Lord Andrew Mawson OBE, one of the UK’s leading social entrepreneurs, has been instrumental in the development of community regeneration projects for years, transforming some of the most deprived areas in the UK into thriving communities. Here, he talks about where it all began, the Bromley-by-Bow project in East London and the importance of working with partners, like Ibstock, a company at the heart of the built environment, in creating communities that people can be proud of.
When Andrew Mawson was offered the role as the Baptist Minister for the Bromley-by-Bow church in the mid 1980s, many would have been deterred. The run down and partly derelict church in the Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London was in one of the most run down areas of the UK, only had 12 elderly members and had virtually no cash flow. But for Andrew, he saw a huge opportunity. Driven by his passion for the built environment and the impact this can have on people’s health and wellbeing, he set about transforming the church and the local community.
“This was all about doing things differently,” says Andrew. “I quickly realised that the quality of the built environment all around us can have a massive impact on people’s lives. This didn’t just mean the visual aesthetics of the area, I wanted to look at the bigger picture and tackle social issues like the health and well-being of the community, housing needs, unemployment, education and other critical pathways that could make people’s lives better. In a nutshell, it wasn’t about building a community centre, it was about building a centre of the community that was at the very heart of Bromley-by-Bow.”
Joining the dots
The early projects of the Bromley-by-Bow Centre were focused around redeveloping the original church and its adjoining hall, creating a space that was open for everyone to use.
“As I got to know the local community,” Andrew continues, “it gave me a better understanding of what people wanted. This was an environment that they could be proud of and that brought the community together.
“I surrounded myself with doers, not talkers, other entrepreneurial and innovative individuals and businesses that also wanted to make a difference. It was all about joining the dots and making connections. With limited money, we had to focus on the micro factors that we could influence the most, so that we could rebuild the community one brick at a time.
“A key part of this was helping the community become a healthier place to live, work and thrive. We came to realise that over 50% of patients using the local NHS service in Bromley-by-Bow didn’t actually have any medical issues. They were going to the doctors because they were lonely, needed a friend, didn’t have a job or didn’t have anything better to do.
“This needed to be addressed, so we designed, built and launched the first integrated health care centre in the UK that was not only owned by the local community, but also pioneered social prescribing. This wasn’t just about providing primary care services, it gave locals access to a range of community-based support that would make them feel connected, more motivated and purposeful.”
Vibrant local communities
Fast forward to today and the Bromley-by-Bow Centre is an innovative charity that is used as a national blueprint for how to build a healthy, vibrant local community. The Centre includes an art gallery, childcare centre, community cafe, park, health centre, a place of learning and an enterprise hub, supporting people with a wide variety of integrated services based on their individual needs. As Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sachs said on Radio Four’s ‘Today’ in November 2018, the Centre is somewhere that “enables people to realise their dreams.”
Andrew continues: “At the very heart of the Bromley-by-Bow project is the built environment. Ultimately, the design of the buildings around you does have a major impact on the way you feel. Develop mediocre buildings and housing and the affect on people’s lives will be exactly that. However, design and develop high quality and innovative buildings and they will give people something to be proud of and a sense of belonging.
“It starts with a ‘place’, then we can move onto a ‘street’, and then start looking at a ‘city’. That’s exactly what we’ve done in East London to shape future regeneration schemes.
“Bromley-by-Bow was the ‘place’ where it all started. Since then, this has rolled out into the ‘streets’ around Poplar, with massive investment continuing in this area. £40m was invested to rebuild St Paul’s Way Trust School, as well as another £40m invested by Poplar HARCA into the regeneration of an estate to replace the old bison housing blocks with 500 new private sale and affordable homes. A new £2.5m community centre has also been created and the landscape has been transformed to provide quality green spaces where residents can relax and enjoy their surroundings.”
Finally comes the ‘city’, with Andrew one of the pioneers behind the regeneration of Water City and the Olympic Park legacy, which continues to transform East London into a vibrant community.
Thinking differently
For Andrew’s visions to become a reality, it is vital he can work with innovative partners and businesses that can challenge traditional ways of thinking, who share his passion for the built environment and have the knowledge and expertise in place-making.
“Joining forces with businesses like Ibstock to explore the innovative possibilities in community and social regeneration is absolutely critical. Ibstock as a company is at the heart of building, continuously developing solutions that take the construction industry forward and I’m delighted we are working in partnership with them,” concludes Andrew.
The next chapter for Andrew is using his social entrepreneurship to make a difference to communities across the north of England and beyond. As the Executive Chairman of Well North Enterprises, he is spearheading the drive to use enterprise, creativity and innovation to deliver better health and well-being in towns and cities including Rotherham, Bradford, Doncaster, Sheffield, Skelmersdale and Halton, plus East Lancashire and the Fylde coast.
Well North Enterprises inspires transformative, sustainable change in local communities through building relationships, promoting aspiration and supporting local entrepreneurs. The team works alongside clients and commercial partners like Ibstock to help improve community well being through regeneration, entrepreneurship, education, employment and culture, something that Andrew is well versed in delivering. Well North Enterprises is working in partnership with Ibstock plc to explore innovative possibilities in place-making and to make these a reality so that Ibstock’s people and its communities grow and thrive together.
