Paul Clement on Maryland Ward Group early success

A hotel next to the River Thames — Good Hotel, Royal Victoria Dock by N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

One of Newham’s newest residents’ groups, launched earlier this year in response to a range of problems in Maryland – unsafe pavements because of cyclists; endemic flytipping, and the open selling of drugs on residential streets – has won one of east London’s leading community honours.

The Maryland Ward Group received the Outstanding Initiative in Community Cohesion award at the East London Community Heroes Awards 2026, hosted by Rotary Club Stratford at the Royal Docks’s Good Hotel in July.

In addition, Babs Pierre, the Group leader, received the John James Memorial Good Neighbour Award, recognising her outstanding commitment to bringing local people together and championing the Maryland community.

The event was attended by local MPs Sir Stephen Timms and James Asser, as well as the mayor of Newham, Forhad Hussain. Since its launch in March, the Maryland Ward Group has grown into a can-do grassroots association, and a respected voice for one of Newham’s most overlooked neighbourhoods.

Volunteers held a Big Cultural Lunch in June, a meet-the-neighbours afternoon with food and family games on the Chandos Road Open Space. This is the only public green in Maryland.

Several dozen people came along – including Maryland’s two Green councillors, and the new Mayor of Newham. The Maryland Ward Group has built bridges between neighbours, businesses, councillors, police and community organisations, creating a trusted
forum where local people work together to solve problems, rather than simply complain about them.

In its short existence, the group has racked up several wins, campaigning to have the popular Freetail Unit community swap-shop on Chandos Road E15 reinstated. It has also supported efforts to safeguard the Hibiscus Centre, a local meeting hub for
African and Caribbean elders.

Importantly, the group has also become Maryland’s “village square” – a positive, constructive space where residents exchange information, celebrate local successes and support one another.

Monthly meetings are now helping strengthen links with local businesses and encouraging wider civic participation.

The group is now looking to build on this momentum. Among its ambitions is the creation of an occasional Maryland street market centred around the neighbourhood’s distinctive twisted clock, the local landmark that inspired the Maryland Ward Group’s logo.

The aim is to breathe new life into the attractive but underused public space.

The Maryland Ward Group shows that community spirit can thrive when people are given opportunities to connect. But it hopes more residents will become part of that story.

Babs Pierre said: “Winning these awards is a wonderful recognition of what local people can achieve when they come together with a shared purpose. We’ve accomplished so much. I hope these awards will be a springboard for even greater things..”

The East London Community Heroes Awards celebrate individuals and organisations making an exceptional contribution to their communities across East London. Receiving two awards in its first year is significant.

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