My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), evidence of access to a lease for the space you are leveraging, and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions.
Yes
First Name
Sahra-Isha
Last Name
Muhammad-Jones
Pronouns
She/Her
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
1
Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
No
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
No
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Lead Organisation Name
ASRA Club
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2019
Initiative Title
Dream Big, Dream Yours
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
https://www.asraclub.com/ https://www.instagram.com/asra.club/?hl=en https://www.nhsg.org.uk/ https://wandlelearningtrust.org.uk/
Initiative Stage
Idea (You have a solid concept and are hoping to get started in the future)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Development & Prosperity
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Dream Big, Dream Yours is a co-designed, community grounded sports and play infrastructure initiative that transforms underused school land into a shared, inclusive, and women-centred space that removes access barriers and builds lifelong movement habits for girls and young people in Norbury and the wider Croydon community
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
In Norbury, London Borough of Croydon, persistent health inequalities intersect with a lack of accessible, safe, welcoming spaces for physical activity, especially for girls and young women from ethnic, cultural, and religious minority backgrounds. Traditional sports settings often feel unwelcoming or unsafe due to visibility of the grounds, lack of cultural sensitivity, and inconsistent women-only provision. This compounds exclusion, limits access to regular physical activity, and deepens long-term health disparities. According to Sport England’s Active Lives Adult Survey (2021/22), only 61.8% of Croydon adults meet the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, compared to the national average of 67.3% (3). This trend is also mirrored in younger populations of the borough: the Active Lives Children and Young People Survey (2021/22) found that only 44% of children in London are considered “active,” with a marked decline in activity levels among adolescent girls (4). Barriers include self-consciousness, cultural expectations, lack of safe environments, and unwelcoming facility design. At Norbury High School for Girls (NHSG), outdated and undersized facilities constrain the delivery of PE, extracurricular sport, and community use. During winter months, outdoor spaces become unusable, further reducing opportunities for movement. Timetabling conflicts and limited space prevent students from accessing a full range of sporting experiences, and restrict the school’s ability to host inter-school competitions or open up space to the local community. ASRA Club has lived through these gaps. Our running groups and track sessions in South & East London are community safe spaces, but repeatedly, participants share how public visibility and lack of inclusive.
Your approach: How are you/ will you addressing the problem outlined above? How does your solution unlock or reimagine access to spaces for sport and physical activity? What role do landowners, local authorities, or other decision-making stakeholders play in your approach? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
Dream Big, Dream Yours reimagines sport and play infrastructure by unlocking an existing asset, the land at Norbury High School for Girls and co-designing a multi-use movement facility rooted in community needs. Our solution combines a multi-purpose track and infield hall that supports curriculum PE, after-school programming, female-centred sport, and community activation for sports such as Athletics, Football, Netball and Basketball. This approach: Redesigns existing space instead of building from scratch, demonstrating fiscal and spatial innovation. Shifts power and ownership to the communities most impacted, with girls and local women and the wider community directly shaping the vision. Designs for privacy, accessibility and intentional play from the outset, including women-only programming sessions and prayer/quiet zones not as an add-on but as an embedded framework. The idea emerged organically when ASRA Club founder Sahra-Isha, a former Norbury High student, was in conversation with Executive Leader Markieu Hayden. They saw an opportunity: school land sits dormant outside school hours yet remains fundamentally under-utilised for community sport. With NHSG’s and Wandle Trust’s technical expertise in delivering school sports facilities and ASRA Club’s history of community-grounded design and activation, the partnership unlocks space and builds shared stewardship. We want to build a sustainable reimagined space for play by transforming land, shifting norms, and developing a model of collective land use for young people and beyond who have been structurally excluded from physical activity spaces.
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
Co-creation is at the centre of Dream Big, Dream Yours. Since 2023, ASRA Club and NHSG have collaborated through: Weekly after-school run clubs for Years 7–11 PSHE sessions and movement-based workshops Easter half-term programming co-designed with students happening in April 2026 Needs assessment 2024 10 page report including research on the local area Meeting with local sports clubs to discuss their involvement in the vision We will build on this by establishing: A Student Design Council where young people shape the facility’s features, programming and identity Participatory visioning workshops with primary and secondary learners (with the primary school across the street to allow for involvement from potential future students to NHSG) Community listening sessions with different groups from marginalised backgrounds, children, adults and older people to understand the needs further and hold women only sessions to ensure the space feels aligned Pulse surveys and reflective focus groups that guide design decisions Ongoing consultations and workshops with local community groups Working with existing clubs in the local area to be part of the creation and make up of the space Young people won’t just be consulted, they will be partners in decision-making, ensuring the solution is truly rooted in lived experience.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in unlocking spaces for and access to physical activity and sport so far? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had , and or what impact do you envision having in the future?
