwark council, Peckham Partnership and others will now be listening more carefully to the community's voice.