Showing posts with label Bremnt Council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bremnt Council. Show all posts

Friday, 6 December 2024

Wembley Library and Resident Hub Celebration tomorrow Saturday December 7th 11am at Brent Civic Centre, Wembley


 From Brent Council

Join the fun at Brent Civic Centre Saturday 7 December!

The new Resident Hub and Wembley Library will celebrate it’s grand opening with a day bursting with free activities, live entertainment, and a special visit from Santa! Mark your calendars and bring the whole family for an unforgettable day of fun and excitement.

Here’s what we’ve got lined up for you:

  • Yummy refreshments: Enjoy a variety of tasty festive and Brazilian treats available for everyone throughout the day.
  • Live entertainment: Get ready to groove with drumming, dance performances, rap acts, and a DJ spinning the best tunes.
  • Raffle prizes: Win amazing prizes with our exciting giveaways for all ages.
  • Santa’s special visit: Don’t miss Santa Claus during the Booktrust story and rhyme session, spreading joy to our youngest visitors – starts promptly at 11am!
  • Kids’ stories and craft workshops: Throughout the day from 11.45am, let the little ones unleash their creativity with a circus skills workshop and engaging stories and fun craft activities.
  • Face painting: Transform into your favourite character with our fun face painting sessions – three artists will be at the event all day so that no one will miss out!
  • Health and wellbeing stalls and activities: Pick up valuable tips and advice for leading a healthy lifestyle; including feeding, speech and language and oral health for children and diabetes and general health checks for adults. You can also take part in free exercise taster sessions from Our Parks at 1pm and 1.30pm and ESOL and IT sessions from 1-4pm.
  • Sustainability stalls: Learn about waste, recycling, and climate change through interactive displays and expert advice. Plus family workshops, including 12noon - 3pm festive creative workshop from WE RESTART repurposing and upcycling everyday items. 


The celebration starts at 11am with Santa’s appearance during the Booktrust story and rhyme session. Throughout the day, children can dive into face painting and craft and story workshops designed to spark their imagination.

But the fun doesn’t stop there! Enjoy a variety of live entertainment perfect for the entire family, including dynamic drumming and dance performances, and music from a local rap artist and DJ that will keep everyone dancing.

Plus, you can explore a range of informative stalls where you can find out more about how the council and local services can help you live well, make healthy choices, stay safe and embrace sustainable living.

Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Resident Support and Culture, said:

We are thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of these new services with our customers and residents. The brand-new Resident Hub area provides a more accessible, comfortable, and confidential space to better serve residents, while the upgraded library, with dedicated areas for study, children, and public PC use, has become a vibrant hub for learning, study, and cultural activities.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic event! Join us at Brent Civic Centre on Saturday 7 December, 11am - 4pm to celebrate the opening of these fantastic new community services.

Thursday, 31 March 2016

Brent Council has ignored Community Asset Transfer expression of interest for Wembley Youth Centre claim - the Centre closes tomorrow

Jaine Lunn submitted this as a comment on my posting about tomorrow's closure of the Granville and Wembley Youth Centres LINK. I think it deserves a more prominent position.

The article in the Brent and Kilburn Times you referred to to in your earlier posting  LINK  is not factually correct: 
"Granville in Anson Road, Cricklewood, and Wembley in London Road, will close for good on Friday, after the town hall failed to find an outside organisation to take over its day-to-day running."
Wembley Crime Prevention submitted an expression of interest in a Community Asset Transfer in early February of this year for Wembley Youth Centre. Brent Council  confirmed receipt  and acceptance of the Expression of Interest but so far WCP have not received a  further response from Brent Council. 

Wembley Crime Prevention has been to every community meeting and consultation with regard to Youth Services Provision in the borough.  Muhammed Butt himself is well aware of how important Wembley Youth Club as a base for Wembley Crime Prevention's projects and WCP's  active campaigns "Just Don't" refering to young people carrying knives, and their petition to ban shops from selling knives to under 21 years old without ID, along with active involvment in mentoring and mediation in preventing gang activity in KFC and MacDonalds particularly in Wembley but over the whole borough.

I have also heard from a reliable source that Roundwood will close too, as only 3 staff have been retained for a further 3 months as a ploy to " make it look good until the dust settles" as I understand they have been discussions with the YMCA who wish to run this facility, which is the only way they may have a chance of getting any young people through the door.


Wembley Crime Prevention have, and were until yesterday, running most of the projects at Wembley Youth and Community Centre, along with Junior Collins who has been employed by Brent Council as Youth Leader at this facility for 25 years. Boxing classes for Male and Female Youth, Self Defence classes for Females, Taekwondo, Basketball , Football, Street Dance, Homework Club, Mentoring for Young People who have or are susceptible to being involved in Gang culture. The majority of assets housed at this Youth Club are owned by Wembley Crime Prevention charity, and they have consistently invested in upgrading the facilities such as installing a new kitchen and bathrooms a few years ago. 

These projects have and still are being funded and supported by "Children in Need" and were featured on the recent fundraising live programme on BBC1 in November 2015 aswell as BBC News London. WCP is also funded and supported by Wembley National Stadium, Sport England, Mayor of London Fund, Edward Harvist Trust, Grassroots, Asda Wembley, MacDonalds, Daniels Estate Agents and the now defunct Ward Working fund of Brent Council. All Youth projects have now been temporarily suspended as of yesterday because of Brent Councils decision. So where does that leave the young people of Brent? 


Will they go the Roundwood Facility? I doubt it. It is common knowledge, and it has been outlined at many community meetings, the only reason the Roundwood facility would be kept open as a hub is purely because of the financial implications incurred by Brent Council. Roundwood was funded by £4.997 million from National Lottery, and it would involve a payback the same as Stonebridge Adventure Playground if it were closed. Roundwood has never been popular or utilised by young people or ever would be for many reasons, one of which it is only open for 4 hours a week, 2 hours on a Monday and Friday and has more staff than patrons, runs no projects, and despite having "state of the art facilities", and where its situated.


However I do question the role of Brent Youth Parliament ( whom the council continue to finance at a cost of £60K per annum) who is purported to play a "valuable role within the Council's decision making process" surely we should have heard something from them, as it has been reported they would be part of the consultation process and strategy for the future. I would have thought they would be shouting from the rooftops " save our Youth Services" if only to protect their own existence. Sad to say I have not heard a whisper or seen any comments from anyone representing BYP.