Big Issue Founder to Re-Launch London Council Estate Project

Regenerate, a Christian outreach project working with children, young people and their families to transform their London council estates, is to be re-launched Thursday with the founder of the Big Issue and patron of Regenerate, John Bird MBE, who will be guest speaker at the event.

The re-launch comes as the Regenerate project enters an exciting new phase of expansion across several other estates in southwest London but also much further afield to Africa.

The event takes place in Roehampton, where Regenerate has been running community projects for seven years on the Alton Estate.

Youth from the estate are currently setting up new projects in Kenya, including 19-year-old Luke Clifford who recently won the Champions of Respect award 2006 for the 17 - 25 age category and the Anthony Walker Memorial Prize for his role in establishing Regenerate Kenya.

Regenerate Kenya will be launched tonight following three pilot trips with young people from the Alton Estate to Kenya.

Luke Clifford and Andy Smith, chief executive of Regenerate, are in the process of setting up a car garage project in Nakuru in Kenya which will bring hope and employment to many young people in the area who are living in abject poverty.

Thursday's event will also see the launch of the new Mobile Youth Centre, a converted double-decker bus complete with music studio, games, computers and seating area. The bus is the first of a fleet of buses Regenerate is hoping to use to work with young people across London and is set to become a familiar sight as it delivers a programme of activities in partnership with local churches.

Mr Smith said: "The bus will enable young people from estates where there is little provision to be given opportunities that they would never have had.

"We want to inspire them to have vision for their lives, put their ideas into practice, grow in their belief in themselves and in God and to engage positively in the wider community".

For more information about Regenerate go to www.regenerateuk.co.uk
For more information about Regenerate Kenya see the website at www.regeneratekenya.co.uk