These are some of the individual comments people have made so far either through Community Sounding or on line. Click Here to add your ideas Here
What people like about their community?
The contracts of the city commerce and the common traders, past and present, the city workers and the city dwellers.
Amazing history.
Diversity.
Parts of it feel like real neighbourhoods. Lots of restaurants. Buzzing, energetic feel.
Lots of fantastic community work and volunteering going on
It’s just a great place to live
Nice place
Clean place
Market around the corner
People similar to me, with similar clothes
Mosque
‘I have many friends and family whom live on the estate and locally’
‘Good opportunities for children’
‘Diverse community’
A little pocket of culture in predominantly white middle class business sector’
‘Better resources than any other residential area’
‘Good neighbourhood’
‘Polite community’
‘Feel safe in the area/environment’
‘St Catherine docks’
‘The history, city of London original cobbles’
‘Good community police’
‘Museums, galleries’
‘I like my neighbours because they are friendly’
‘So central – tower bridge, River Thames’
‘Shops are local’
‘Central location for travelling’
‘Very good services in the City of London’
There is a superb sense of local solidarity and local relationships, and I am honoured to have been welcomed in by the Alderman, Common Councilmen, Ward Club and local people who live in Portsoken. I am very much involved with the Portsoken Pioneers, and am proud to be part of a family in the City that takes care of each other.
‘Convenience ‘
‘Children are respectful’
‘Restaurants and shops are close by’
‘Connections to other parts of London’
‘Artisan library, academic libraries’
Just living in the City! Great people who all really care and are passionate about where they live.
Multiculture
Plenty of initiatives
Gardening project
Library and community centre
Friendliness, closeknit
Locality
What people don’t like like about the community
The residential population is too small and geographically divided which doesn't help the cultural divide.
There's little tradition of community events'
Massive divide between pockets of poverty and incredible wealth of financial sector.
Big drugs problem.
‘There is much dependency and a poverty mentality’
‘High levels of poverty’
‘Anti social behaviour’
‘Noisy buildings / construction noise’
‘Rubbish bin area’
‘Not enough Parking’
‘Many residents do not participate in community events’
The community in Portsoken is beautiful and brilliant, and has been extremely gracious and kind to me. However, there is some politics by one or two political people from one or two anti-City people who have come in from outside, which has created unhappiness in an otherwise delightful and charming little community.
Divides between residential population, business community and visitors. Fantastic sense of community but because the area is so small it feels like hard work to get things going here - lots of politics and restrictions.
Length of time to get things done
Sometimes I feel closed off to people
Apathy, hard to get people involved, negative thinking
Division between Midlesex Street and Mansell Street Estates
The changes people have seen that they’ve liked or disliked Likes:
I have hopes for the Aldgate regeneration programme. A new square and community cafe is hopeful.
Central London as whole has improved vastly in the past twenty/thirty years.
I like the fact that 'the city' are doing less for residents and encouraging them to become more dependent. However, I am sure many other won't like this change
Olympics brought us together and now we need something else
Community Centre, Gardening Club, Portsoken Pioneers
Dislikes:
The city grows and leaves the community behind scurrying among the giants. We are deserted at weekends.
Council homes being bought up and privately rented - there is a big need for homes that people can afford and a massive shortfall.
Petticoat Lane market has fallen on hard times and is shabby and unappealing.
We are losing Community spirit
Changes people would you like to see in the City?
There needs to be a community hub - a place where residents can traditionally gather.
More socially rented homes.
Tackling drug issues.
Make Petticoat Lane and the rest of the area a destination again like it was when I was a child.
‘More things for young children to do’
Better parking
‘More greenery and Big parks’
‘Shopping centre’
‘Full time GP’
‘Free gym for residents’
‘More fitness for girls aged 21-25’
‘Standard of living better, properties maintained (new windows)’
‘Garden area’
‘Youth and young people activities’
‘Community rooms being used more’
‘The area is so congested with traffic, I hope to see that improves in the future’
‘Fun park space for children to play’
I would like to see greater power given to local people to make decisions about their lives and the way money is spent on local services. The One Portsoken Forum aims to bring together people from across the Ward and beyond in the Square Mile.
