Spaces To Let
With over 120 commercial premises, we’ve got a space that will suit you.
Find out moreEvents Venue & Equipment Hire
The area around the Westway is world-renowned for its cultural heritage, creativity, authenticity and activism. We have a range of venues available to hire for community arts, culture activities and events.
Find out moreFilming On The Estate
The Westway Trust property estate offers an incredibly diverse range of landscapes & settings encompassing urban, sports, dereliction and green space to name a few.
Find out moreFunding & Grants:
Community Fundraising Course
This new 8-session practical course will support you to develop your fundraising skills and raise more money for your organisation. By the end of the course, you will have increased your understanding of the importance of values, safeguarding, health and safety, legal structures and monitoring and evaluation, theory of change and budgeting. You will also boost your confidence, knowledge, skills, and creativity! Session Date Times Values 20 May 2024 10am – 1pm Safeguarding 3 June 2024 10am – 1pm Monitoring & Evaluation 10 June 2024 10am – 1pm Legal Structures 17 June 2024 10am – 1pm Budgeting 24 June 2024 10am – 1pm Proprietary Research Methods (Tips & Tricks) 1 July 2024 10am – 1pm Theory of Change 8 July 2024 10am – 1pm Using AI Celebration 15 July 2024 10am – 1pm Trainers: This course will be facilitated by Bashir Hassan and Claire Standring. Claire Standring brings over 35 years’ experience of fundraising, teaching, training and mentoring. She was proud to receive an award in 2022 from the Partnership of Supplementary Schools in RBKC in recognition of her 25 years of dedication and commitment to the supplementary school community. Bashir Hassan is a Director of Maxilla City CIC and Trustee of Volunteer Centre Kensington & Chelsea. He is also a capacity building consultant supporting local organisations to streamline operations in order to maximise public benefit. ...
Read moreCareers:
Paralegal
A exciting opportunity has arisen for a Paralegal to join our community-guided organisation, with an ambitious and exciting vision, in the heart of Portobello, West London for a 12 month fixed-term contract. You will provide support to our Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinic Consultant to co-ordinate the efficient service delivery of our busy Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinics, used by clients who need assistance to make successful applications for: welfare benefits; social housing; lower utility and broadband tariffs; and crisis and general grants. You will work with a wide range of people internally and externally, providing support and supervision to volunteer advisers and helping clients. You will be a confident communicator who will have the right blend and balance of strong administration skills with excellent interpersonal and customer-facing skills and legal knowledge, working for a charity supporting and enhancing the lives of people in the local community. This role is central to Westway Trust’s commitment to deliver activities and events to the benefit of the North Kensington community. You will also work from and help to co-ordinate the delivery of our Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinic at our outreach site, St Luke’s Community Centre, EC1V. Key responsibilities of the role include but not limited to: General Duties Being the initial point of contact; receiving calls and emails from clients and referring agencies, , and booking client appointments in an efficient and timely manner Setting up and clearing away after Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinic sessions, (currently, Tuesdays, at St Luke’s Community Centre, 90 Central Street, Islington, EC1, and Wednesdays at Westway Trust, 1 Thorpe Close, Ladbroke Grove, W10). Sessions start at 9.00am and finish around 1.00pm Meeting, greeting and orienting (showing where the facilities are and H&S guidance) clients and volunteers Triaging clients on to our database and referring clients who are out of scope to other relevant organisations Assisting clients to complete online and paper forms both face-to-face and remotely Liaising in a positive manner with our stakeholders, eg. clients, other teams within Westway Trust, our funder, a City Law firm, and our hosts, Westway Trust and St Luke’s Community Centre Responsibility for monitoring our work, completing simple reports, writing case studies, making sure volunteers complete their data entry after advising clients, and running case management statistics using AdvicePro, our case management system) (training on AdvicePro will be provided) Recruiting, inducting, training and supervising volunteers both corporate (from the City) and lay (students and local residents) Casework; writing up case notes about clients helped Attending relevant meetings and training and keeping resources up-to-date General administration including: photocopying, scanning and record keeping, and coordinating the general day-to-day activities of the Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinics Effectively