It has been a privilege to work with and be part of the Every One Every Day project. It has now run its course and it is great to see that the equipment and assets will now be inherited by the community, and we are committed to continuing the legacy.

Participatory City have announced the planned closure of the Every One Every Day warehouse in December this year.  Activities involving residents will continue at the Thames Road warehouse and the Heathway shop until the end of this year, the Marks Gate shop (111 Rose Lane) closed in April and the Barking shop (55 Ripple Road) will close in June. The Heathway shop will become the main space for resident activity.

Every One Every Day has operated in Barking and Dagenham since the autumn of 2017. The project has worked successfully with 6,000 residents, co-produced over 300 projects and collaborative businesses, and enabled over 50,000 hours of participation opportunities.

This is a project with a defined lifespan in this building from the very beginning and as planned is now coming to an end. The project has made a difference to our communities, and we are exploring ways to continue the work.

We are working on how best to embed the Every One Every Day approach across the borough to ensure that our residents can continue to participate in their communities. Local residents and organisations will have a say over the transfer of assets and projects and will be encouraged to get involved in other ways, such as through the Citizens’ Alliance Network.

The council offered the Warehouse on a temporary basis to help deliver the project. We further supported Every One Every Day to remain in the property on a rolling lease.  Following closure, the property will be marketed at commercial value, with the revenue supporting everyday services of the council which benefit the whole community.  Work is now underway to ensure a fair and open process alongside other shops for the distribution of assets across the borough.

Nat Defriend, Chief Executive Officer of Every One Every Day, said: “We have been privileged to work in partnership with the council and others to deliver the Every One Every Day project in Barking and Dagenham over the last 6 years. 

“As the project funding expires over the course of the coming year, our Board has taken the sad decision to close the project and we will therefore be gradually winding down our activities over the course of this year. 

“As we do, we are seeking to ensure that there is a strong legacy for the project in the borough, including by finding new homes for our machinery, equipment and other resources so that these can continue to be accessible and available to residents as they build the neighbourhoods they want. 

“We want to take the opportunity to thank the council for its support and most importantly the local residents of the borough who have been a constant source of ideas and inspiration.”

A spokesman for Participatory City, said: “Participatory City Foundation (PCF) has been delivering the Every One Every Day project in Barking and Dagenham since August 2017. Since that time, the project has expanded to multiple locations across the borough and worked with well over 6000 residents to create hundreds of neighbourhood projects, learning programmes and collaborative businesses. 

“This has been achieved because of the inspirational creativity of local residents and the support of an amazing group of funders and partners, including the local council. 

“In a very challenging funding landscape it has not been possible to secure ongoing funding for the project beyond mid-2024. As a consequence, PCF's Board of Trustees took the very sad decision in April this year to close the project by June 2024 with the effect that all activities with residents will cease at the end of 2023. 

“As part of this, we are working hard to ensure there is a strong legacy for the work the project has done over the past six years. Over the course of this year, we will be gradually handing our properties back to the council, including Everyone's Warehouse, and will be working with residents and partners to find new homes for the machinery, equipment and other assets which the project currently owns on behalf of the borough.  

“As we work through this, we would like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the extraordinary residents of the borough and the amazing support of our partners and funders, without whom none of this would have been possible.” 

Further information is available on the Every One Every Day website at www.weareeveryone.org/important-for-2023