Poplar HARCA and Hill have donated £15,000 to pay for laptops for local families and £10,000 to the food pantry at Manorfield Primary School. Working together the joint venture partners will be delivering the regeneration of the Teviot Estate in Tower Hamlets.

Working in partnership, Poplar HARCA and Hill’s transformation of the Teviot Estate will focus on delivering real social value for the local community and this donation is the first example.

The 30 laptops worth £250 each were donated to pupils at Langdon Park School together with another £7,500 towards broadband costs for those needing support to access home learning during lockdown. It comes as part of a scheme set up by Poplar HARCA together with partners including the East End Community Foundation and the LETTA Schools Trust to get families better connected online.

A £10,000 donation was made to the food pantry at Manorfield Primary School next door to the Teviot Estate and partnered with Family Action, which has been providing weekly food parcels through their FOOD Club programme to local people. The initiative was set up in response to the huge increase in the number of people turning to food banks and FOOD Clubs as a result of the ongoing social and economic effects of the pandemic.

Paul Jackson, Headteacher of Manorfield Primary School said: “It is heartening to receive such a substantial donation for our food pantry. We have so many local residents and families whose children attend our school and are in need of food.  This money is going to make a huge difference to how we can support them over the next few months.”

Andy Fancy, Regional Managing Director at Hill said: “We recognise the unprecedented challenges that many people are going through as a result of the pandemic, so we are pleased to do our part in supporting digital inclusion through the provision of laptops and helping the FOOD Club. As we start work on the long-term plans for the Teviot Estate, it is vital that we respond to the immediate needs of the community at grass roots level, as well as understanding their aspirations for the future.”

Paul Dooley from Poplar HARCA said: “Our vision is for Teviot to be a “best in class” exemplar for urban regeneration, which puts
residents at its heart. The residents have been involved every step of the way and this ensures we are delivering what they need, now and in the future. I am delighted that our new partnership with Hill has already helped to strengthen and extend the work we are doing with local partners to tackle digital exclusion and food poverty in our communities. This is just the start of a major community investment programme, which will be shaped by residents over the coming months and years.”

Other social value benefits that will be delivered by Poplar HARCA & Hill as part of the development include employment and training
opportunities, Community Chest Funding for local organisations, enhancing of community facilities and contributing to existing services. The regeneration of the Teviot Estate could eventually include more than 2,500 new homes, alongside new green spaces, shops, community and faith facilities, and improved infrastructure. Poplar HARCA and Hill are now in the process of selecting a master planner and consulting with residents, London Borough of Tower Hamlets and other stakeholders to develop the designs. The planning application is expected to be submitted next year.