News Articles Archive - Page 45 of 148 - Cross River Partnership

October is Black History Month!

The first UK event was launched in London back in October 1987. The month was founded by Ghanaian analyst, journalist and activist Akyaaba Addai-Sebo.

During Black History Month, the aim is for all communities to challenge different forms of racism, such as internalised, interpersonal, institutional, and structural racism, to address white privilege, and to educate ourselves and others about Black British history that is not yet consistently taught in all schools.

Schools and others can access educational Black History Month resource packs, including magazines, creative artwork posters as well as newly produced teaching materials, through the BHM 2021 website.

At Westminster City Council, the theme of this year’s Black History Month is ‘Everybody Connected’. The BAME Network has planned a series of events, such as free historic Black Legacy Walks around Westminster. You can sign up to the events here.

There are also free digital displays provided by the Black Cultural Archives here. You can also visit the Black Cultural Archives in person, for free in Brixton – this is the only national black heritage centre in the UK so far.

For more information, please go to the Black History Month website, which is full of inspiration for ongoing attention beyond the month of October, always.

The Eastern City Partnership (EC Partnership) has been founded by a group of landowners and occupiers looking to work collaboratively with the City of London Corporation, and other public sector partners.

The partnership has a shared view to champion local priorities, and amplify the significant assets across the footprint of the area.

The geographical area which the EC Partnership covers is vital to the UK economy. Success will create a ripple effect across the wider economy, which will be more important than ever in the post COVID era. 

CRP is extremely pleased to be working alongside the EC Partnership. EC Partnership became a formal partner at the September 2021 Board meeting of Cross River Partnership – welcome!

For more information, please contact CRP Director Susannah Wilks.

November’s Lunchtime Launch showcases the virtual launch of this year’s Good Parks for London report on Thursday 18th November 2021, 1:15pm – 2:00pm.

The annual report published by Parks for London showcases the great work that land managers are doing in and around London, especially in considering the effects of climate change and how parks can mitigate them.

This online interactive Lunchtime Launch session will explore the importance of parks and green infrastructure in climate change and air quality mitigation strategies through key addresses by; Judy Ling Wong CBE, the Honorary President of the Black Environment Network (BEN) and author of the report’s foreword, Parks for London, Joanne Dennis-Jones, National Head of Planning at GL Hearn, report sponsors and Cross River Partnership, as well as from the London Borough that has shown inspiring improvement in its parks service.

The main learning points from this session include:

How London’s parks can play a key role in climate and air quality strategies.
How parks can mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The importance of green infrastructure in our cities.

Join us from 1:15pm – 2:00pm, Thursday 28th October, to discuss findings from the Electric Vehicle (EV) Fleet-Centre Local Energy System (EFLES) project, a collaboration between CRP, UK Power Networks Services, UPS and Moixa.

CRP Project Manager Sefinat Otaru will be giving an overview of all of CRP’s past and present work with EVs and their associated infrastructure. We will also be joined by Pantelis Stefas, UK Power Networks Services, who will be highlighting how fleet owners can be supported to gain the benefits of going electric, as well as future areas of development in the sector. Also speaking will be Adam Cundy, Moixa, introducing the cloud-based platform GridShare and its application and value to fleet electrification. Lastly, we will be joined by Claire Thompson-Sage, UPS, who will be discussing best-practice case studies from around the globe and how UPS can bring down the cost of electrification of fleet.

The main learning points from this session include:

How EFLES has explored the potential for shared charging for publicly accessible rapid charge points.
How successful partnership can lead to the acceleration of rapid electrification of commercial fleets.
How charging can be optimised to generate revenue within energy systems.

For more information, please contact CRP Communications Project Manager Rachael Aldridge.

At Islington Council, we are working towards creating a cleaner, greener and healthier borough. The pandemic has highlighted just how important our local streets are to local people. We know it is important to take action now to improve our local environment, and meet the commitments in our Vision 2030 (Net Zero Carbon) Strategy to help tackle the climate emergency.

Over the past year, we have introduced and expanded several initiatives to improve air quality, create safer and more pleasant streets, and provide a healthier environment that encourages people to walk, cycle and use active travel where possible.

Through our people-friendly streets scheme we have introduced trial low-traffic neighbourhoods which stop through traffic taking short cuts on local roads, reducing traffic pollution and creating safer streets for people to walk, cycle, scoot and use buggies and wheelchairs. Our School Streets scheme reduces traffic at school gates, so children can breathe cleaner air, and making it easier and safer to walk, cycle and scoot to and from school.

