Islamic Community Centre (ICC) was established in
March 1984 through the hard work and devotion of some people living in
North London since the 1970s. The organisation began its community
activities in a residential house at 257 Philip Lane, N15.
ICC
moved to its present location in 115 Clyde Road in 1986. It was
previously a glass factory which was converted into a community centre.
It was by the goodwill of the community and the support from the local
authority that the leasehold of the premises was purchased. Haringey
Council provided a generous £50,000 (50% of the purchase price) grant.
At
the beginning, ICC served mainly the local Asian community who had come
to the UK as economic migrants. It provided and assisted in the
delivery of services to meet spiritual, cultural and recreational needs
of the community. As this group of people needed advice and information
on settling down in the UK, a few public spirited members of the
community living in the area provided the necessary assistance and
support on a voluntary basis.
Over the years, the number of
Muslims from different parts of the world settling in the area
increased. ICC was instrumental in helping the newcomers integrate into
the wider society through its range of services. It continued to
diversify its activities to meet changing needs of the growing Muslim
community in the locality. An example is that it forged partnerships
with other like minded organisations to provide ESOL, job search and
ICT training to unemployed people from BAME, refugee and asylum seeker
background.
Over time, ICC has expanded to serve communities of
diverse ethnic backgrounds such as Africans, Arabs, African Caribbeans
and people from Eastern Europe.
Islamic Community Centre was registered as a charity organisation on 24 June 1992.
Despite
being a small community centre in a predominantly residential area,
ICC's services have become extremely popular. This is because of its
inclusive and welcoming approach to its diverse user groups. However,
the community centre struggles to cope with the demand placed upon it
by its numerous user groups. Due to the lack of resources and
infrastructures in the current premises, ICC has not been able to
provide adequate services to its users. Expansion is necessary to
address this problem.
In February 2005, ICC purchased the
freehold title of the land from Haringey Council and immediately
embarked on a 1.5 million pounds rebuilding project. Plans have already
begun to build a new purpose-built community centre and mosque at the
present site. Planning permission was obtained from the local authority
in September 2006.
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