A new community hub aimed at supporting young adults through creativity and employability is set to open in Acton this spring, in memory of the late music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards MBE.
The Self Belief Creative Community Hub, announced by the Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust, will be based on the redeveloped Friary Park Estate, where Mr Edwards lived near to with his mother, Brenda, and sister, Tanisha. The space is two minutes from Acton Main Line station.
The hub is designed for 18 to 31-year-olds, particularly those facing barriers to long-term work, and will include music and podcast studios, co-working and lounge areas, a subsidised kitchen providing daily meals, and a programme focused on wellbeing, life skills and career development.
Housing association giant Peabody and Mount Anvil, a property developer, are behind the new housing development on the estate and have partnered with the trust on the project. They have provided the hub with a 10-year rent-free lease and funding to fit out the building. The trust said the two-site hub, linked by a shared courtyard, will support up to 80 members at a time.
Brenda Edwards and Tanisha Artman, co-founders of the trust, said: “This is exactly the kind of place Jamal would have built himself – open, creative, warm, and rooted in community.”
The trust said it has already supported more than 150 young people through its Self Belief Launchpad programme.
