The One Kilburn Fund

Empowering community-led action in Kilburn

The One Kilburn Community Fund is a brilliant example of community-led action.

Created by local residents and organisations, with funding from Camden Council and support from Brent Council, this initiative has established One Kilburn as a trusted partner in driving local change.

Between May 2024 and March 2025, the fund supported local people in Kilburn to share skills and knowledge through workshops and mentoring with community groups. This initiative encouraged residents to share their expertise and learn from one another.

Selected by a public vote, with over 1200 votes cast, five fantastic community-driven projects were delivered:

• Kilburn in Motion
• Healing Choir
• Kilburn Oasis
• Sociable Seats
• Young Photographers

Each project aligned with local priorities and brought unique benefits to the community.

Local artist Heini King was commissioned by Camden to tell the story of the One Kilburn Fund and those leading the projects.

Discover more about each project and the creative minds behind them below.

Funding local ideas

The documentary film Funding Local Ideas tells the story of One Kilburn Community Fund through interviews with eight active residents behind the Fund initiative.

The interviews took place in different locations across Kilburn in autumn and winter 2024-25.

Young Photographers

Different Gravy offered a free analogue photography course for young people from Alexandra & Ainsworth Estate, Kilburn. Over eight sessions, participants learned to use various cameras, including medium format, 35mm, and Super 8.

The technical and practical course aimed to empower them to document their lives. The resulting work was showcased in the “A Summer in a Town” exhibition in November 2024.

Sociable Seats

Sociable Seats was a weekly art and improvisational theatre group celebrating older voices. Held at Netherwood Youth and Family Hub, participants co-devised outdoor performances at street benches along Kilburn High Road.

Led by Lucy Orme of Patina People, the project emphasised the creative potential of people over 55, offering public performances that transformed street benches into interactive art spaces.

Kilburn Oasis

Kilburn Oasis aimed to transform Priory Park Road into a green space, highlighting poor air quality and traffic near Kilburn Grange Primary School. Josie Warshaw engaged residents and the school community, gathering ideas via an online survey.

Events like a Car Free Day Street party and Play Street activities showcased local support, emphasising the need for safer spaces, clean air, and community gathering.

Kilburn in Motion

Kilburn in Motion, an art film by Brenda Aherne and Helen Delany of Electronic Sheep, tells an immigration story through two semi-autobiographical characters who travel from Dublin to London. Set in the 1990s, it explores Kilburn’s history, architecture, and the benefits of immigration.

The film incorporates local cultural events and a collaborative, ever-changing crew of local performers and cherished venues, symbolising shared experiences and community support.

Healing Choir

Healing Choir offered 11 weekly communal singing sessions at Kilburn’s Tin Tabernacle, blending breathing, movement, and sound improvisation. Facilitated by Sharon Gal and Ada Hao, the project aimed to improve wellbeing through creative vocal expression, gentle movement, building self-confidence and offering healing.

Up to 40 participants attended, enjoying sound baths, socialising, and shaping the experience to suit their needs.

The success of the One Kilburn Community Fund is a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when communities are given the tools and resources to lead change locally.

It sets the stage for continued collaboration, empowerment, and innovation, ensuring that Kilburn remains a vibrant and resilient community for years to come.