Askival helps secure £1.2m funding bid for Walterton & Elgin Community Homes

Working alongside the in-house team at Walterton & Elgin Community Homes (WECH), Askival has been instrumental in securing and maximising a significant grant of £1.2m from Westminster City Council for improvements to WECH’s community premises and gardens in North Paddington.

Community-owned, WECH is a registered provider of social housing with nearly 700 homes housing around 1500 residents. 

At the core of this community is Selbourne House in Elgin Avenue where a wide range of support services and activities are provided to residents in a deprived ward within Westminster.  These include a food bank, free brunch club, exercise classes, toddler groups, community gardening, debt and legal advice services, faith groups, birthday parties and bridal celebrations.

Most of the activities take place in the ground floor community centre and outdoor areas.  On the upper floors there is a pre-school nursery with an outdoor terrace; office facilities including WECH’s own office, and there are residential apartments above. 

Selbourne House also provides meeting facilities for local businesses, charities and voluntary sector partners in North Paddington and occasionally Westminster City Council.

Askival associate Tim Cork has assisted WECH chief executive Suzanne Wolfe in the preparation and submission of the bid, securing competitive tenders for the various elements of the works.  Also involved in the bidding process was resident and WECH founder Jonathan Rosenberg.

WECH chief executive, Suzanne Wolfe, said:

“Selbourne House is a very popular facility, and while the building is modern (it was built in 2019), there are – for our purposes – quite a few impractical elements to it.  The Community Capital Grant funding will really help us enhance the Selbourne House experience and we are very grateful to Westminster City Council.  We are also grateful to Tim Cork from Askival who helped optimise our bid and for input from Madlins and Westbrooke Surveyors.”

Given its established working relationship with both WECH and Westminster City Council, Askival is well placed to support timely and compliant delivery of the works, safeguarding the outcomes anticipated by the Community Capital Grant.

Askival’s on-going role includes oversight of design development, procurement, contract administration, programme monitoring and risk management, right through to practical completion.

The funding will be used to provide:

• A remodelled reception area, reception desk and waiting area and door entry systems
• A new commercial kitchen installation
• Upgrades to Wi-Fi connectivity and mobile phone signals throughout the building
• Community centre, reception area and meeting rooms to be fitted with smart screen technology, improved lighting and sound installation
• Children’s play area to be completely renewed
• External exercise areas to be enhanced with new equipment
• Landscaped areas to be remodelled to provide access friendly raised planters and seating areas, with new pollinator friendly planting and water feature.
• Elgin pre-school to be equipped with re-fitted kitchen, improved lighting systems, updated toilet facilities and solar shading to external play area

One of the residents sums it up as follows:

“As a resident and active member of the community, I’m proud to say that WECH is so much more than just a housing association, it’s a resident-led, community-powered organisation that truly puts people first. Investing in improvements to our community centre and office buildings isn’t just about bricks and mortar, it’s about strengthening the heart of our neighbourhood. These are spaces where lives are changed, where support is given, and where community is built every single day. Upgrading them means investing in our future — giving residents the dignity, access, and opportunities we deserve to continue leading and shaping the community we call home.”

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