Would like there to be more activities going on that connect all groups and for people to move around more freely. Some people don't/wont leave their doorsteps!
Mix with workers and residents
More community involvement
What people feel is most sacred to them in the City, what they would you fight to defend?
Diversity, which should be celebrated, not feared.
Retaining the old amidst the new ensuring the new isn't a replacement but an enhancement. Respect for old as our foundation.
The resident population - not just the wealthy Monday-Friday residents but the ordinary people who live and work there.
There is a tradition of relationships and cohesive care for one another among ordinary working class people in Portsoken and other residential areas in the City. I am very protective of these ordinary working class communities, and am deeply concerned that they should not be used as for the political agenda of outsiders who come into the City to cause disruption. These are local communities that have been around for generations, and are salt of the earth
Our services - they are fantastic and wouldn't want them to be cut!
What people feel a play for the city should be about?
We live in the womb of London, the place where London and England was born - It has had a major influence on shaping the world - It should show us aspects of the past that help define us as a cultural world mix living together, It should tell stories of the past that resonate with the present so we learn about our heritage and have our present thinking challenged
This history. The social divisions and how they have been overcome so that different cultures can live side by side.
The play should celebrate the ordinary working class cultures of immigration that have passed through and lived in the City. It should be musical and cultural, and celebrate the diversity of local, folk and vernacular cultures of the waves of immigration that have come into the City, at a time where there is much anti-immigrant sentiment around. It needs to represent, the Irish, the Jews, the Huguenots, the Bangladeshis and other waves of immigration. The play should have a strong musical and song component, with contributions from the folk traditions of all these different cultures. It can be visually reflective also of the artistic traditions of these diverse communities. It needs also to reflect the faith aspects that have been important to these communities, - there are so many beautiful Wren churches, and old synagogues and other places of religious significance in the City. Also. William Wallace was martyred here
It should be about a day in the life of... all the different pockets of things going on and the theme being how they can all connect more organically.
Life in Portsoken, Aldgate and surrounding area. Informative and offering solutions. Cardboard Citizens have scenarios and audience find solutions. Play needs to illustrate many things: Jewish and Islamic communities, Disabled and non disabled people, all social classes, homelessness, drugs, prostitution, residents, council estates, benefits, work, corporate banking, small businesses, Corporation of London, Mental Health issues etc) Not to concentrate on a single topic only.
What people would like the play to do for the community?
Celebrate our diversity, share our cultures, and bring us altogether in what we have in common. Shed light on the city’s community past, and present as a moment in that continued growing history.
Develop skills in working together and leaving a legacy that involves the community helping itself
Greater capacity
Developing skills that improve employability
Bring people together, give them new skills, and a pride and excitement about the area
Bridge divisions
Develop a greater sense of community and the part we can play in in it
A better sense of the ‘people’s city’
Make the area famous in London
Help workers feel a part of the community
That we find a better use of community spaces
Get a better sense of place
The legacy of a community organized cultural umbrella group to support initiatives after the play is over
A Youth Theatre
Greater links to the Lord Mayors Show
The first of quartet of community plays for the city
Making friends
Shared sense of identity
Cohesion
Annual Community Festival
Empowerment – less hand holding
Prosumer (Production, Sustainable, Communities)
More people come out as champions from the community’
‘The community prepared to take leadership for themselves’
I should be really keen to support the musical and song contribution to the Community Play, with an emphasis on the traditional folk music of the different cultures in the City - Jewish, Irish, Bangladeshi and Huguenot
Have a legacy - something/somethings people will be proud of or continue to do in years to come.
I hope the activities of the play are spread throughout the city to make it accessible to everyone. If you don't get the widest possible representation the play will not befit the community in the long term as it should and apparently aims to do
The impression from the outside is of the city as a world commercial centre. It drowns the voices and activities of its residents. “We are a little people living among giants”
It would be great if the play were focused very much of local and indigenous folk cultures - the music and art of the different ethnic groups in the City, and world music, reflecting the diverse communities and cultures in the City.