contributing to make our Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinics high performing in line with the values of Westway Trust Appeals & Representation Duties Responsibility for our legal appeals representation service, including: Triaging clients, including reading appellant’s hearing bundles to assess the merits of their case Case management of appellants’' appeal cases, (ie, smooth management of appellants' cases from inception to post-hearing) Attending hearings Guiding and case managing lawyers/law students on applications for leave to appeal/set aside to the Upper Tribunal/Judiciary, (from the Lower Tribunal). Full training will be given Qualifications: You will have or be working towards a law degree or equivalent. Knowledge and Experience: A good understanding of the law in any jurisdiction Experience of providing an efficient, customer focused service, with a personable and collaborative approach and ability to provide, develop and maintaining friendly positive relationships with customers, staff, volunteers and other stakeholders Good time management and organisational skills Excellent administrative skills High level of IT skills. Experience of using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and database software (we use AdvicePro) Personal Skills: Good people management/awareness skills Good communication and presentation skills, orally and in writing. Ability to work independently and on own initiative with minimum supervision Ability to work as part of a team in a multi-cultural and diverse environment An inquisitive mind and good problem solver Interest in civil law Good memory and research skills Demonstrable understanding and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion Connections to/understanding of North Kensington or the surrounding area is highly desirable To view the full job description click on 'job description' under 'Key Info' on the left hand side. The application deadline is Thursday 9 May 2024 when applications will be reviewed and shortlisted for interview. However, we reserve the right to close the application early. An early application is strongly recommended. Benefits of working for Westway Trust: Great location in the heart of Portobello, North Kensington Investor in People (IiP) employer Generous holiday entitlement of 25 days (pro-rated for part-time staff) per year + statutory bank holidays Free gym membership at health club one minute walk from the office Pension scheme Life Assurance Sick pay scheme Season ticket / bicycle loan Free eye test voucher ...
Read moreCareers:
Head of Finance
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a charity with an ambitious and exciting vision set in the heart of Portobello, West London, supporting and enhancing the lives of people in the local community. Westway Trust is seeking a qualified accountant to join as our Head of Finance who will lead on all aspects of the finance function to achieve the Trusts goals. You will also manage a small team and will offer strategic finance support across the range of activities undertaken by the organisation. You will have significant experience operating at a senior level within a complex organisation and registered charity, and will possess the right blend and balance of strategic, communication, innovation and people skills. Key responsibilities of the role include but not limited to: Lead, manage and improve the Trust’s finance function and provide accurate, timely and relevant financial reports as required by the CEO, Executive Team and the Trust Board. Be the Executive Lead of the Finance Audit and Risk Committee, ensuring timely papers to the CEO and to the Committee and Board as required and liaising with the Head of Governance and HR as required. Ensure the provision and reporting of financial accounts, forecasting and large-scale project/programme budgets, estate development plans, and the associated reporting. Oversight of the legal and financial statutory processes in line with the Charity Commission and Companies House requirements, including the Annual Audit. Allocating tasks for timely responses and keeping all colleagues abreast of progress. Monitor, cash flow, reserves, analysis of performance against the organisation’s annual business plan and dashboard as it relates to the finance function. Contribute to the overall leadership of the Trust and to the Trust’s future strategic and operational planning. Support Executive Team colleagues as required on the delivery of cross-team initiatives. Line management of the Senior Finance Manager, the Debt Recovery Consultant and the Development Partnerships Lead. Essential Experience, Skills and Attributes: Significant and successful experience of operating as a Head of Finance, ideally in a charity setting. A track record of working collaboratively with a team to develop successful internal partnerships and achieve joint success against shared objectives. Experience of the finance function and all the associated processes, with strong attention to detail. Experience of implementing enhanced reporting tools within financial software, including