Junior Wardens boost for Beckenham estate

Young environmental champions who are working to improve their local area are set to receive their stripes at a presentation.

Beckenham MP Jacqui Lait has been invited to the presentation at 2pm on February 21, when nine youngsters, aged eight to 12, from the Hackington estate in Beckenham, will receive their junior warden certificates.

The youngsters have learned about environmental issues, like how criminal damage, graffiti and fly-tipping can have a negative impact on the area and on local residents as part of the scheme. They also took part in practical projects, like a mini-recycling and litter picking group. The project was organised by housing provider Broomleigh. The project was originally set to last for four weeks but due to the enthusiasm of the participants and course leaders it was extended to seven weeks.

The presentation will take place at the Hackington community flat in Hackington Crescent, Beckenham.  

A Good Neighbourhood agreement, drawn up by local residents, will also be signed at the event. The agreement includes standards which residents would like to see kept up in the area, such as keeping communal areas clean and tidy and treating neighbours with respect.

Liz Chambers, anti-social behaviour team leader at Broomleigh, said she was delighted with both projects.

She said: “The people of Hackington are working hard to foster a strong community spirit in their area and these projects will really help to galvanise this. The Good Neighbourhood Agreement sets out clearly what standards people would like to see upheld in the area, while the children on the estate are really excited about being junior wardens. Their enthusiasm during the sessions has been really encouraging to see. They have learned about their estate and we hope it will instil a sense of pride and inspire them to take ownership of their local area.

“We’ve been very impressed by how well the junior warden scheme has been received and plan to roll this out to other Broomleigh estates over the coming year.

“We’ve been working hard on Hackington over the past two years and it’s been one of our priority management areas.  During this time, we’ve obtained funding through the Safer Bromley Partnership to set up a popular new community flat, as requested by the residents. In addition, Broomleigh provided funding through our Area Forum to install a CCTV system for the local residents in March 2007. The residents have been really pleased with the impact this has had on their local area and now attend events regularly with their families.”

Several teams from Broomleigh have helped set up the junior warden scheme, including housing officers and team leaders, tenancy service officers, neighbourhood wardens and community investment officers.