On Thursday 14th December, Roman Road Trust took part in Morpeth School’s Pledge Afternoon with a group of 18 pupils from Year 8. The young people were asked to share their thoughts on what should happen on Globe Town Market Square.
The pledge award scheme is encouraging Year 7 and 8s to take part in extra curricular activities.
We showed the pupils a short video clip from our Globe Town Common Vision – Public Realm Workshop, where various speakers suggest improvements to Globe Town Market Square. After seeing the video, many students agreed that the square looks dull and is in need of improvement, but they stressed the point that the neighbourhood should be involved in any changes.
Divided into four groups, the students were then encouraged to form their own proposals and share them with the class.
The first group’s idea was to place a mini community centre on the square. It would offer games and activities (arts & crafts, sports) that would change from time to time.
The second group proposed a temporary theatre on the square. The theatre would bring young and elderly people together to sing, act and dance together. The pupils stressed the point that advertising for these performances is very important and needs to reach everybody. The solution was to deliver flyers to their school to take home and distribute to friends and family.
The third group’s idea was to make the square colourful and green. Suggestions were to use recycled materials to make a big tree where people can leave messages, saying why they love Roman Road. To make it a safer and more beautiful environment, colourful lights on the floor, trees and grass were suggested.
The last group proposed a series of events on the square. Events could be varied to include theatre performances and should be seasonal and appeal to all the diverse cultures. For example: Christmas, Diwali, Ramadan and Jewish festivals. The market should run simultaneously and more stalls should be added.
After the presentations, the students were asked to come to a common conclusion, points made were:
- Light to make market space safer
- Greenery, trees and flowers to make the square smell nicer
- Different activities involving all different cultures & religions
- Community centre that offers different activities to children after school
The students came up with impressive, imaginative and cheerful proposals.
Many thanks to Morpeth School for giving Roman Road Trust the opportunity to speak to such a bright and involved group of students.
Globe Town Common Vision Placemaking Workshops is funded by London Borough of Tower Hamlets, working in partnership with Roman Road Trust to improve local governance and support the delivery of regeneration initiatives in the Globe Town area of Roman Road West.
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