Southside shopping centre champions Wandsworth community causes

During 2024, Southside Shopping Centre is continuing to invest in the community and has provided financial assistance and resources to five local charities and organisations that address pressing social issues, promote community development and improve the lives of residents in Wandsworth. 

The charities – Learn to Love to Read, StandOut, Devas Club, Home-Start Wandsworth and Power 2 Connect – each serve a vital role within the local community.

The initiative is funded by Southside Shopping Centre’s owner, Landsec, via its social impact programme, Landsec Futures, a £20m fund which aims to bring more value to the communities where Landsec invests. The scheme is designed to empower local initiatives that contribute significantly to the wellbeing and development of the community, and create positive changes in the area. Applications are open for grants for local not-for-profit organisations.

Learn to Love to Read has been dedicated to promoting literacy and a love for reading among children in the Wandsworth community for a decade. Their vision is to make 'every child a reader’ by providing reading materials, organising literacy classes and events, and offering one-to-one support to primary-age children to improve their reading skills and build their confidence. Illiteracy is a significant cause of inequality and becoming a confident reader will change a child's life. Through partnerships with local schools, libraries and children's centres, the charity aims to build a love of reading that will last a lifetime.

StandOut is an award-winning charity that empowers people to make positive changes, realise their potential, and rebuild their lives after prison. Their unique programme begins in prison with coaching and practical support and continues after release, for as long as someone needs them. The Landsec Futures grant will support the delivery of an intensive course at HMP Wandsworth, where people can discover who they are and what they want to achieve. It’s here that participants develop a relationship with StandOut that forms the foundations of their work with them after prison. 

Devas Club strives to improve the lives of local children and young people with a range of activities that develop skills, build confidence, tackle mental health issues and enhance wellbeing. Activities include music, sports and dance, along with providing mentoring and support. The financial support from Southside will specifically contribute to the vital attention for their rooftop football pitch at its club. This funding will facilitate necessary upkeep and repairs ensuring the pitch’s safety for children to continue to use throughout the year. 

Home-Start Wandsworth plays a crucial role in aiding families with children under 5 years old, offering practical assistance and emotional encouragement. The organisation pairs its volunteers with families within the local area who require assistance to navigate and overcome a combination of issues including poor mental health, poverty, disability and isolation, whilst offering support to the young child.

Southside’s contribution will help to ensure every child in Wandsworth has the opportunity for the best possible start in life, as the funding will enable Home-Start Wandsworth to sustain its services, including home visits, weekly group activities, and volunteer preparation courses, ensuring all volunteers are well-equipped to support their beneficiaries. 

Pieter Strömbeck, Centre Director at Southside Shopping Centre, commented: “Retail has always been at the centre of communities, with shopping destinations acting as hubs that bring local people together while creating important value for local economies. As part of our long-term investment in the region, our community grants programme ensures we can continue to support local organisations that know their places best to effectively address the most pressing social and economic challenges our communities face."