This year, Blackfriars Settlement celebrates its 120th birthday. Founded in 1887 by women from Oxford and Cambridge universities and Bedford and Royal Holloway colleges, the Women’s University Settlement (now Blackfriars Settlement) was set up to promote the welfare of this deprived area. Female students from London colleges lived at the Settlement rent-free in return for working in the community. They organised country holidays, painting, dancing and music classes, and established a library. In 1961, the charity renamed itself Blackfriars Settlement to reflect its increasing involvement with local people. Its name may have changed but the spirit of the founding women lives on. Visit the charity’s main site on Rushworth Street and you are struck by its friendliness and vibrancy. “We are unique because we offer a real sense of community,” Julie Corbett-Bird, the charity’s director says. “People of all ages can come here and gain a wide range of experiences.”
And the experiences can be very rewarding. Using what they learnt on creative writing, photography and computer workshops, lunch club members have produced a Second World War reminiscence book. They have also staged performances at The Old Vic and Southwark Playhouse. “Commuters using London Waterloo may not realise that there is a long-established community living on the station’s doorstep,” Julie adds. “The area has changed massively and the rise in new cafés, restaurants and cultural venues can make local people feel alienated. We try to bridge the gap by getting residents more involved with these places, such as via community programmes with local theatres and Tate Modern.” The charity’s link with local partners extends to offering English courses to the Bengali Women’s Group and working with a firm of solicitors to provide free legal advice.
Recognising the invaluable work of the charity, South West Trains is a keen supporter. Last year, it gave £4,000 and this year’s £2,000 donation has helped fund the Information and Communications Technology Club on a Monday night. “We’d like to thank South West Trains for supporting this session for young people, some of whom do not subscribe to the education ethic and are most likely to be unemployed in adulthood and become involved in anti-social behaviour or crime,” Julie says. “This course offers them new skills and the chance to make something of their lives.” l
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