Over the past three years, the Trust has built up an excellent reputation for its work with local young parents and local families. Centred in an economically depressed area of south London, its belief in the ability of people to turn around their own lives is paramount. Its outreach and support workers excel in gaining the confidence of people who would not otherwise ask for help or come forward, in unpicking the different challenges facing them and in helping them to prioritise what first steps they want to take. The Trust’s work focuses on the three eastern wards of the London Borough of Merton. It seeks to break cycles of low educational and economic achievement by increasing levels of confidence and aspirations for children and young people. Its methods have worked well to date and the Trust now wishes to expand its reach in order to reach a critical mass that will transform the community. In this work, the rich cultural, linguistic and religious mix of the area is considered to be a huge bonus. The Trust seeks to make full use of the range of positive attitudes towards children and young people across different cultures. Likewise, family links to other parts of the world and through different faiths will also be utilised. To take the Trust from the level of working with individual families and small groups, to playing a key community role, it is seeking to organise public events that will maximise publicity about the training, development, leisure and business opportunities offered by the Trust and will at the same time give local people a reason to celebrate what they like about where they live. This means expanding the current August ‘Family Fun Day’, held on a Saturday, to become a series of community events – a Pollards Hill Festival. Local people will be encouraged to take part by attending, organising their own events or stalls, and joining the Organising Committee. These volunteers could include older pupils from the local Harris Academy. All volunteers will be offered training and support so that they may acquire the skills needed to play a full part in the Festival and build on these to develop their own lives and careers. Details and goals August Family Fun Day 2008: use this event to promote the Pollards Hill Festival idea and to invite suggestions. Autumn 2008 recruit for organising committee Winter-early spring 2008-09: agree Festival framework and engage local businesses Spring – Summer 2009 finalise programme August 2009 Run 1st Pollards Hill Festival Autumn 2009 Evaluate and plan for 2nd Festival. Finance breakdown Festival organiser: 32k Office support: 20k Publicity including website: 8K Office costs including telephone and IT: 12K Management and quality assurance: 8K Programme costs eg food at events, volunteer travel expenses, trainers, stationery: 15K Total 95K