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A new multi-million Pound Barking Riverside Wellbeing Hub will offer residents the chance to visit a GP, book in with an advisor, such as those from the council’s Home and Money Hub, get involved with a range of community group activities, or enjoy a trip to an indoor waterpark – all under one roof.



The combined facility will also feature a gym, fitness studios, a community garden, a large event space, facilities for local community groups, and a café.

Knife crime amongst young people is a problem across the whole of London and in its continued effort to tackle this issue locally, Barking and Dagenham Council launched the Responsible Retailer Scheme in the borough.



The London-wide initiative is part of the shared commitment of the Mayor’s Office for Policing & Crime (MOPAC), the Metropolitan Police Service and London Trading Standards to the reduction and prevention of knife-related crime in London.

There was plenty to celebrate at Eastbury Primary School’s Deaf Alternative Resource Provision (ARP) this week, as staff and pupils were joined by special guests to open a new outdoor learning area.



The outdoor area boasts a colourful tunnel, two playhouses, a giant story chair and a picnic table. These new facilities will support role play to help the deaf children build their vocabulary, using speech and sign language. 

A visit to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in central London has inspired students at Mayesbrook Park School in Barking.

Students learned more about architecture during the fantastic trip and even created their own designs for construction on a larger scale in Regent’s Park this autumn.

Mayesbrook Park teamed up with RIBA, London Metropolitan University and POoR Collective (which works to develop communities by empowering young people) as part of a collaborative architectural programme. 

A new free exhibition designed specifically for young people has opened its doors at Valence House Museum in Dagenham.

The display, called ;-) :-& ;-O New Town Culture: Art for Young People (Adults Welcome), offers children and teenagers a place to interact and express themselves. 

Visitors will find gigantic, noisy art on show and get hands on with the exhibit – sit on specially sculpted chairs, play with audio buttons, watch videos, and control an interactive light projection. 

Street Cleaning teams from Barking and Dagenham have been working hard to keep the borough’s bridges and surrounding areas clean and safe, by removing unsightly graffiti, and clearing litter and fly-tips.

The initiative is part of the team’s ongoing work to keep the borough clean, safe and looking it’s best.  

Seven schools in the borough have teamed up with Inspiring Futures: The Barking and Dagenham Cultural Education Partnership to secure over £145,000 in funding to teach a new literacy programme.

The programme, called ‘The Story of Me’, looks at non-western approaches to literacy development and uses storytelling to overcome barriers to learning, including students with English as an additional language.

The Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, Cllr Darren Rodwell has welcomed the announcement that Ford and Venari Group are set to begin building a fleet of State-of- the-Art lightweight ambulances at Ford Dagenham from 2022.



The Ford Venari Alliance will support Ford’s vision of increasing business opportunities in the borough and will create about 100 jobs and boost the local economy.

Rush Green Primary School in Dagenham has received Quality Mark Awards for Primary English and Mathematics and Early Years Provision to the delight of staff.

Quality Mark is an internationally acknowledged improvement framework and quality assurance standard that celebrates and supports excellence in English and mathematics provision.

Headteacher, Simon Abeledo, said: "We are delighted with the Quality Mark awards that we received, especially considering the impact of the lockdowns and covid related illnesses.

Write On! 9 is out now! Over two years ago in April 2019, Arts Council England Library NPO (National Portfolio Organisation) Pen to Print launched its first print magazine. Write On! continues to go from strength to strength and, as such, we are delighted that this latest issue has been sponsored by the Royal Society Of Literature (RSL).