Anthony Garner
Sergio A. Mims forwards this blog post:
Written by Linda Quinn on June 5, 2017
Local hero Anthony Garner has been nominated for a
national award for his work with young people on his housing estate in
Oak Square, Stockwell.
Anthony, who will be 70 by the time of the “Housing
Heroes” awards, realised that local youngsters rarely ventured beyond
their neighbourhood, despite all that London has to offer.
He set about trying to do something about it and giving
them a different cultural perspective. He approached local businesses
for sponsorship.
Then he contacted the community engagement officer at the
Royal Opera House and persuaded them to provide discount tickets to
young people and their parents on the estate.
Since then, Anthony has got funding for a programme of visits including Kew Gardens, Tate Modern and London Zoo.
Anthony said: “It all started when I went to the ballet with a friend.
“After I left my mind turned to the people here. I see
young people kicking balls against walls and little bits of anti-social
behaviour and I felt it would be really good for people in Oak Square to
come along.
“I wanted to see what I could do to engage people on a
cultural level and see whether it would give people more pride in where
they live.”
“My favourite trip was Kew Gardens. I was worried our
group would all clump together all day but they didn’t and, as the day
went on, I was so delighted to see everyone smiling because they’d all
discovered things that they’d never seen before.
“I have 25 to 30 places in mind that I’d love to arrange
visits for, including the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert
Museum.
“There is more to where you live than where you are
domiciled. Once you realise that, your world expands and you realise
you’re in an amazing place and London is an amazing city.”
Jackie Thomas, business improvement manager at Notting Hill Housing,
who nominated Anthony for the award, said: “Not only has Anthony given
the youngsters a way to learn about the world and develop new skills, he
is showing them the best of what their city has to offer.
“They are receiving a chance to build passions that would
otherwise have been untapped and contribute positively to their own
neighbourhood, building self-confidence in the process.
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