We are also working to expand our cycle infrastructure and build a network of protected cycle routes. We created three new trial pop-up cycle lanes between July 2020 and April 2021 and are offering free cycle skills sessions to adults, children and schools through our Bikeability scheme. We are also offering local businesses a free one-month cargo bike trial. The bikes can be used for eco-friendly deliveries helping to reduce our carbon emissions. Find out more!

Islington has partnered with CRP on several programmes and most recently on Clean Air Villages 4 (CAV4) and Healthy Streets Everyday. While partnering with Angel Business Improvement District, we will be working with businesses and residents to deliver innovative solutions in Angel area and help Islington to reach net zero carbon targets.

London Borough of Camden have relaunched their Engines Off campaign this month, specifically targeting fleet operators and businesses in London.

Engines Off works with businesses to tackle unnecessary engine idling and the toxic pollution it creates, sharing free training resources and invite businesses with fleets or drivers to take a ‘no idling’ pledge.

The Engines Off pledge is a simple, effective, zero-cost way for businesses to take action and show Londoners that they care about clean air.

Zero Emissions Day, Tuesday 21st September, raised awareness around fossil fuels and the harm caused by carbon emissions.

The Clean Air Villages 4 (CAV4) project is delivering interventions that will improve local air quality. As part of the project, we are having very exciting conversations about river freight with interested suppliers and also working with the Port of London Authority to produce a river freight infrastructure feasibility study.

Other project updates include the free telematics dongles scheme, which we will be giving to suppliers who have diesel vehicles and are thinking of switching to electric (see here for a case study from Clean Air Villages 3). We are exploring circular economy trials with two CAV4 partners, as well as hosting a walking freight focus group, and have expanded the CRP Clean Air Villages Directory into the new ‘village’ areas.

Imagine a world where the air we breathe is not harmful. Let’s work together to get there.

For further information, please contact CRP Project Manager Kate Fenton.

I am excited to be joining the CRP team just as many of us are returning to the centre of London for work and recreation. The return emphasises that it is as important as ever to prioritise our improvements to London’s built environment and air quality, and to support our local businesses to aid a green post-pandemic recovery. I will be working on key projects that address these issues such as Clean Air Villages 4.

Everyone at CRP has been very helpful, it’s exciting to be part of such a diverse team with a variety of different backgrounds. It’s always enriching to have such a plethora of experiences and wealth of knowledge, I look forward to seeing what my time at CRP will bring. A healthy city starts with our built environment.

For more information, please contact Project Officer Eleanor Marshall.

My first week at CRP has been an amazing experience. The team have been very welcoming, and they have supported me throughout my induction period. I have met the entire team virtually and some even in person. I have already been conducting some research for Healthy Streets Everyday, reading many informative Clean Air Villages reports, undertaking necessary training, and taking part in many interesting meetings. I am excited to work on many more CRP projects soon and can’t wait to put my skills to good use.

For more information, please contact Project Officer Isidora Rivera Vollmer.

National Inclusion Week runs from Monday 27th September, bringing together organisations globally to raise awareness and celebrate inclusion in all forms to create a more diverse workplace.

National Inclusion Week is now in its ninth year and the focus is on being #UnitedForInclusion. The celebrations aim to unite people and organisations to share learning, best practice and promote inclusion at work and society in general, so people feel included and valued.

As an inclusive employer, CRP’s accountable body Westminster City Council is celebrating the week by urging its staff to make a difference to someone else. They are providing staff with lots of tips and information plus offering both online and in person training courses on diversity and inclusion.

What will you be doing to raise awareness of diversity and inclusion?

For more information, please contact CRP Operations Manager Carol Quamina.

Archives: News Articles

October is Black History Month

CRP’s Spotlight On: Eastern City Partnership

Lunchtime Launch 11 – November: Parks and Climate Change: Good Parks for London 2021 Report Launch

Lunchtime Launch 10 – October: The Challenges and Opportunities of Fleet Electrification

CRP’s Spotlight On: London Borough of Islington

Take Action on Idling

Zero Emissions Day

Welcome to new CRP Project Officer Eleanor!

Welcome to new CRP Project Officer Isidora!

National Inclusion Week