I left home early on Tuesday to catch the 53 bus to Barnfield to see the first part of the exciting new Barnfield Hub swing into place at 07.30. Met some of the great team of community leaders, all tenants on
the estate, who have worked so hard to bring a community centre back, a tenant making a video and the contractors doing the hard work on the day.
After being filmed, I had to leave just gone 08.00 to get to my work - but later that day the giant green crane swung a further four modules into place on the Plumstead Common Road end of the Barnfield estate where the old Somali Community hut used to stand. Both this and the brick community centre in the centre of the estate were victims of arsonists many years ago.
Since then, Barnfield has rediscovered its spirit with Big Local support to landscape a brilliant garden with play area for younger children (it has some tellytubby like hills!) and a hard court area for football for older children. They have a great voice and organise community days and trips out with a difference. As well as open coffee mornings every Tuesday at the Barnfield project. But now these will move to the new community centre, which just has to be securely fastened, fitted and landscaped with another soft play area adjacent.
Barnfield has come so far. There are still issues and councillors and candidates are helping to address those, especially with the limitations of the building structures. But a great community has risen, and this latest addition is definitely the start of a new chapter in the Barnfield renaissance.
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