the ability to coach others. Practical knowledge of VAT, including accounting of partial exemption relevant to charities. Experience of managing staff and supporting their development. Strong interpersonal skills for both workplace and external representation contexts, operating with enthusiasm, flexibility, energy and commitment and demonstrating credibility and gravitas. Desirable Experience, Skills and Attributes: A good understanding of the local area. Experience of change management. Competency in use of Access Dimensions, Focal Point and other MS Office software packages. Qualification: Must hold a formally recognised professional accounting qualification. To view the full job description click on 'job description' under 'Key Info' on the left hand side. The application deadline is Wednesday 15 May 2024 when applications will be reviewed and shortlisted for interview. However, we reserve the right to close the application early. An early application is strongly recommended. No agencies please. About Westway Trust: The Westway Trust is a unique charity that stewards the resources of 23 acres of space under the Westway A40. In 2019, a local community campaign ensured that the Board of the Trust is led by local people and the Westway Trust now works together with the local community to enable North Kensington to thrive. In 2021 a new plan was created for the organisation. This plan set a new vision, mission and values and the Trust now has a clear transformation programme to achieve social, environmental, and economic wellbeing and justice. Our leadership team is testament to our values as we strive for excellence and to deliver our ambition, we work with a full range of stakeholders including around 80 Member Organisations. You can see the organisations plan at: www.westway.org/about-us/horizon-plan/ The estate is home to more than three acres of public green space, 120 tenants including more than 20 charities and non-profit organisations, two sports and fitness facilities, 48 light industrial units, 4 car parks, 34 offices, 32 shops, and an Olympic-registered skate park. We already receive more than one million visitors each year to the estate, and we want to expand the community, cultural, retail, sporting, and enterprise opportunities here together with improvements to the public realm so that it is a place the tenants and community is proud of, and even more visitors can enjoy. Benefits of working for Westway Trust: Great location in the heart of Portobello, North Kensington Investor in People (IiP) employer Generous holiday entitlement of 25 days (pro-rated) per year + statutory bank holidays Free gym membership at health club one minute walk from the office Pension scheme Life Assurance Sick pay scheme Season ticket / bicycle loan Free eye test voucher ...
Read moreEvents:
School of Humanity
|
Providing a platform for you to hear personal stories of people from a background typically subject to labelling, stigma and judgment. |
News:
Popular Venue set to Open in May
After months of important works, 3-5 Thorpe Close is set to officially re-open in May 2024 as UNDR; a multi-purpose venue for music lovers and creatives alike, at the heart of Portobello. Led by the Rokka Group, including Ben Ashbourn and brothers Shaun Edwards and Grant Sandy Phillips, UNDR is set to become a focal point for innovative live events, club nights, workshops, panel talks, and more. The founders of Rokka Group have a deep-rooted history in Carnival, with family-run Sound systems and a track record of curating events like Supa Dupa Fly and Solomons Yard. Their commitment to innovation and community engagement, providing a platform for forward-thinking creativity and emerging new talent, celebrating the essence of music, culture, and community. "We're thrilled to launch UNDR, a space that embodies the spirit of Soundsystem culture and supports emerging talent," said the UNDR team. “We are extremely excited to be given an opportunity to work alongside the Trust. UNDR @ 3-5 Thorpe close will act as a creative hub which will provide much needed space for community use. We would like to extend our thanks to the staff team and the board, and will endeavour to make sure that UNDR becomes an integral part of this vibrant community for many years to come.” In 2023, Westway Trust undertook a series of open conversations with important community stakeholders, to understand the most urgent community needs for the space. Following the programme of conversations, Westway Trust committed to an operating model that: Respects the history of the space; Acknowledges the opportunity that it presented for the African Caribbean community which was subsequently removed; and Enables the space to be available for the diverse range of communities. The appointment of Rokka Group as the operators of the space followed an open tender process, with a panel including community representatives. In the selection process, Rokka Group demonstrated a viable model of operation which retains important community access and respects the community’s priorities set out in 2023’s Open Conversations. ...
Read more