Knight Dragon, the developer behind the regeneration of Greenwich Peninsula, has announced the first recipients of its £1.9 million community fund which launched in June 2023.

47 applications were received in the fund’s inaugural year, with 11 shortlisted and 7 hand-picked as final recipients by a select panel.

£100,000 is to be shared amongst the finalists after they were asked to demonstrate that their projects have had a social, economic, and environmental impact already as well as a long-term plan
to continue to support the local community.

The panel of judges comprised of Councillor Adel Khaireh, cabinet member for equality, culture, and communities at the Royal Borough of Greenwich; Rupinder Pahar, Head of Equities at the Greater
London Authority; Reverand Jane Petrie from Holy Trinity Church; Community Development Lead at
L&Q, Shehla Kadri; and from Knight Dragon, Steve Yewman Chief of Staff and Ushna Mughal, Senior
ESG and Community Impact Lead and Chair of the committee.

Steve Yewman, Chief of Staff at Knight Dragon said:
“It was an honour to come together with our partners at the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greater London Authority, L&Q and the Holy Trinity Church to decide the winners for this year’s Greenwich Peninsula Community Fund. We had 47 fantastic applications and as a panel our common goal was to identify projects that will have the highest social impact and support those who are most vulnerable in the community. We are very much looking forward to seeing these projects come to life over the
next few months.”
The recipients’ projects represent some of the most pertinent social issues including environmental
protection, youth engagement, mental health of mothers, and supporting vulnerable communities
such as refugees and LGBTQ+ groups.

The final recipients include:

• Ahoy Centre, a water sports-based charity changing lives and building skills through sailing
and rowing, providing opportunities for disadvantaged and at-risk youths.
• Breadwinners, which works with refugees and asylum seekers to tackle unemployment and
poor wellbeing.
• London Gypsies and Travellers, a charity which supports Gypsies and Travellers living in
London as they seek to gain greater control over their lives, more influence on the decisions
that affect them, discover more opportunities and help to end the discrimination they
experience every day.
• Motivez CIC, a youth-led organisation that empowers underserved young people to access
entry-level Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) jobs.
• MumsAid, which address the lack of mental health support for mothers during pregnancy and
postpartum.
• Queercircle, which provides a home and platform for LGBTQ+ arts, health and social
change. Queercircle’s gallery is based at Design District in Greenwich Peninsula.
• The Conservation Volunteers at Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park who bring people
together to create, improve and care for green spaces.
Councillor Adel Khaireh, cabinet member for equality, culture and communities at the Royal
Borough of Greenwich added:
“I feel incredibly proud to have been part of the panel for the Greenwich Peninsula Community Fund
and to hear from all the inspiring applicants to understand the vital and impactful work they do to
make our community a better place. I am confident that with the finalists we have chosen, we are
going to see positive change across Greenwich Peninsula and the money being awarded is going to
help some of our most vulnerable communities and individuals.”