HOW WE ORGANISE

MEETINGS, EVENTS & SOCIALS

We organise regular Working Group meetings, where we discuss how to hold Peabody and Islington Council to account, and plan our next actions. These take place on Zoom and in person. We also go on outreach, to talk to local people about the redevelopment, and host social events, such as our community meals. You can receive reminders about our meetings by joining our mailing list and following us on social media.

COLLABORATION

We use WhatsApp group chats and the platform 'BaseCamp' to message each other and collaborate on work outside of meetings. Get involved by completing the signup form, or come to one of our drop-in induction meetings.

OUR BOARD

Our organisation is coordinated by a board of trustees representing a range of local groups. The board meets each month to address matters such as governance, finance, fundraising, staffing and issues raised by the Working Groups. We are open for applications to become a trustee, especially if you have lived experience of the criminal justice system, live in social housing, and/or are part of a marginalised community. Please get in touch at engage.plan4holloway@gmail.com.

Alexandra Lilley

I’ve lived in Islington most of my adult life and have been the Vicar of St George's Tufnell Park since 2017; I live just around the corner from the development.
My passion is to bring diverse parts of the community together. I currently oversee church activities including: Tufnell Tots stay-and-play; a Wellbeing Café; repair events; and a weekly drop-in meal at the vicarage.
I’m a local community representative on the joint steering group for the Women’s Building, but I’m also interested in issues around housing justice, sustainability and accessibility, and seeing the new community thrive within this neighbourhood.

Richard Hope

Originally, I was delegated to join Community Plan for Holloway by Islington Homes for All (IHFA) to represent their concerns. IHfA campaign for social housing in Islington and work closely with the council to do this.

When the prison closed in 2016 we were told that the site would be turned over to housing and so we set about canvassing support by doing stalls on Holloway Road. Along with Community Plan, it was IHfA that helped secured the increase from 35% to 42% of social units on the Holloway site.

Roderik Gonggrijp

My association with Community Plan 4 Holloway goes back to the original consultation with local residents carried out by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies in 2016 after the closure of Holloway Prison was announced in 2015.
I have lived in Crayford Road, just behind the prison, for nearly 20 years. I hope that we can achieve the best possible new community on this site for everyone. Council rent housing, and welcoming public open, green and community spaces – and the development must deliver on an appropriate legacy for everything that Holloway Prison was for women. I can also often be found campaigning for the Islington Green Party and have been a Parent Governor at Tufnell Park Primary School.

Marj Mayo

My interest in the Holloway site came from my involvement with Islington Homes for All (IHFA), as well as from being a local resident and an active member of the local Labour Party. I am committed to ensuring that Peabody keeps to their guarantee that 42% of the new homes will be for social rent – at council rent levels – along with their promise to provide facilities for women via the Women’s Building, as part of an environmentally sustainable development. This is an amazing opportunity. Our challenge is to make it all happen.

Nick Wakeling

I have lived in Islington for over 20 years and I represent the Liberal Democrats. I have previously served as a local school governor and am also a trustee and treasurer of Alice's Arc, a childhood cancer charity I co-founded in 2015.

Improving life chances through health and education, in particular for the young, is what drives me. I am also a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and dual-qualified as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England & Wales and as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia.

Rose McDonald

I am an Islington resident and my heart is in the community. I am interested in housing and to this end have sat on the Council’s housing scrutiny committee for a number of years. I'm also a member of Center 404’s family committee looking at ways to improve the plight of disabled children and their families, and I'm a lay member of the GP Federation Islington, scrutinising services offered by local GP practices. I joined the board of Community Plan for Holloway (CP4H) in 2023 to elevate local residents’ voices and to hold Peabody to account for promises and agreements made. I view CP4H as a critical friend of the Council, helping the different departments, officers and Councillors to always be informed of local residents’ concerns as the development takes shape.
Center 404

Jake Wiafe

I’m a digital media expert working in digital documentary, factual entertainment development, and social media. For the past few years, I have worked at the multi-award-winning digital content studio and media network, Little Dot Studios in roles that have ranged from hosting and co-producing a podcast, film production, YouTube and social media management, creative development, client relations and outreach. I’ve been part of a BAFTA-award-winning team and been named one of Edinburgh TV Festival's ones to watch in 2021. I joined Community Plan for Holloway because of my passion for ensuring affordable housing, advocating for tenant rights, and holding councils to account to ensure that local decisions are made with the best interests of the local community at heart rather than corporate interests.

LAURA BAMFORD

I have had a long career in illustrated reference publishing and since giving up work, have volunteered with a number of different charities focussing on areas of social concern.

I wanted to join the board of Community Plan for Holloway because the redevelopment of the Holloway site is such an important moment for the augmentation and greater integration of services across an area of London that will benefit from the energy and investment of so many residents.


OUR STAFF

Melissa Herman

I'm a community organiser and filmmaker from Kentish Town, with a background in participatory arts and campaigning. I feel very connected to the Holloway site and its legacy, especially because my grandmother was in the prison back in 1950s.

Before working for CP4H, I was a freelance creative producer and worked for Save the Children with young people seeking asylum in the UK, and with young people campaigning against child poverty in London. My latest film is a bilingual Welsh animated documentary, Gertie Hooper Vs the Committee about a farmer who resisted eviction from her land.

Guilene

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Naomi

I joined CP4H as a part-time community organiser in July 2023. I'm a local Tufnell Park resident of over 20 years and was interested in the role because I’m excited about the potential of a collective voice when it comes to community matters. I have a background in publishing, comms and advertising but have also worked for the third sector, including my role as coordinator of Patient Participation Groups in Islington. As an editor of words, my job is to make the text as good as it can be: as a community organiser, I have the same ambition for the Holloway site by supporting local residents and other interested parties to be listened to.