It's not all weddings, funerals and christenings...

Community Links work with all sectors of the community, including faith groups. Mamta Khanna had a chat with Reverend Derek Winterburn, Vicar of St. Mary’s in Hampton.

MK: Rev Winterburn, please tell me about the projects you are involved in.

Rev D Winterburn: I am the Vicar of St. Mary’s Parish Church, Hampton and Area Dean of Hampton. I serve as an ex officio trustee at the Hampton Fuel Allotment Charity and the Hampton Parochial Charity. I am trustee of MTV Youth Club and Governor at the Hampton School for Boys and the Chair of Trustees of St Mary’s Hampton, Church of England Primary School (a free school). 

What is the Hampton Parochial Charity?

The Hampton Parochial Charity runs Jubilee House on Ashley Road, Hampton Relief and the School of Industry. Of these, the School of Industry Charity makes grants enabling young people (under 21, and who live in Hampton/Hampton Hill) to study at college or enter a trade. In situations where there is financial hardship at home, the charity might be able to help with tuition fees, travelling or maintenance expenses.  

Out of all the projects you are involved in, which one is closest to your heart and why? 

The MTV Youth Club and the St Mary’s School Hampton are closest to me because of the sense of ownership and the initiative that came from within the Parish Church. These projects are putting into action The Church of England’s vision to care for everybody who lives in the Parish. We went door to door to connect with people who live in the estate off Oldfield Road and to ask residents what the needs of the community were if the Church could help them. It was our way of connecting with people directly. 

Most homes responded by asking the Church to do something for young people in the neighbourhood. Based on this need, we began the MTV Youth Club in 2012. The youth club supports young people between the ages of 8-16 through club work, and connects some of them to local businesses. We not only support 16 year olds to find work but also encourage them to stay in work by problem solving through support and advice. 

St Mary’s School has now been open one year; it has been very successful. We are looking forward to doubling in size in September (from 30 to 60 children). The School has land around it which we hope to develop with woodlands, a pond and allotments.  We envision the school becoming a community hub: where older people and young people can all come to benefit from the activities.

Where would you like to be, 5 years from now?

My dream would be that the school would be full and thriving, MTV will be in its own dedicated building and we will have a nursery attached to the primary school. The school will become a community hub where community members will find activities of interest to them. 

What inspires you on a daily basis?

I do what I do because I feel called by God to serve the people of Hampton. It may sound rather 'theological' but that's my inspiration. Coming to the parish a good number of years ago this was the question that I, the churchwardens and the bishop were asking. We came to the conclusion that 'yes', it was God was bringing us together. At key moments along the way, not least in the initiative to start St Mary's school, I have felt this again and again. 

What are the challenges you have faced in running the youth club and launching St. Mary’s School?

Time! Putting together the initial bid for the school application and then moving forward to opening was exhilarating but very time-consuming. There was a huge amount to learn about the process and working collaboratively meant so many meetings and networking. The launch of MTV Youth was supported primarily by a colleague - and again finding time was his key challenge. Clergy have some flexibility about choosing how to use their days, but there some things that cannot be postponed - Sunday comes round regularly!

Which projects do you need most support for (Volunteering, etc.)? 

St Mary's School continues to need my attention; we continue to appoint new staff, recruit new children and await Ofsted. But as an organisation it is becoming more self-sufficient. However one aspect of wider interest is the surrounding grounds area. The school is keen to work with the wider community including MTV Youth to develop these as a resource for everyone. Obviously there are educational priorities but we hope that our neighbours and others will find something here for them. MTV-Youth always welcomes adult volunteers (after DBS clearance) to work with the young people at the Friday club night and the fund-raising team is open to ideas and people. 

A message for residents

My message to residents is that St Mary's Church, School and MTV Youth, all local people, are trying to serve others. We don't see ourselves as anything other than Hampton people working together for the benefit of everyone - and in that way we share God's love for all. As Jesus said 'love your neighbour.'

How to harness the power of the Gloriana, and I don't mean the rowers..

It's been an interesting week in the Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, with regards to 'community engagement'. My role is to support, facilitate (or just plain 'make happen') local people getting involved in their area - this might range from setting up and running a pop-up youth club (not had that one yet, any offers?) through to just letting them know that there's an opportunity to have their say on whether to allow a local volunteer group to establish a small orchard in Hampton.
Many will have heard that quite a number of local residents have become very engaged around the Gloriana Boathouse proposals. To me, it's interesting how proposals which involve a building (be that school, housing or boathouse), or would visually change the landscape in some way, really motivate, incentivise and catalyse groups of people in to action.
What's less clear to me is why something else that has huge importance to people's lives, in terms of welfare or education, gets comparatively little attention. Concurrent with the Gloriana consultation there are consultations on the borough's Sexual Health Strategy, and developing Special School Provision. A consultation on setting up a Childminding Agency has just closed.
Sexual Health and conception are topics that are important to many people, for often quite diverse, even opposing reasons. Similarly, are people generally uninterested in the conversation about how we can ensure that home-based care for children is of a high quality?
It might be cynical to say, but if Richmond CCG were to propose building a new sexual health clinic on a park in the borough, I wouldn't be surprised if many more people would be putting their view forward on the matter.
I believe the challenge for the Community Engagement Team is to find ways to make these opportunities relevant to residents in the way that the construction of a boathouse on the bank of the Thames is. It is tangible, it is novel, and you can 'see' it (well, I guess you kind of have to imagine it), and it captures the imagination. Discussions about sex and sexual behaviour is not only uncomfortable for some, it may also be seen as a matter of personal choices (as opposed to a very public building development).
The Community Links Teams are thinking of ways to help people learn about and participate in these consultations, including using innovative on-line and off-line methods. For example, try our Pinterest board which we have just set up. We are also considering running a few 'drop-ins' for those who are less comfortable doing things on-line, to learn about how to use the consultation finder.
The challenge is not specific to Richmond, and we know that engagement in public matters is generally low across the country. I welcome suggestions for tackling the 'engagement' challenge we face.