Elephant and Castle Trust announces resident directors

The Elephant and Castle Trust is the successor body to the Elephant Links Regeneration Partnership, funded by the Government's Single Regeneration Budget (SRB), which ended in March this year.

Sophie Clissold, John Muir, Belinda Davis and Jason Devoy were chosen as resident directors following a marketing campaign that attracted strong interest from local people. They bring a variety of knowledge to the organisation and have worked in a range of fields including finance, the arts, IT, communications, and all have previously been involved in working with local organisations.

The Elephant and Castle Trust is a registered company with eleven founding directors from local organisations and businesses, Southwark councillors, members of parliament, and four local residents.

The new body will focus on increasing employment, training, business and enterprise support, primarily but not solely within the creative industries, for local people, as well as the marketing and promotion of the Elephant and Castle as a whole. It will run in conjunction with the major £1.5 billion physical programme that is being led by Southwark Council.

The trust will manage the new centre at 56 Southwark Bridge Road

The trust will also manage buildings that are still being completed as part of the Elephant Links programme. These include an arts and employment training centre in the former Borough Community Centre at 56 Southwark Bridge Road which is currently under construction and a derelict annexe at Charlotte Sharman School on St George's Road that will be converted into a childcare facility.

"I am very excited to be one of the founding directors of the Elephant and Castle Trust and look forward to being involved in improving the quality of life for local residents, as the major physical regeneration of the area progresses," says Andy Masheter, chair of the new trust.

Sophie Clissold added: "This is a period of great change for the area. I welcome the opportunity to influence the direction of that change, ensuring that the decisions made reflect the needs of as many residents as possible. People often complain about their environment and that they weren't asked or involved. As a resident I saw this as a chance to be really engaged in shaping the future for our community. It's an exciting time and it's great to be involved."

• The Elephant and Castle Trust is currently seeking a design company to undertake branding for the organisation. Interested parties should contact Georgie Hackett at [email protected]