The Myatts Field Park project was started by women in Brixton who believed that people deserve the best facilities possible and wanted the park to provide a lot more than it did. The group managed to raise £3 million in five years and transformed the Park. It is now working in partnership with Lambeth Council and Power to Change to renovate a depot into a community growing space and kitchen, to incubate local food businesses.
What do you do?
I’m Victoria Sherwin and I am the community development manager for Myatt’s Fields Park Project.
Not a normal shop: from jam-making to bus driving, community businesses open their doors around the UK @peoplesbiz @squashliverpool @myattsfields @frenchlottie @lisalife #cbwkd18 https://t.co/ZUB7pw2LYB
— Far Nearer (@far_nearer) May 18, 2018
What is the point of the project?
The slogan we’ve come up with is growing a green and healthy neighbourhood. It means that we are ambitious and bold, green is sustainable and healthy, and outward looking. We provide a good quality park and we foster health, wellbeing and prosperity in the area by being a home for lots of projects. We don’t charge them to be based with us. Also we grow seedlings – last year we provided 27,000 seedlings for 72 projects throughout Lambeth. We’re in a food desert so we try to have a imapact with other groups.
When was the moment you decided to do this?
It was about 2000 and I had a small child. There was never any fundraising for anything and it was really obvious that we could make a big difference. I had a really strong vision of what we needed and it was really nice to have something to do when I had small children.
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
When they opened the playground and I was able to go in with my children for the first time. But the pride wears off quite quickly because you then go on to the next thing.
Recently, there’s a guy that we employ, he was unemployed when he joined us and this year, he’s gone from living in social housing, growing food where he lived to being employed by us and going back and supporting other people. He even went on holiday this year. He’s a star, we didn’t know he was so talented.
What’s been hardest?
Negotiating with the council.
What drives you when it gets hard?
The amount I’ve invested already, and other people. When people are supportive, it’s fantastic.
What’s the next step?
Making sure the council pay for the depot and that it goes ahead.
The next step is to finish our strategy and start raising funds and get on with bringing in the income.
We’ve been planning how to run this as a community business, so the next stage is to make that happen. We’re spending a lot of time making sure a diversity of people have a say in what happens, otherwise it could slide into becoming exclusive.
Big queue for burgers @myattsfields project where the community is planning a brand new depot to incubate food and growing businesses #CBwkd18 @powertochange pic.twitter.com/gWAlyFnJ9S
— Far Nearer (@far_nearer) May 4, 2018
How did you vote in the EU referendum and why?
I voted remain. It’s economically not as advantageous and I think it’s a great plot to destabilise us.
How will the outcome affect what you do?
It affects us because we work with food. I hope, I think, it’s starting to slow down the housing market in London which could take away some of the greedy property development that threatens the park. It threatens it because the council sees everything as an asset that can be used to generate income.
What would you say to someone looking to do something similar?
It depends what kind of person you are. I think it’s very satisfying but I’m a bit unhinged.
What does community mean to you?
Persisting with people – or the people you persist with.
Where is Victoria Sherwin contactable
You can contact Victoria through the Myatt’s Field Park project enquiries@myattsfieldspark.info: