Our history

When the SRB2 (Single Regeneration Budget 2) programme ended in March 2003 it was decided that there needed to be an organisation created to carry on with the regeneration already begun in the area. Following lengthy consultations with local people, organisations and others involved in the regeneration programme, it was decided to set up the West Itchen Community Trust.

The Trust had a lot of support, though it remained fairly low key during the development phase. Key funding totalling over £1.8m was secured from Southampton City Council and the South-East England Development Agency (SEEDA) but in addition to raising funds, there was  so much more to do.

The problems experienced in the area were many but the Trust identified the main ones being:

• Low image of the area
• Low self-esteem felt by some residents
• A local economy that is not working well
• A poor environment in places

Our business plan was built around trying to tackle these fundamental problems.

Considerable work had been done to regenerate the inner city through the SRB2 programme and parts of the area were significantly improved. During that time, many physical improvements were made to the area and a large number of training, crime prevention and youth schemes were successfully carried out but the area still had a poor image and its full potential has not yet been realised.

We set ourselves the challenge of realising this potential.

If you require further details about our work please contact us.