The Jason Roberts Foundation (JRF) supported the delivery of four community events in collaboration with Brent Libraries, Culture and Heritage as part of the Our Freedom: Then and Now project. These events were made possible through collaborative community funding following a UK Government grant awarded via Arts Council England. JRF’s role centred on community engagement, coordination and ensuring that activities were accessible to a wide range of residents, particularly young people and families.
The programme included events at Harlesden Library featuring former professional footballers Richard Langley and Mark Stein, who shared personal reflections on their careers, identity and life after sport. Their stories of resilience and opportunity strongly resonated with young people and families, helping to connect sport, culture and lived experience in a way that encouraged aspiration and meaningful dialogue.
Additional sessions were delivered by Connie Henry MBE and Yamilé Aldama, both respected athletes and advocates for youth development. A standout moment was the interactive Your Move event, where Yamilé spoke about her childhood in Cuba and her love of chess, showing how strategic thinking, discipline and creativity shaped her journey. This session effectively bridged culture, heritage and personal development, engaging participants in conversations about freedom, choice and opportunity across generations.
Alongside these events, Splats Entertainment worked with children and families to create a short performance exploring the theme of Then and Now, comparing childhood during the Second World War with childhood today. Splats, a circus, drama and mask company, used these art forms to help participants explore the theme in an engaging and accessible way. The project took place at Wembley Library on Saturday afternoons, beginning with a circus workshop and an introduction to the period through discussion, children’s books and videos from Brent Libraries. The children had no prior awareness of the war or its ending, and the sessions helped build their understanding while giving them the chance to try new skills.
Parents and children spoke warmly about the experience, describing it as “amazing”, “fabulous” and “a great opportunity”. Several families attended every week, saying they had “learnt a lot” and that the Splats team were “great teachers”. Many highlighted how valuable it was to have free weekend activities for younger children, noting that “there is nothing to do at the weekend with small children” and that the sessions offered something enjoyable and accessible. Children particularly loved trying out different equipment, practising balance skills and experimenting with circus props – with one young participant proudly sharing, “It was so good playing. I liked the plate and stick.”
In addition to the Splats workshops, the programme also included a series of heritage-focused events across Brent Libraries:
- Kingsbury Coffee Morning: Wembley’s 1948 Olympic Games with local historian Philip Grant at Kingsbury Library
- Wartime Letters from Wembley’s Preston Park with Philip Grant at Wembley Library
- Stepping Back in Time: WW2 Object Handling Session and Coffee Morning with the Brent Heritage Team at The Library at Willesden Green
- The Higher You Build Your Barriers, the Taller We Become: a celebration of the history of women in football with author Phil Vasili at The Library at Willesden Green
- Engage with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: a lunchtime concert at The Library at Willesden Green
Overall, the events contributed significantly to local cultural engagement and provided opportunities for residents to connect with different perspectives through accessible, community based activity.