September 04, 2019

Mark Mc Cleavery visits LSP to give his input

August 28, 2019

Lee Jasper trains the first cohort of volunteers for Lambeth Schools Patrol.

July 10, 2019

The volunteer recruitment day on Brixton High Street is joined by Courtney Melody from Vibes fm.

July 09, 2019

Youth Violence Forum day regarding training from professor.

July 03, 2019

A former Code 7 service user hands an award to a youth trainee at Code 7's Global Graduate evening.

July 03, 2019

A former service user at Code 7 hands an award to a current service user at Code 7's Global Graduates evening.

July 03, 2019

Counsellor Tina speaks at Code 7's Global Graduates evening funded by BBC Children in Need

Volunteers who care about the young people and our community are coming together to walk on Brixton High Street between 3.30pm and 6pm on schools days to befriend our children and young people, showing them the various opportunities that are available in the community, with special care for their concerns and issues.

December 09, 2017

Code 7's CEO celebrates alongside various staff members and volunteers with young beneficiaries of Code 7's service. Thanks to Mr Reggae Reggae Sauce himself Levi Roots our honourable sponsor. A BIG THANK YOU LEVI... YOU MADE THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S EVENING!

December 09, 2017

The inspirational Lee Jasper made things possible for Code 7 to attend this glamorous event and stopped at nothing in his quest. The incredible Viv Ammun ensured we were there and Code 7 is grateful and appreciative of their welcomed efforts. LONG LIVE THE BLAKSOX LEGACY GALA...

March 15, 2017

Code 7's endeavours to bring about peace in our community, especially amongst our young people, is echoed across the Lambeth community. Residents alongside statutory agencies air their views and get ready for action.

June 05, 2017

To All Lambeth Counsellors

06.06.17

Dear Lambeth Counsellors

Re: Save Code 7

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This is a desperate and public appeal to all Lambeth Councilors, the Lambeth Chief Executive Sean Harris, the Leader of Lambeth Council Ms. Lib Peck and the public at large to help save our charity from certain closure.

Code 7 Ltd is a massively popular, music based youth focused charity, founded in 1996.  Led by the reggae dancehall superstar and legend Asher Senator, Code 7 is one of the oldest and last remaining, charitable organisations working to support young people in Lambeth, South London.

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Our work has been nationally and locally recognised, i.e. BBC Children in Need, Comic Relief, Home Office and a range of other prestigious funding organisations, and over the last two decades Code 7 has become a vital community institution and resource, working with and saving the lives of thousands of young people either as perpetrators or as victims of violent criminality. 

Throughout this time, we have worked hard with Lambeth Council and other stakeholders to secure long term, permanent accommodation.  This has been a fraught and difficult process. The very contentious nature of our work and our clientele is not one that attracts huge levels of funding.

We have nevertheless survived some difficult challenges, however it’s with huge sadness that we report, today, as we stand, the entire future of Code 7 is now in doubt.

The sad fact is that without good sense prevailing or some other immediate intervention, we will have to close, leaving hundreds of young people in Lambeth, both bereft and abandoned.  If that happens, then the message that will be sent to young people, living in the most violent borough’s in London is ‘You’re on your own’.

Despite lots of promises from Lambeth Council about their repeated commitments to secure Code 7 a permanent home, 17 years on we are still waiting. In 2013 Lambeth did identify a potential building. Lambeth gave us £10,000 for a property feasibility study demanding we raise a matching fund of £10,000. We secured the funds and Lambeth waited until we completed the feasibility study and then sold the building behind our backs, betraying the community, wasting valuable time and taxpayers’ money.  In total, £20,000 was completely wasted which could have helped towards paying our license fee for the next 2 years.

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Consequently, we missed real opportunities to spend our time on fundraising to ensure our sustainability. Two years were wasted and cost us in the region of £60,000 in loss of potential funds. We lost key members of staff who were disillusioned by the extraordinary move by the Council and left us struggling to find the right staff to continue delivering our in-demand service to young people.

For the last 5 years we have been based at the Springfield Community Medical Centre, Union Road, Lambeth. Lambeth Council initially provided support for rent, however in February 2016, we were informed that the License will have to be paid by Code 7 henceforth. Desperate, at the time, we entered into extensive correspondence with the Council (see appendices below) and called the Chief Executive of Lambeth, Sean Harris numerous times but to no great effect.

On Tuesday 19th July 2016, we received an email from Lambeth informing us that Lambeth will have to ‘restrict access’ to our offices at Springfield if we did not pay an almost £6,000 bill.  In this same week, we received a bill for electric costs of £1995, which was backdated to 2014. This was despite Lambeth Council having confirmed, at that time, that Code 7’s service charge payments were all up to date.

Fast-forward to this week July 5th 2017 and again Lambeth is threating to lock us out of our own offices if the exorbitant licence fee and all arrears are not paid.

In the last two weeks, we have written to the Leader of Lambeth Council Lib Peck and the CEO Sean Harris proposing a right to buy/ asset transfer of a historic community centre, 365 Brixton Road, under the provisions of the Localism Act 2011. We are determined to secure our future, and to do that we need your help.

Thank you and I look forward to your reply and feedback.

Yours sincerely,

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Code 7 Board of Trustees

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List of communications with Lambeth Council re Code 7 Imminent Closure

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• Briefing Note To All Lambeth Counsellors (06.06.17)

• Letter To Lib Peck Leader of Lambeth Council (31.05.17)

• Letter To Lib Peck Leader of Lambeth Council (24.05.17)

• Letter To Cllr Paul McGlone (03.08.16)

• Letter To Lambeth Council (Challenges 29.07.16)

• Letter To Sean Harriss CEO Lambeth (07.02.16)

Please Take The Following Actions for Code 7

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1. Visit our website www.code7.live to access more background info and register, under contact menu tab at the top right hand side of page, for further campaign updates.

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2. Sign our petition at: http://bit.ly/2rM5uSu

3. Please donate to our survival-fund raising fighting fund here…  https://www.gofundme.com/code7charity

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4. Write to Lambeth Council, the Mayor of London supporting our request to have the Licence fee substantively reduced, to cancel any outstanding arrears unilaterally imposed by the Council in April 2017 and support our right to apply for the community asset transfer of the community centre at 365 Brixton Road to Code 7. Please copy Code 7 into any correspondence code7music@live.co.uk

5. Follow us on our social media platforms featured below and share this information with friends, colleagues and your networks. Twitter: https://twitter.com/code_7_charity / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Codesevencharity