A Journey Together
The Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden are developed and maintained by the Piece by Peace Managerial Committee which comprises of a number of well-established community organisations.
The Piece by Peace Project Partners
NINE RED Presents… (CIC)
Queens Award Winner
Ran by interdisciplinary artists that permanently or temporarily update spaces; and change people, places and spaces with intriguing, thought-provoking and intricate designs and art medicine.
Friends Of Leagrave Park
Conservation
A community group led by Martin Rogers, who want to make Leagrave Park thrive. A voluntary group formed of local residents that run regular litter picking, conservation and park improvement projects.
Ray’s Health & Wellbeing
Holistic Therapies
Ray’s Health and Wellbeing Association provides a variety of holistic health therapies. Including seated NO HANDS® Chair massage, Talk Therapy and Calicise with Ray Denny
Natureway
Holistic Therapies
Natureway encourages and supports individuals to achieve holistic health and wellbeing, via education regarding healthy nutrition for mental and physical health.
The Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” – Margaret J. Wheatley
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King
Luton As One
#TheCommunityCan
Working in partnership with Luton Borough Council, Luton Parks Department, Friends of Leagrave Park, and various local community groups, organisations and individuals, we are creating a legacy on Leagrave Park.
Leagrave Park is at the centre of three wards:- Leagrave, Marsh Farm and Sundon Park.
In the early 2010’s we approached LBC to take over the former Sundon Park Library to turn into a community hub. At this time, we conducted community surveys, feedback forms and community discussions. We also had a door-to-door leaflet drop of surveys.
Since partnering with LBC in September 2021, we again ‘called-out’ to the community; this project responds to community suggestions. However, only if we work together can we all make it happen. Luton As One – For Us, By Us & For All. #TheCommunityCan
Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden Projects
- Community Festival
- Art & Culture Activities
- Conservation and Gardening
- Queendom
- The Other 33
- Community Garden
- Exhibitions
- The Colours of Mourning (A Narrative Psychology Bereavement Circle)Woman’s Listening Circle
Activities Include
- Conservation and Gardening
- The Colours of Mourning (A Narrative Psychology Bereavement Circle)
- Woman’s Listening Circle
- Queendom
- The Other 33
- Community Festival
- Art & Culture Activities
- Community Garden
- Exhibitions
Do You Know What We Did Last Summer?
Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden
Many of our Workshops are run by Women of Colour or immigrant women and in so doing, feed into the vision of Luton as a town built on Fairness and Social Justice; as these services support and promote equality, diversity and social inclusion by providing services specific to these needs.
Additionally, our services meet the vision against health inequalities because Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden helps improves health inequalities by supporting individuals with their mental and physical health; whilst teaching the benefits of wholesome, nutritious foods on fitness, wellness and good mental health.
The hub was created to provide community space offering services; the specific services detailed below directly respond to residents impacted by the two visions outlined above, provided in a therapeutic setting in addition to more general community activities.
Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden project began in March 2022, starting with the construction of a theatre garden by residents and volunteers to host the Midsummer Jubilee festival on June 26th.
Our first week open to the public was May 8th to 13th, when we hosted activities and workshops supporting Mental Heath for Mental Health Week. This included a series of practitioners offering Reiki, No Hands Massage, Tai Chi, Narrative Psychology and Talk Therapy. These practitioners then offered weekly sessions through the summer, ending on 30th September 2022.
The Midsummer Jubilee festival in June saw almost 1000 residents attend during the day and was visited by many of Luton and Bedfordshire’s VIP’s. The festival hosted a Queens Green Canopy (QGC) tree planting ceremony with H.M Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Hellen Nellis and one of her deputies, Deborah Inskip, H. M Vice Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, Morcea Walker and the Mayor of Luton, where nine trees were planted with residents.
The festival ran from 2pm and spanned Leagrave Park, from the Sportsplaying Field across to Marsh House; there was entertainment and a 10m stage in the Theatre Garden, Cricket on the Sportsfield, Gaelic Football on the small field, a 25m bounce palace, stalls, performances, workshops, art displays and a history of the Commonwealth exhibition.
In July, we began a series of talking circles, beginning with the Women’s Listening Circle with Chief Superintendent of Bedfordshire Police, Dee Perkins. This initial circle has led to NINE RED Presents… (CIC) working in partnership on several campaigns and projects with Bedfordshire Police, including a review of the Domestic Abuse Police Engagement policy; the launch in February 2023 of a police engagement campaign for women of colour victims of Domestic Abuse called “Don’t Shut Up, Don’t Put Up!”; the start of an Art Therapy performance piece project with Domestic Abuse Victims using Narrative Psychology to share their stories and drive change in the cultural approach to domestic violence amongst oppressed women; the inclusion of NRP on police scrutiny panels and the police making more referrals to grassroots organisations.
This community hub has provided a host of community activities and workshops and is a meeting place for all. We have provided art, culture, well-being, advisory and signposting workshops and provided the services that residents would expect from their community hub and are continuing to respond to meet these needs.
Conservation and Gardening
On December 6th 2022, we received a donation of 600 fruit and nut trees, plants and shrubs from The Conservation Volunteers as part of our Youth-Led Wildlife and Conservation project, which includes river monitoring, understanding ourselves as part of nature, and our impact on our surroundings.