Dream Big, Dream Yours will deliver both immediate and long-term outcomes: Immediate outputs: A co-designed masterplan grounded in community insight Enhanced PE and movement options at NHSG Expanded women-centred activity programmes Long-term impact: Sustained inclusion of girls and women in sport and play Increased physical activity levels among demographic groups with historically low access compared to other boroughs Improved mental wellbeing and social belonging Demonstration of a replicable school-land model for other London boroughs through our creative play first framework ASRA Club already engages 200+ women weekly in movement sessions. By including other sports clubs in the space and with the dedicated infrastructure, we expect to serve 500–700 unique users per month within the first year, with room for growth as programming expands. Our members consistently speak not only to improved fitness, but to confidence, community, and psychological safety.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
What makes Dream Big, Dream Yours different from other approaches is: Reimagining school land as a shared resource, not an underutilised asset. Designing with cultural safety, creativity and care at the forefront, weaving privacy, play and women-centred scheduling into the fabric of the design. Pairing grassroots community practice with institutional support, shifting ownership rather than imposing solutions. Unlike traditional leisure centres or occasional women-only sessions, our solution embeds gender equity into the infrastructure, from governance to usage ensuring that access isn’t granted by exception but by design. We look to similar spaces such as the Barnet Pavilion and Clapham Common Netball and Basketball Court where they focused on a community designed first approach. We are yet to see such an innovation between a school, trust and women's centred sports organisation, hence are excited for this project and explored framework.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your initiative up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
We are building with sustainability & community ownership at its core. This is a women and girls-centred initiative grounded in a community play-first framework, meaning the space is designed around access, intention & joy before performance or profit. By using secured land at NHSG, we remove a major cost barrier and root the project within a trusted institution. This allows us to prioritise long-term impact over short-term gain, and to design infrastructure that genuinely reflects the lived experiences of the girls & women it serves. Our operational model is intentionally blended & active across the week: • Curriculum PE during school hours, embedding the facility into daily school life • After-school, evening and weekend community programming • Women & girls-focused sessions grounded in inclusive practices • Community hire, local partnerships & structured bookings • Post-school competitions, sports days and lettings to neighbouring schools • Grants, sponsorship & phased capital fundraising to support future build stages • Pro bono collaboration with design agencies & brand partners during Phase A to maximise early investment Phase A focuses on strong foundations: governance clarity, technical feasibility and operational proof-of-concept. The overall budget will be around £3 million, hence, early conversations are underway with investors, funders & potential corporate partners. Across London, underutilised school land exists alongside communities where women & girls face structural barriers to participation. By showing a community-1st, institutionally anchored & play-led model, we aim to create a model for equitable space activation, that other boroughs can adapt & grow. We aim to reshape how space serves women and girls, sustainably, safety & scale.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Ultimate accountability for Dream Big, Dream Yours sits with Norbury High School for Girls as landholder, safeguarding authority and institutional anchor. Executive Leader Markieu Hayden provides strategic governance oversight, ensuring the project aligns with NHSG’s long-term estate vision, statutory safeguarding duties and its commitment to educational equity. With over 20 years of senior leadership experience in Croydon and a background in Physical Education, she brings both strategic authority and subject expertise. Her leadership ensures the facility is not an add-on, but embedded within the school’s long-term operational framework. NHSG will: Provide secured land and formal institutional governance Lead safeguarding, compliance and risk assurance Oversee capital redevelopment governance and statutory approvals Anchor long-term stewardship and operational accountability Operational and construction leadership will be directed by Scott Hart (NHSG), bringing over 30 years of experience in leisure and athletics track facility management. His expertise ensures technical credibility from feasibility through to long-term maintenance. He will: Lead contractor engagement and construction partnerships Oversee technical feasibility, procurement and health & safety compliance Develop lifecycle maintenance planning and operational sustainability strategy Educational integration is led by Melissa Nazi-Angileh, Associate Assistant Headteacher and Head of PE, with over 12 years of sports leadership experience. She will: Align the facility with curriculum PE delivery and extracurricular programming Embed student voice into usage modelling Ensure long-term student participation and timetable integration ASRA Club leads the community engagement, research strategy and programme development for the initiative. Founded by Norbury High alumna Sahra-Isha, ASRA Club is a sports organisation centring Muslim women in movement, wellness and sisterhood, with over 1000+ members across the UK and The Gambia. With more than 10 years of experience in research, cultural strategy and partnership development, Sahra-Isha brings both lived experience and structural expertise to the project. She will direct: Community research and engagement strategy Co-design facilitation and participatory spatial workshops Programme modelling and phased activation planning Brand partnerships and capital narrative positioning Urban research and spatial strategy sit within ASRA Club’s delivery structure and are led by Maheer Khan, an urban researcher and architect with experience across 50+ projects in London, the UK and internationally. Her portfolio spans public realm strategy, spatial feasibility and infrastructure planning. She will: Translate community insight into technical spatial briefs Lead feasibility coordination and evidence-based