At a time when council services are being cut and squeezed by the government’s punishing austerity measures, assembly funding has proved a lifeline to many local initiatives.
One such initiative, the SE4 After School Club, was established in 2017 with the help of £2,500 funds from the Ladywell and Crofton Park local assemblies.
It set up regular sessions at Crofton Park Library and Elim Church Hall to help GCSE school students with their English, Maths and Science lessons.
The assembly funds were used to recruit three qualified tutors and provide resources to the students. The funds were also used to advertise the project.
Aurelie Ramgoolam, the project manager, told a recent Ladywell assembly that the project had been “a great success, delivering a total of 40 sessions of lessons.”
She said that more than 23 students attended the lessons after school hours to help them prepare for their exams in May and June of that year. Most benefited from the extra tuition.
Some 13 of the students were from the Ladywell ward.
The after school club has continued its work and now provides lessons for around 15 students in the neighbourhood at a discounted rate.