25 August 2005, Walthamstow: A new website from New Opportunities Walthamstow
(NOW) is set to benefit local residents and businesses as NOW invests £850,000 in the
community throughout 2005, it was announced today.

The new NOW website – www.walthamstownow.co.uk - enables local people to find
out about the NOW projects running in the area and how they can get involved.

NOW is a £56m regeneration scheme that has brought opportunity and change to
Walthamstow since 1999. Highlights include 1,300 jobs safeguarded or created; 820
residents placed in employment; 12,552 new childcare places provided; new sports
facilities used by 70,050 people and 46,086 people benefited from community safety
initiatives.

The website provides a one-stop-shop for all NOW enquires while also providing each
of the 13 NOW projects currently active a low cost, project specific, web space to
engage local people and businesses.

A central press and news centre enables NOW projects to communicate new
developments. For example NOW Project, Safe and Warm Homes, has helped around
100 homes in Walthamstow tackle fuel poverty and will shortly be announcing a new
grant scheme to help elderly Walthamstow residents improve heating in the home.

Pages on the NOW board, NOW vision, NOW area and NOW projects, enable local
people to see clearly what the regeneration has set out to deliver.

NOW project pages have specific information on the project including case studies,
contact details for the project manager and downloads. For example:

	The Limes: Used by hundreds of local families and children every month, new and existing Limes users can find out about the centre¡¦s facilities and download its Annual Report via the new NOW website.
	Street Cred: Over 40 local women have been able to start their own businesses because of Street Cred. Walthamstow women planning to start their own business can learn about this NOW project, read about the success of others and download information on Quaker Social Action, the charity NOW is supporting to run the scheme in the area.
	Community Health and Wellbeing: 2,500 local people have become healthier thanks to the NOW funded Healthy Living initiative run at Kelmscott Leisure Centre. People interested in the scheme can watch a short video on Healthy Living and its benefits on the new NOW website.

Summer Fun Draw
To celebrate the launch of the website NOW is running a free £50 prize draw. People
who register on the site by 31 October 2005 will be in with a chance to win a £50
voucher for the Image Hair and Beauty Salon, Uplands House College, Blackhorse Lane,
Walthamstow. The voucher can be used individually, with friends or given as a gift -
perfect for Christmas. NOW funding totalling £545,875 transformed Uplands House
from a derelict building into a vibrant community college serving over 600 students a
week.

Local people star in launch adverts
A series of adverts will run to promote the site. Each advert features a local person
who has benefited from NOW. The adverts and their case studies demonstrate the
demographic reach of NOW’s diverse activities across the area. Examples include:

	Karen Winchester: NOW funded project Street Cred helped turn Karen¡¦s love of Caribbean food and cooking into a full time job and open her cafe, Diveen¡¦s Cuisine in Walthamstow.
	George Flower: NOW funded project Shopmobility has enabled 89 year-old George and over 1,000 other local people to access Walthamstow town centre easily and go shopping.
	Jeff Todd: NOW funded Community Health & Wellbeing helped Jeff and 2,500 local people with heart and other health problems to become healthier, fitter and stronger. Jeff is now an international standard indoor rower, winning Bronze at the 2004 British Indoor Rowing Grand Prix.

Guy Davis, Chair, New Opportunities Walthamstow said: “The new NOW website
enables local people, businesses and community groups to find out about NOW and
the opportunities the regeneration presents. The site provides a cost effective and
easily updateable shop window for NOW, both for present projects and past
successes.”

Councillor Simon Wright, Cabinet Member for Regeneration said: “NOW projects and the results they deliver are helping Waltham Forest become an even better place for
people to live, work, invest in and visit. NOW has also directly helped the Council as
it moves towards its vision for Walthamstow 2012. The new NOW site shows the grass
root and capital projects in which NOW has been active and I encourage local people
to get involved.”

Melissa Miller, Manager, The Limes Community and Children's Centre, said:  “It’s fantastic to have a web presence so everyone can find out about The Limes and what we do - all our facilities are detailed.  We will use the webpage to stay in touch with funders, stakeholders and supporters and our Annual Report is already available for download.”

George Flower, an 89 year-old retired speedway star and Shopmobility user is
enthusiastic about the website launch: “My Shopmobility electric scooter is a bit
slower than my speedway bike, but it enables me to get about in Walthamstow very
easily. I can’t wait for the site to go live, I hope it encourages other people use the
service and other NOW projects. I have emailed my relatives in New Zealand to log
on and see me featured on the internet. I will also send them a copy of the advert I
am in!”

The launch took place today at The Limes Community and Children’s Centre, Somers
Road, Walthamstow. The Limes is used by hundreds of disabled and non-disabled
children and families every month. £353,000 capital funding from NOW totally
renovated William Morris Hall where The Limes is situated and helped the centre's
staff to lever money from other funders such as Barnardos and The Community Fund.
NOW also contributed almost £14,000 in revenue funding to support The Limes in its
first year. Prior to The Limes there was nowhere safe and secure for children to go in
the area, and young people - especially those with learning difficulties or disabilities -
faced isolation because of the lack of places to meet.

END