Woman’s Listening Circle
Woman’s Listening Circle with guest host – explores issues concerning women and girls with statutory agents and receive health and well-being advice from appropriate practitioners
The Colours of Mourning
A Narrative Psychology Bereavement Circle. The circle helps residents Remember Life and includes a QGC memorial garden. there is a reason why the word “mourning” sounds like “morning”; its to signify a new dawn and a new beginning. The circle helps residents Remember Life. The memorial garden that accompanies the circle was developed by fate. Our Jubilee Festival included the planting of The Queens’ Green Canopy trees. Some of these saplings were too small to be placed outside the fence of the Jubilee garden, so on June 23rd, my sister’s birthday, I planted them in the wildflower garden section of the Jubilee garden. Given the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and these being QGC trees, this garden section is now rightly named the “Memorial Garden” section.
Queendom Listening Circle
A circle to discuss issues affecting Women of Colour
Sexual racism – A specific form of racial prejudice enacted in the context of sex and romance;
Sexism related to Race – A specific form of sexism that is race-specific;
Racism related to Gender – A specific form of racial prejudice that is gender specific;
Sexist Racism – A specific form of racial and sexual prejudice that is hard to quantify
Sexism and Racism resulting in Mental Health Issues.
The Other 33 Listening Circle
Highlighting the history, culture, language and traditions of the 33 Caribean Islands.
A circle to discuss issues affecting Caribbean descendants whose culture, traditions, language and history are omitted from the mainstream notion of “Caribbean” culture.
Discussing the impact of having an island culture and history where upper British Middle-Class values were enforced, leading to the challenge of being born and raised in England to parents and elders expecting their children to adhere even more so to those middle-class values when mainstream society only permits one dominant Caribbean culture and fails to recognise the other 33 Caribbean Cultures across the other 33 Caribbean islands.
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much”
Helen Keller
“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
African Proverb
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.”
George Bernard Shaw
Behind the Scenes
NINE RED Presents…(CIC) and the Piece by Peace managerial committee were born in Luton or have lived in Luton for over 40 years; as such, we have become part of the fabric of Luton’s Grassroots community. We immerse ourselves in the local community, attending meetings and functions held by various Trusts, Associations and community and voluntary groups within Luton and Bedfordshire.
In line with this, we have worked with: The University of Bedfordshire, Luton Culture, Luton Borough Council, The UKCCA, The Bedfordshire Domestic Abuse Partnership, The Emerald SARC, Senior & Carer’s clubs, after school and Saturday school clubs, Lea Manor High School, Barnfield South Academy, diverse arts organisations, youth lead projects, Carnival arts projects, NHS community development workers, Local Authority staff, funders and trusts, Local schools, various local community and cultural groups, artists and individuals.
Working in this way has enabled us to create a network delivering co-creative and collaborative projects; while simultaneously building up a profile of the needs and wants of residents. This network and style of work enables us to recognise and meet community needs more effectively.
With the Sundon Park Piece by Piece Project we are working in partnership with Luton Borough Council and Sundon Park Residents, including the Local Counsellors, Friends of Leagrave Park, LBC Parks Dept, and local community groups, trades and individuals.
We are also, working in partnership wit Dee Perkins, Chief Superintendent of Bedfordshire Police and Woman of Colour in Policing (WoCip) to deliver: A Womans’ Listening Circle and A Narrative Psychology Multi-media performance project, working with women engaging with police-led projects.
Expect Amazing
#TheCommunityCan
Sieze Your Moment
#TheCommunityCan
Funding & Future
Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden.
During the Financial Year October 2021 – September 2022 we received £18,250 in grant funding, contributed £27,375 from our own sources and received £110,975 in in-kind support from Tesco, Grosvenors Casino’s and other local businesses, volunteer time and donations. All totaled there has been an investment in excess of £156,000. Enabling the creation and running of this Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden.
The Piece by Peace Project is a 3-5 year programme designed to create site-specific, temporary public art that will enliven Leagrave Park and the surrounding area and create a community hub with community ran and led activities. This project is specifically designed to benefit the North of Luton, where very little happens in terms of Art, Culture, Heritage and Well-being.
A North Luton project creates art and cultural experiences that can help improve health and well-being and can result in benefits that range from the physiological to the emotional. Piece by Peace provides space for local visual artists, sculptors, sound artists, performing artists, photographers, filmmakers, and others to exhibit in Leagrave Park, including pop-up art and performances.
Working in partnership with LBC, Parks. Dept., Cricket organisations, Football organisations, Friends of Leagrave Park and the local community. The intention is to build a fit-for-purpose, purpose built Community and Sports Centre on the site of the current pavilion, which will be community led.
The plan is to develop the community and use the garden to assist in generating the income to ensure that the community has the running costs and their share of building costs for the new integrated building.
Currently, it costs £13,050 per month to run the hub, garden and activities. As you can see from the figures outlined above, the majority of this cost is being met by the managerial committee, community volunteers and in-kind donations.
As the Piece By Peace Community Hub and Garden has already opened to the public and has been largely self-sustainable in running activities, there is no funding required at this stage. Although moving forward there is a possibility of a combined application to grant making trusts from multiple organisations across a variety of disciplines for the funding for a Combined Community and Sports building.
