North Lambeth People First Expo
The first pilot People First Expo took place in North Lambeth at Lilian Baylis School on 26 January 2008. The theme for this event was Community Safety and Volunteering.
It was a really positive day and all attendees found the format, activities, and opportunity to meet both known and new organisations a worthwhile experience. Comments on the day included:
- "Very informative and I liked the informal approach"
- "Nice that different groups get together and share information to let us know what is happening in our area"
- "Congratulations to you and your team on a well-organised event….. The opportunity to meet informally councillors and senior officers was very welcome, as well as seeing other voluntary groups..." Gordon Johnston from Friends of Kennington Park.
Over 60 stalls exhibited from the Primary Care Trust (PCT) to local charities and community organisations.
The Met Police turned up with their volunteer bus, mounted officers and various stalls relating to the Expo theme Community Safety and Volunteering including how the Forensics service works, and the key issues facing local Safety Neighbourhood Teams.
It was generally felt that the day provided an informal and friendly environment in which to network, question councillors and local organisations and find out more about the North Lambeth area.
Local democracy in action
Local people took part in a local vote, Sponsored by the Metropolitan Police Authority, to determine support for allocating funds to local projects. Four local organisations presented their project proposals and over 100 votes were casts on the day. The successful organisations were SE1 United, a local youth organisation and Vauxhall City Farm who were each awarded £500.
Local Question Time
The local Question Time provided everyone with the opportunity to ask questions to the panel.
The panel, which was chaired by John Roberts (Metropolitan Police Authority), was made up of the Borough Commander, Sharon Rowe, Jacob Whittingham, Chair of SE1 United and Cllr Lumsden and Cllr Meldrum for Lambeth Council.
For more information about People First Expo, please call 020 7926 2758 or email peoplefirstexpo@lambeth.gov.uk.