Funded by the Big Lottery Fund and delivered locally by the Barking and Dagenham CVS and The Young Federation – Communities Can is an initiative that has been set up to provide support for community groups and organisations.

Want to develop your organisation and the impact it has on the wider community? If your organisation is based in Barking and Dagenham, has an income of lower than £10,000 per year, and has a proven track record in helping to make the borough a better place to live and work then this could be for you.

Over the past few weeks many residents may have noticed that the Union Jack has been missing from both the Dagenham Heathway War Memorial at the corner of Church Elm Lane, and the Dagenham Village War Memorial by Dagenham Parish Church.

The flags at both sites are normally replaced every two years in November prior to Remembrance Day to prevent them appearing too tattered during the service. However earlier this year it was noticed that the new flags were becoming quite worn a year ahead of scheduled replacement.

Green spaces are at the heart of every community. They represent a space where people have precedence, a space where they are free from cars and concrete, where the eye is drawn to trees and skylines, not concrete and glass. A safe space for children to play, families to congregate, converse and communities to learn about each other.

The Big Lottery Fund is the biggest community funder in the UK. They are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and fund 13,000 projects every year. Most of their grants are small – £10,000 or less – but they transform communities and change millions of lives every year. Since June 2004 they have awarded over £9 billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to supporting older people facing isolation.