This was the first round of grants, and seven organisations were successful with applications for grants from £500 to £1,500 each to help community groups deliver activities for residents young and old, from acting to jewellery-making.

Applicants had to be able to show that at least 75 per cent of those benefitting from the grant were from the Aylesbury.

The successful groups were:

• Aylesbury Everywoman’s Centre - £1,500 for a Tailoring and Threads project to support 45 women to learn new skills during a 10-week course followed by an exhibition of their work.
• InSpire - £1,500 for their Get Active summer youth programme from July to August, for 80 children and young people. The course will focus on bringing together existing, new and temporary residents.
• Wells Way Pop-Up - £1,500 for a two-week creative summer project for 30 young people between 14 and 19, to explore and express how they feel about life and change in the city.
• Holistic Well Women - £1,000 for the delivery of digital machine embroidery and jewellery-making classes between June and December for 12 residents. There will also be support to set up a craft business with the end goal of establishing a local craft collective.
• Silverfit - £500 to extend their existing Tuesday walking sessions in Burgess Park for 40 residents aged 45 and over.

• Tuesday Community Club - £500 to fund the creation of a community garden at Missenden Centre focussed on those aged 50+.
• Southwark Sea Cadets - £860 to purchase a rowing machine, enabling sessions for young people to run all year round. It will benefit 50 youngsters aged 10 to 18.

Eddie Brocklesby, director of Silverfit, said: “We are delighted to be supported by Notting Hill Housing. We will be adding to our weekly Silver Tuesday programme by including a new activity of a 12 week Walk, Jog, Run programme with the goal of enabling Silverfitters to compete in the weekly free Saturday morning Park Run in Burgess Park.

“We will also be creating fun personal training session in the outdoor gym close to the Aylesbury and promote sociable tennis as part of our core aims to have fun, relax and enjoy.”

Meghan Doyle, Head of Community Investment for Notting Hill Housing’s Aylesbury team, added: “The standard of applications was very high and we are heartened to see so many groups working hard to improve the quality of life on the Aylesbury Estate. Making our final decisions was a very tough challenge, but we are delighted to be able to support these organisations.”

“There will be another round of grants later this year and we’d love to receive even more applications next time around.”

Details of the next round of community grants will be published on the website later this year.