London’s five star hotel, The Landmark has announced a new partnership with the Marylebone Project.

The Marylebone Project is an initiative established to fund worthwhile social causes in the Church Street Ward of Marylebone and despite its location in Westminster its residents are amongst the poorest in the country with the highest score for children living in poverty. The area has responded well to regeneration funding and The Landmark London Hotel is delighted to be contributing to keeping up momentum in harsher times to help support its schools, nurseries, clubs or old and young, greening projects, young apprentices and entrepreneurs.

Guests at The Landmark London are asked to contribute an additional charitable GBP1 to their final bill. The funds generously raised by The Landmark London’s guests are then passed on to the Marylebone Project to support a number of key projects in the Church Street Ward. In addition to the raising of charitable funds, The Landmark London has pledged to devote a wealth of volunteers to the Marylebone Project together with the establishment of a mentoring project. The objective of this mentoring project is to provide young unemployed people within the Church Street Ward with work experience opportunities within The Landmark London itself.

In partnership with the Marylebone Project, The Landmark London will focus on four key projects:

The Fourth Feathers Youth Club Project
The Landmark will be providing financial assistance and volunteers to ensure this worth while youth club which has been subject to a cut in council funding will now remain open during the Easter holiday period to help provide support and activities to children from the Ward.

Hanging Flower Baskets Project
A recent cut in council funding will result in the removal of the colourful flowering baskets from Church Street and Lilestone Street in May 2011. The Landmark London will provide the funds for The Flower Basket Project to supply and maintain 24 heavy-duty wire baskets along the above named streets. Maintenance services are inclusive of 2 seasonal plantings in summer and Autumn.

The Stitches-in-Time Project
The aim of the Stiches in Time “English for sewing” course is primarily to help woman to develop their confidence to acquire new skills in textiles whilst extending their spoken English language, which would enable them to progress towards further training or employment. The Stitches-in-Time Project will provide an 8-week course to enable parents and residents from the Church Street Ward and Landmark staff to come together in an informal setting. The course will begin with basic introductions to sewing techniques, and then carry on with each person contributing a piece of patchwork to the final product while improving their conversational English. All involved will learn sewing techniques and how to use a sewing machine. Linking to employment and training, staff members from the Landmark could talk about their different journeys to employment. The end product being placed on display in The Landmark.

Cornwall Camping Project for the Portman Early Childhood Centre
Later in the year, funds raised by The Landmark London will be used to take disadvantaged children from The Portman Early Childhood Centre on a trip to a farm in Cornwall. The project aims to take 10 children (between 8-12 years old) and 3 adults on a camping holiday for 5 nights to a farm in Cornwall. In addition to farm activities, there will be a visit to Bodmin Jail Museum, pony trekking on Bodmin Moor, surfing lessons and attending Footsbarn Theatre Company.

Church Street Ward Clean-up Project
Volunteers from The Landmark London will join the hardworking volunteers from the Church Street Ward in participating in a Ward Clean-up Project to create a more favourable environment for residents to live and work in.

The Landmark London team are delighted to be able to contribute to there nearby local community by having the opportunity to assist not only financially but also through other means of support.  They hope their assistance will have a lasting impact on the local residents of the Church Street Ward and the following generations through projects for its schools, nurseries, clubs for old and young, greening projects, young apprentices and entrepreneurs