Clare Richards and the ClementJames Centre
Clare Richards MBE exudes kindness, interest and efficiency, which she uses to great effect as Chief Executive of local charity The ClementJames Centre in Sirdar Road. This hub of activity supports over 300 local people into work and 1,700 young people in education, as well as providing a central hub, almost a social club, for less privileged local residents. The 40 staff help 3,000 people a year, with up to 1,000 using the facilities each week and the numbers have grown at such a rate there are plans to expand the Centre’s buildings (photo below) with a big push to raise funds for the project in this, The ClementJames Centre’s 40th anniversary year.
Planned winter garden for group activities
Forty seems to be a recurring number, with 40% of children in Notting Barns ward, home to The ClementJames Centre, living in poverty. A Child Poverty Action Group’s report states: ‘A child is living in relative poverty if living in a household with below 60% of contemporary median income, according to government measurements.’ This has been calculated, after housing costs have been taken in to account, by the University of Loughborough and published by the End Child Poverty (ECP) coalition in 2018. In comparison, in our Norland ward, 29% of children live in poverty.
During Covid lockdowns online classes were offered to ClementJames clients, plus food deliveries, advice and guidance, full time timetabled adult online classes, with mentoring sessions continued on an online platform. “This is a remarkable community that has shown many times how it reaches out and supports each other,” says Richards. “[During the pandemic] we have been reaching out to as many people as we always do.”
On average 180 schoolchildren go to the centre after school for help with homework. “Years ago, when we spoke with them about what they wanted to do after school, they were limited by what their parents do, or a desire to be famous,” says Richards, whose position it is to ask: “Why are they not considering other options?”
The aim of ClementJames, explains Richards, is to offer children exposure to all the opportunities: “Apprenticeships, university. Early on getting people to talk about ‘what next?’ What their strengths and talents are.” Housed by St Clements Church, in the 1980s the Centre’s first project was homework club mentoring. Then in 2007, Richards co-founded IntoUniversity which helps people aged 7-18 most at risk of failing to meet their potential to go to university due to economic, social, cultural, or linguistic disadvantage. There are now 34 centres across England.
When parents were dropping children off for various activities, ClementJames staff questioned why they were not talking English and discovered that to access a local college wasn’t obvious, and so it was decided that to create a similar English language class in the community might be just the thing. “There are 1500 families where someone speaks next-to-no English and engaging with the community is very difficult if you are struggling with English,” says Richards. “It is helpful to have somewhere that is a first step to learning a language. That prepares you to apply for a college course.” The Centre teaches 14 English, Maths and IT classes up to Level Two and it has strong links to North Kensington Centre, Morley College.
The next thing the ClementJames staff noticed was an increasing number of adults asking: ‘Please help me to find work.’ So the Centre looked at how they could devise programmes to help. Richards says they were seeing: “Bright talented people, but they were not sure what they had to offer. Also, people are facing a range of barriers, including housing difficulties.” Specialist staff looked at what had been preventing people from getting a job, sometimes it is a matter of confidence.
Just before the Grenfell Tower tragedy the ClementJames had started to look at mental health in the community. “Mental health is such an issue. We need to reduce isolation and point people towards the [available] help. After the tragedy: “We stopped everything and became a shelter, but now all these programmes are needed more than ever.”
Richards also spoke about the cancellation of the The Notting Hill Carnival, which is: “Such an important event for this community. We have a children’s summer camp where they make costumes for the Chldren’s Carnival, develop a song and learn about the history of the area. We are still doing that this year, even though the carnival is cancelled. The children will perform online to their parents.”
Since it began in 1981, the Centre has worked with St Clement and St James Churches which act as outreach in the community. Though as the centre has grown it has gained a new independence the incumbent vicar, Father Gareth Wardell, sits on the Board of Trustees. It takes £1.3 million a year to run the charity, a quarter of which comes from the Council, the bulk from trusts and foundations and local individuals. There is also a massive fundraising drive to raise £3.6M for the new buildings, which will mean 5,000 people a year will be able to gain access, rather than the current 3,000.
Richards own story began 60 miles away in the sleepy coastal town of Bexhill-on-sea. Having attended Bexhill High School and the Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun for A levels, in 1990 she gained a place at Cambridge, which may have informed her move to create IntoUniversity. Richards has worked as Chief Executive for the The ClementJames Centre for the past 22 years.
