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
Mike
Last Name
Garrick
Pronouns
He/Him
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
0
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
Lewisham Sports Consortium
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2001
Initiative Title
Firhill Road Youth & Community Centre
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
www.lsportsc.org
Initiative Stage
Growth (You’ve moved past the very first activities; working towards the next level of expansion.)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
The project is to build a Youth and Community Centre on formally a previously disused 16 Acre site on Bellingham Estate in Lewisham at an estimated cost of approximately £1.2 million pounds.
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?
The problem : Lewisham has one of England’s highest population densities, with many families living in flats and limited community spaces. The Bellingham Ward, among the most deprived areas locally and nationally, lacks facilities for young people and experiences growing inequality. Population growth—both over-65s and those under 19—is above the London average, increasing demand for youth programmes and community activities. Aim: After clearing the site, it is now mainly used for outdoor activities such as football, school holiday schemes, and sports days, alongside mentoring and education. Demand for these facilities exceeds supply due to lack of indoor space. Income from hiring the space funds activities, but further development is limited by the lack of infrastructure. A building would boost sustainability, increase programme capacity, and enhance fundraising opportunities. Beneficiaries: The local community, especially young people aged 7–16, will benefit most, as they are the primary focus of current LSC provision. Personal Connection: I live within a mile of the Firhill Road site and have been actively involved with Lewisham Sports Consortium (LSC) since its inception in 1998. At that time, I managed a youth football team and encountered significant challenges securing affordable and accessible football pitches in Lewisham—an issue experienced by many BME-led sports clubs. Alongside representatives from three BME-led clubs, I contributed to the formation of LSC and participated in submitting an application to Lewisham Council to redevelop the disused site at Firhill Road. Two of the founding clubs were affiliated with youth centres in Lewisham and Southwark, ensuring youth engagement was central to LSC’s mission.
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?
Our approach is to : Further develop the site so that there are decent and accessible amenities available for users. The building will cost approximately £1.2 million in total and we are applying for these funds to several organisations. A building on the site will enable the LSC to : Extend the range of activities to include indoor sports and wellbeing activities as well as outdoor Providing access for people with disabilities Expand opportunities to generate income for sustainability and to provide activities that are affordable and accessible to lower income and disadvantaged young people. The Landowners are Lewisham Council, they have agreed a lease - 21 years remaining. They are in support of our project from the start and we are currently engaging with them on any practical and or financial help they can provide. What led me to take action: I ran youth football teams for a number of years in Lewisham and saw first hand the socio-economic and other disadvantages faced my some of the young people . Issues ranging from lack of parent involvement to lack of finance for fees and kits. This was in stark contrast to their peers in teams from some of the more affluent areas who had nice kits and stable and well appointed venues to train, play and enjoy themselves. My experience was common, so led by the Chair of another football club , we lobbied the Council for action. The outcome was that we were/are willing to put in the work and they gave us the opportunity to make a difference .
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?
The site we are developing was discussed for 12-14 years and became a site for fly tipping rubbish and for anti-social behaviour by young people. The site is enclosed on 3 sides by housing and on the fourth by a railway line. Our actions in clearing the site, was very much encouraged by the neighbouring residents, many of the young people attended football training and Saturday morning fun sessions. On the negative side , some of the engagement involved considerable racism and some vandalism ( for example burning of our the tractor) and scattering of rubbish over some of the areas that had been cleared. However, overtime as more as more of the site was cleared, became usable , the number of users have grown and the negative engagements decreased to the point that it is no longer an issue. The need for a building has been evident as part of the LSC vision but is reinforced by ongoing feedback from users and requests from potential users and other local organsiations. Local consultations took place about our building proposals with minor objections with only 2 concerns. Some of the local people are and have been volunteers working on the project. One of the objectives of our development and succession planning is to increase the number of local young volunteers and involve them in designing/shaping the offer. Also to train those willing and able, take on the running and management of the organisation.
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?
our project has already had a significant impact. We began collecting user data in 2011 at which point the number of users were 1500 in that year ( all sports users) , the numbers grew in line with more of the site being cleared in 2018/19 there were approx 24000 users ( 21k of which was sports ) and most recently in 2023/4 there were 24500 users again about 21000 of whom were for sports. The current trend is that we are making good use of the outside areas but this has reached a high point. The building of the Youth Centre will have a significant impact on increasing the usage by providing opportunities for indoor sports, more often and a greater variety of young people including girls and those with disabilities. Development plans moving on from the current proposal is to construct sports changing rooms, a sports hall and a multi-use games areas.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Our project is different in that : It is restorative - bringing back into use something that was lost for a time from the community Demonstration that commitment , passion and people working together can make a difference Drawing on community resources for example ; our portable cabins were donated by the local synagogue and adapted by workers from Anglian Windows company who were working on the Bellingham estate who gave a day to do the work. Our car park area was created by 'road plainings' i.e tarmac craping's donated and laid by a parent of one of the site users. Our approach has drawn on the skills and generously in terms of 'ordinary people. The challenges have necessitated innovation in terms of achieving practical outcomes. A key objective is only to be self sustaining - to generate income from some services to enable the organisation to determine its own agenda in terms of its social intervention, educational and cultural provision.
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 preparing for success by reviewing our governance key features are recruiting Associate Trustees ( advisers to the Trustees) with specific skills ; notably legal , Finance, Education; sports development and Media & Communication. Also, introducing this role as a succession planning pathway for younger people wanting to progress on to becoming trustees. Attending workshops and relevant courses supporting governance - we have been a members of Voice4Change England for 10 plus years. They have provided us with on going training and support. We are making links with a more experienced organisation - Salmon Youth and Community Centre in Deptford and having discussions with Lewisham Council about ways in which they can provide support. Our plan is to scaffold the current structure of volunteers with full and part time workers by seek revenue funding for the 1-3 years to fund a full time site manger and initially part-time Admin person; a part-time youth worker and buy in ancillary services including finance support and cleaning . We are currently discussing/considering and taking advice on whether a paid operational manger will also be needed at the outset.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
The trustees are responsible for setting the vision and direction of the organisation. Advise and support is sought as required via relevant statutory and professional bodies via secretary. All board meetings are open ( except where matters are deemed confidential) to volunteers who have a say in both strategic direction and operational priorities in line with the objectives for the charity. There are two sub-committees, Finance and Personnel Building and Maintenance. Operational Matters are overseen by the Treasurer and Secretary . There are 3 paid part-time members of staff; ground maintenance , Admin person , and person running the tuck shop. Each of these are are supported by one or more volunteers and there are a number of volunteers on which we can call on for particular activities - e.g legal advice , IT support. We are also exploring the possibility of working with other local charities to share services. The building and maintenance working party consisting of, the Treasurer , an external consultant , Black Architecture Ltd - or architects , the associate trustees for sports development and Media and Communication and myself are leading on delivery of this imitative.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Fundraising applications to be completed - 31 March 2026 Outcomes review and evaluation & commencement of stage 2 applications from 1 June to 31 July 2026 Site investigation pursuant to heritage assets on the site and submission to Lewisham Council - 1 September to 31 October 2026 Carryout tender arrangement 1 November and request extension of meaning full start for 1 year Commencement of building works March 2027 End of building works 1 September 2027.
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 successful, we would like to use the money to meet the cost of undertaking an Archaeological conditions survey at the site - approximately £9500 . This was one of conditions attached to granting planning permission to build.
