Haringey mayor helps celebrate two years of Tottenham youth programme

Home Cooked provides support for children, young people and families, including therapeutic mental health support, mentoring, sports programmes and employability pathways

Haringey mayor visit to Home Cooked Community Celebration — Haringey mayor Ahmed Mahbub at the Home Cooked community celebration

The mayor of Haringey visited Tottenham Community Sports Centre to celebrate two years of a community programme creating opportunities for young people in Northumberland Park.

Ahmed Mahbub spent an afternoon enjoying family-friendly activities, youth engagement, and community connection as he recognised the achievements of Home Cooked, which is part of the ‘My Ends’ network of community-led violence prevention programmes supported by the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

Through Home Cooked, residents are “working together to build a safer and more resilient Northumberland Park community”.

It provides a range of support for children, young people and families, including therapeutic mental health support, mentoring, sports programmes, youth leadership opportunities, and employability pathways. The activities aim to “build confidence, skills, and positive futures for young people”.

The programme has supported 2,240 residents, including 1,952 children and young people, and is delivered by a partnership led by Bridge Renewal Trust, alongside North London Partnership Consortium, Godwin Lawson Foundation, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and Open Door.

Home Cooked has already delivered strong outcomes for young people in the area, including 95% of participants pledging not to carry knives, an 87% improvement in school engagement, and a 78% reduction in school exclusions among participants.

It also invests directly in grassroots organisations through the Northumberland Park Community Fund. Eight local groups recently received £70,000 to deliver youth projects including sport, arts, mentoring and creative activities. A further funding round will launch in April.

Cllr Mahbub said: “Meeting young people and community leaders at this event showed the real difference this programme is making. Home Cooked is helping young people access opportunities, build confidence and create positive futures.”

Undefined Performing Arts Academy at the Home Cooked Community Celebration — Undefined Performing Arts Academy at the Home Cooked community celebration event

During the visit, the mayor met with young people, residents and community organisations involved in delivering the programme.

Michele Eastmond, chair of trustees of the Bridge Renewal Trust, said: “Home Cooked demonstrates the power of community-led solutions.

“When communities are trusted and supported to lead, we can create safer neighbourhoods and better opportunities for young people.”

For more information about Home Cooked:
Visit bridgerenewaltrust.org.uk/homecooked

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