Mayor opens Shiraz Mirza Trust Manor Park Hall in New Malden
London, 10 November 2009

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today officially opened the Shiraz Mirza Trust Manor Park Hall in New Malden. He was joined by local volunteers and business owners who have helped to make the new community centre a reality. This is the second Shiraz Mirza community hall to open in the borough, offering local residents space for cultural events, business seminars, language and health classes.

The centres are the vision of Councillor Shiraz Mirza who became the first Asian Mayor for Kingston when he originally took up the post in 2000. He has since served as Mayor for a second term and is currently Deputy Mayor in the borough. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: "This fantastic new facility is entirely down to the hard toil and sheer determination of local businesses and volunteers, who have transformed a neglected site into a top-notch centre for the whole community. Local halls, such as this, are a social hub bringing people together and my congratulations to the Shiraz Mirza Trust for creating a neighbourhood haven here in Kingston."

Councillor Shiraz Mirza said: “I am delighted that the Mayor of London has joined us today to officially open our second hall. Opening a second centre has meant that we have tripled our capacity and the local community has been so enthusiastic about the new hall that we are booked out on Saturdays already well into 2010.

“All the work of running the hall is done by volunteers, and there are no paid employees. It's their hall, it's for the local community, and we will always give them priority, so we keep weekends for family or cultural bookings.”

The first centre, the Shiraz Mirza Community Hall (capacity 120), opened in Norbiton in 2003. The Shiraz Mirza Trust Manor Park Hall, opened on 10th November 2009, has a capacity of 300. Both halls are managed by the Shiraz Mirza Community Hall Trust, and are run with the support of local businesses.