Building Lives in partnership with Harrow College, Hackney Homes and Manor House Development Trust are offering an exciting opportunity for local residents aged 16+ to take up a FREE training course in construction starting in August 2012.

The brand new Building Lives Training Academy in Hackney is a social enterprise offering a three tier accredited training model and a route into employment:

A 5-day Back to Work taster – BTEC Entry Level 3 in Construction
A 10 week course, 2 days per week – BTEC Level 1 in Construction qualification, teaching tiling, painting & decorating, plumbing and carpentry, and soft skills such as teamwork and time keeping.
A paid one year NVQ Level 2 Framework Maintenance Operations Apprenticeship with on-site work experience, putting into practice skills learned throughout the course.

Interview / assessment sessions are at Redmond Community Centre, Kayani Avenue, London N4 2HF every Wednesday until 25 July.

A series of weekly Back to Work Tasters starts mid-to-late-August 2012. To apply for a place or for more information, contact Zakaria on 020 8356 7589 or email woodberryworks@mhdt.org.uk

Woodberry Down by the sea!

Twenty one Woodberry Down residents of all ages enjoyed a week’s holiday in Westgate-on-Sea at the start of June via a relationship established by Manor House Development Trust with The Coombe Trust. The holidaymakers stayed in holiday homes generously provided by The Coombe Trust which also supplied a minibus to transport them there and back.

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Woodberry Works Club
worked for Margaret!

Woodberry Down resident Margaret Obiri Yeboah has recently secured a fantastic job as a security officer at the famous Horse Guards Parade with the help of The Woodberry Works Club.

The employment advisors helped Margaret throughout the process, helping her update her CV, apply for jobs and even preparing her for her successful job interview.

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The Big Dance Bus in Hackney

Woodberry Down residents showed off their moves on Sunday 17 July when the Big Dance 2012 bus arrived at the estate. Around 500 people attended the event which was hosted by Manor House Development Trust, Genesis Housing Association, and London Borough of Hackney.

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The Return of Well London

The Well London project is returning to Woodberry Down on the back of the success of Phase 1 and will run across the whole estate this time. It will initially run for a year and involve training for local people; it will be supported by a Well London Coordinator seconded from the local primary care trust for 2 days a week.

A consultation process took place recently with a couple of meetings with residents and stakeholders in a community café format. The University of East Londonwill evaluate the findings from these meetings and then plan a range of activities to meet identified needs and priorities.

MHDT are looking for two youth work apprecentices from Woodberry Down who will work 30 hours a week for a year. While the pay is low at £2.30 an hour the apprenticeships link into fantastic networks across London and would be a incredible start for a young person wanting to get involved in youth work or community development. To apply please submit your CV to Simon Donovan: simon.donovan@mhdt.org.uk

NB: The apprentices must come from Woodberry Down Estate.

Watch this space for further information about Phase 2!

Hire The Redmond Community Centre

Did you know you can hire The Redmond Community Centre for your meetings and events? You can make regular or one-off bookings, and hire the whole centre or individual spaces. The centre is in a beautiful location overlooking the West Reservoir and is accessible by public transport. What's more, by making a booking you're directly supporting the work of the Trust!
Please click here for more information, click here to download a brochure and call Patsy Butcher on 020 8802 7580 to make a booking.

Finsbury Park Consultation - urgent

We've heard from Access to Sports that Haringey Council are conducting a consultation with a view to improving Finsbury Park sports facilities. The council will only act if there is a demand for change so follow the link and fill out the questionnaire.

Please forward this to anyone you know who uses Finsbury Park or who lives in the area.

The consultation ends by 6 July so please read the information and complete the consultation ASAP by clicking here.

Date for your diary

The next MHDT Trust Members meeting will be on Monday 17 September, from 6-8pm. Come along and find out the latest news about our work and meet residents and other people we're working with at Woodberry Down.