James Smith has lived on Loraine Estate in Holloway for almost 30 years. In that time, he’s spruced up the estate significantly through his gardening, which residents really appreciate. For the past year, the council has been running a project with residents whereby they’ve been given the power to decide how £70,000 of funding is spent to improve their lives and their health.

As Chair of the Community Centre Committee, James has played a significant role in this process, which he describes as having a hugely positive impact on the community and its togetherness. It’s also given him the opportunity to give his greening project wings, and he’s already started to see the fruits of his labour in the new vegetable pots that have been installed for communal use. 

What made you want to get involved?

I’ve lived on the estate since 1994, so this is very much home. I started gardening on the estate around 2010, working in our courtyard and then helping with others. While I was gardening, people would often stop and chat. It made me think: wouldn’t it be great if more people got involved? 

When this scheme was first discussed, I saw it as a real opportunity to make the estate look as good as it possibly could and encourage residents to use and improve their surroundings. 

Before I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s five years ago, I could work on all the courtyards in half a day each week. These days I’m still active, whether that’s singing with the Kentish Town Parkinson’s Choir, performing poetry, playing music with my band, The Beach Bullies, or taking part in the courses offered by the council funding, but it’s so useful, with my new reality, to have other estate volunteers participating.  

Some of the signing sticks really well because it’s such a visual language. 

What does the Loraine Estate mean to you?

This is my home. I’ve lived here for more than half my life and I love it. It’s so conveniently placed and it’s one of the most cosmopolitan areas of London. 

What I really value is the sense of community. On the Community Centre Committee we have representatives from all around the world, including Turkish, Afghan and Ecuadorian communities. We say that everyone is a minority here, so nobody is – we’re all in it together, and people generally get along very well. 

When I first spotted the estate while living in Cambridge, I was struck by the architecture. It has touches of modernism and Art Deco. It felt distinctive then and it still does now. 

What change would make the biggest difference to your everyday life here?

I’d love to see even more improvements to our green spaces and shared areas. During lockdown I created a two-metre by one-metre vegetable garden, and I’ve spent a lot of time caring for the estate’s mature rose beds, which are one of my passions since childhood.  

How does it feel to have your vote directly influence what happens in your community?

The process has been brilliant. I genuinely think it’s created a stronger sense of community. At our most recent summer party we had our biggest turnout yet, with people from every block attending.   

This estate is like a small village, and we’re developing more villagey mindsets. You get all sorts of personalities and people, and it’s so rewarding when someone stops me when gardening to say, “We don’t live here, we just like seeing what you’ve done with the garden.”