design frameworks Develop phased development models and funding-ready documentation ASRA operates as engagement and research leads for Phase A, ensuring the space is shaped by lived realities. This ensures that community voice is not peripheral, it is structurally embedded into design logic and intentional planning. Wandle Learning Trust strengthens delivery through estates governance and capital strategy expertise. Led by Tom Webster (Chief Operating Officer) and supported by Gary Pearson (Head of Facilities & Estates), the Trust provides oversight that enhances both credibility and scalability. The Trust will: Provide estates governance and procurement oversight Advise on capital phasing, compliance and statutory processes Strengthen funding strategy and investment readiness Ensure alignment with wider Trust infrastructure planning With experience delivering sports facilities across the Trust portfolio, their involvement strengthens risk management and long-term delivery confidence. The structure is intentionally interdependent and non-duplicative. NHSG anchors governance, land control and operational sustainability. ASRA Club leads research, co-design and programme strategy. Spatial research and feasibility are integrated within ASRA’s framework to ensure cohesion between insight and design. Wandle Learning Trust strengthens estates governance, procurement and capital development planning. This is not a loose partnership, rather a unique one. It is a defined delivery architecture with clear accountability, distributed expertise and shared ownership.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
The £100,000 will initiate Phase A of Dream Big, Dream Yours, laying the foundation for a long-term £3 million capital vision rather than delivering a short-term project that ends after 18 months. We aim to actively garner through the streams of Wandle Trust, NHSG and ASRA Club through partners, investors and further grants throughout the 18 month period too. Phase A focuses on research, co-design, feasibility and early activation, creating a build-ready masterplan and a live test-and-learn environment that can grow. Stage 1: Research, Brief Refinement & Open Call (March – September 2026) As we already have land use permission, we will use the capacity building month to refine the spatial and programme brief through structured research and community engagement and then again in September. Activities include: - Surveys and focus groups with students, local women and community partners - Formation of a Student Design Council - Community co-design call-out - Site assessments, contractual partners on board and early feasibility discussions At this point we would like to have had a clearly defined spatial and operational brief, grounded in community experience and supported by initial technical insight. Stage 2: Engagement & Co-Creation Sessions (September – December 2026) We will move from consultation to collaborative shaping by having a draft concept design, phased cost and in kind framework and agreed delivery model. This will be done through: - Facilitated co-creation workshops - Early contractor and design team engagement - Cost benchmarking and phasing discussions - Governance structure refinement Stage 3: Design Development & Programme Finalisation (December 2026 – April 2027) This stage translates vision into credible plans, and finalise the Phase A masterplan through technical feasibility plans and capital campaign readiness. - Concept design refinement - Feasibility and ground investigations - Planning pathway review - Finalisation of pilot sports programme model Stage 4: Test & Learn Pilot Programme (April – December 2027) We begin activating the space through a limited pilot offer across selected sports. This will help cement a demonstrated demand, operational proof of concept and strengthened funding case toward the £3m goal. In this timeframe, we will: - Test scheduling models (including women-centred provision) - Working with a number of local clubs on a regular basis in the space - Trial operational partnerships - Collect participation and retention data - Build momentum while capital fundraising continues Stage 5: Evaluation & Impact Report (December 2027 – March 2028) This final stage will enable there to be a clear evidence base and investment-ready case for Phase B construction and step. - Independent evaluation of participation, retention and community feedback - Financial sustainability review (for the bigger overall budget too) - Refined capital investment prospectus - Publication of Phase A impact report Overall, we aim to keep Phase A costs disciplined by leveraging in-kind support from agencies, designers and brand partners. Precedents such as the transformation of Clapham Common basketball court through collaboration between Foot Locker and the NBA demonstrate how creative partnerships can elevate public space without inflating capital burden. We understand that the £100,000 will not complete the build but it will ensure we curate responsibly and intentionally with the community by creating infrastructure and programme foundations that can be expanded, enclosed and enhanced over time rather than dismantled. Dream Big, Dream Yours is designed for longevity. Phase A establishes credibility, evidence and community ownership, the essential building blocks for sustainable growth.
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details.
If selected, up to £10,000 of funding would enable us to meaningfully advance Phase A by covering critical preparatory and participatory activities. This includes: Paid co-design workshops with youth and wider community members, ensuring their voices are fully represented in shaping the space and programme, and that participation is accessible and inclusive. Stipends for Student Design Council participants, recognising their expertise and time while reinforcing the value of co-creation in decision-making. Technical feasibility research, including spatial, operational and accessibility assessments, to ensure the proposed facility is deliverable, safe, and sustainable. Legal and partnership structuring consultancy, establishing robust governance, agreements, and operational frameworks to support long-term delivery. Core team engagement in the 8-week capacity-building programme, ensuring ASRA Club and partners can meaningfully absorb learning, refine strategy, and embed best practice across all stages of delivery. This investment will directly strengthen our readiness for subsequent capital fundraising, provide a solid evidence base for decision-making, and ensure that the facility is designed and implemented with genuine shared ownership, deep community insight, and strong operational foundations.
