So we submitted our 2nd round bid for Portas Pilot funding by Friday’s deadline. This time around the GLA are allocating £300k to London towns, so with 33 London boroughs we feel as though we’re in with a good chance.
We feel this one is a much stronger contender too, with the inclusion of proposed initiatives that have been evolved and will go ahead with or without this funding.
The main elements of this new bid are:
1. Jack and Jill
2. The Shop Revolution
This is the idea that has been evolved by Bake with members of the Empty Shops Group, now known as The Shop Revolution.
12 vacant units renovated and let to an eclectic mix of businesses and organisations as part of large scale pop up project over one month. The aim is to reposition the high streets as a destination for the duration of the project, showcase ideas for using empty shops and to act as a springboard for new businesses.
3. Market Makers
An initiative to develop a range of markets across Sydenham, Kirkdale and Forest Hill with subsidy and incentives for stalls.
You can see the bid video here:
We should hear by the end of July if our new bid was successful. In the meantime we will continue to develop the Town Team and work on bringing our initiatives to fruition.
If you are interested in being involved in any of these initiatives or becoming a member of the Town Team you can drop me an email.