Our Impact
For the Financial Year 2024/25, we focused on the impact we make in our communities. We have improved our level of investment directly into community benefit which now stands at over £1.5m. We delivered an annual operating surplus of £241,000. Over the last three years as well as facilitating the recovery from Covid-19, we have invested more than £4million into the estate.
The below figures reflect our impact on our communities in the 2024/25 financial year. From 2025/26 onwards, we will assess our progress through our new Social Impact Framework.
Grant Making
A total of £268,907 was distributed via our grants programme to 147 community groups and individuals in North Kensington.
In addition, in-kind grants were provided to 130 groups and individuals as part of Westway Trust’s contract with Sports Centre operator Everyone Active with a commercial value of £114,375.
We also delivered a bespoke fundraising course to 37 community organisations and 8 individuals to enable them to raise external funding for their projects.
Learning
Our learning team comprises four key areas, each of which provides valuable services to our communities.
Adult Learning
- 2583 hours of tuition was delivered to over 240 learners, with the majority identifying as women and a significant proportion coming from Global Majority backgrounds.
- The programme welcomed speakers of over 30 different first languages.
- Many participants were unemployed or economically inactive. Upon completion of our courses 34% of learners moved into employment or volunteering.
- Our Adult Learning programme contributed to the successful Ofsted inspection, carried out in January 2025, playing a considerable part in maintaining a ‘Good’ level for RBKC and its providers.
Supplementary Schools
We supported a network of 23 Supplementary Schools across North Kensington.
- The network engaged 1,220 students, delivering an outstanding 27,240 hours of learning.
- We provided 456 hours of training for school coordinators and volunteers.
- A highlight of the year was our Supplementary Schools Awards Evening, which brought together over 450 attendees.
- Sixteen schools participated in the event, where 128 awards were presented for academic excellence and leadership.
Nursery and Pop Up Creche Adult Learning
Working alongside the Venture Centre, one of our key partners for this service we delivered:
- 1,206 hours of childcare, achieving its highest-ever occupancy rate of 95%.
- We were proud to receive a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted.
- We assisted five parents with housing applications and referred four children to speech and language services.
- We provided 950 hours of crèche provision, enabling parents to participate in educational programmes and community initiatives, including those run in partnership with the Race Equality Foundation.
Community Development
Our Community Development programme continued to provide vital support, advocacy, and guidance to some of the most vulnerable individuals and groups in North Kensington. We focused our efforts on communities with the greatest need, including Grenfell bereaved and survivors, and the Irish Traveller community at Stable Way.Through targeted interventions and sustained engagement, we delivered meaningful impact:
- £5,000 invested in school uniforms to ease financial pressure on low-income families and ensure children were equipped for learning.
- Over 1,800 hours of dedicated Community Development support delivered, including 17.5 hours per week working directly with the Traveller community at Stable Way.
- £10,325 awarded to fund gym memberships, football sessions, coaching, and climbing activities—enhancing physical and mental wellbeing beyond our core Sports Bursary programme.
- 11 individuals referred to Grenfell Health and Wellbeing for specialist therapeutic support.
- 15 referrals made to Shelter, connecting individuals with expert housing advice and advocacy.
This year’s achievements reflect our commitment to standing alongside our communities, responding to trauma, reducing inequality, and building resilience through trusted, person-centred support.
Events and Community Activities on the Westway Estate
Partner Events
During 2024-25, we worked closely with 30 local partners, issuing 17 licenses to support them in hosting a lively and inclusive programme of outside events.Highlights of this year’s partner events programme include:
- 24 Hearts Summer Programme
- Eid Fun Day
- Jamaican Independence Day and Trinidad & Tobago Independence Days
- Grenfell Anniversary Hope Gardens gathering
- In addition, we hosted 10 Portobello Nights Vegan Market events under the Portobello Canopy from the Spring to the Autumn.
Trust-led Events
We delivered a number of Trust-led events, each designed to spotlight community spaces and engage local performers and creatives:
- Every Breath We Take exhibition
- Christmas Tree Lighting Event at Thorpe Close
- A Westway Summer Night’s Dream at Blossom Dale Gardens
- A Musical Tour at Portobello Green Arcade.
Community Feasts
In early 2025, we also launched a new series of ‘Community Feasts’, designed to strengthen social bonds with the community. These gatherings, hosted and catered by Westway staff in collaboration with local partners, have quickly become a cornerstone of our community-facing work. Each feast offers a welcoming space for residents to connect with one another and Trust staff.
Estate Development
Westway Community Street is an ongoing programme of projects which began in late 2021 delivering physical improvements and revitilisation to the spaces underneath and around our Estate, as well as improving economic opportunities for local people and businesses. We’ve been working with local people from the very start of this project through the involvement of a co-design team and various opportunities for people to provide feedback on design elements for all of the projects.
In 2024 we focused our attention on Acklam Square, embarking on the long anticipated project to re-level and open up this important public space. For many years, it had been dissected by hoardings, which were originally installed as a temporary
measure to protect pedestrians from the uneven surface of the space.
In February, the areas in front of Bays 55, 56, 57 and 58 were repaved and levelled, with the inclusion of stairs to help with the
levelling process. Once the re-levelling work was completed, all hoardings were removed and the entire Acklam Square was opened up as North Kensington’s newest public realm. Improvements were also made to the CCTV provision in the space to improve security.
Portobello Canopy also got a facelift. A new design for the flooring was installed in January 2024 and a new eye-catching sign
for the market was raised to highlight its role as a famous vintage fashion destination. Designed to improve connectivity across
the entire estate, directional signage in the form of Finger posts were installed between areas.
Cost of Living Support
Our award-winning Cost of Living Crisis Clinic continued throughout 2024/25, in partnership with Hogan Lovells LLP Law Firm, providing support to individuals and families navigating financial hardship.
- The Clinic helped over 300 clients across North Kensington and South Islington, with a focus on those experiencing disability, long-term health conditions, and housing insecurity.
- The team helped clients secure an estimated £676,759 in annualised financial gains, through successful benefit claims, appeals, and grant applications.
- A major milestone was achieved in May 2025 by securing the Advice Quality Standard (AQS) accreditation, recognising the service’s commitment to high-quality, well-managed, and timely advice.
- A new partnership with Shelter was launched, offering monthly housing casework appointments.
- The Clinic served a highly diverse client base, with over half identifying as from minority or mixed-ethnicity backgrounds. The majority were women, and a significant proportion were aged 66 and over.
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