The Charity started with only 2 years money at a time when there was a lot of dereliction around.  It set 4 priorities for its work.

1. REAL TRAINING RELEVANT TO LOCAL PEOPLE.  This gave rise to Pitstop the Motor training project which was built with a borrowed structure on the site of some vandalised garages.  After 17 years this successful project was terminated suddenly by Newham Council.

2.  THE ENVIRONMENT.  A wasteland became the site of the group’s summer nature schemes which ran for several years.  The Ashburton site has since been the target of other projects and remains a nature reserve to date.

3.  A NEW FACILITY.  A burnt out community centre was left after a tower block’s demolition and the idea developed that this should be rebuilt as a modern child care centre.  By 2002 the CH&CTCRP had raised the required funds, built a modern child care facility (The Abrahams Nursery) and tenanted it with a charitable nursery provider.

4.  St LUKE’s.  The largest derelict asset in the area was the old St. Luke’s Church. The group decided to try and acquire this much loved building and use it as a site for some of the social facilities that were needed in the area.  After a long campaign St. Luke’s was obtained for £1 by order of Her Majesty’s Privy Council. The Charity was able to raise European capital grants targeted on poor areas and Heritage Lottery Fund support to redevelop the building. The first tenants moved in during 1998.