Preservation
To preserve the rich legacy of North Kensington and to inspire others.
Walk of Honour · New Wave Arts CIC
Why We Started
The Walk of Honour began with a community petition and became a shared effort to preserve North Kensington's legacy, celebrate local contribution, and create an educational record for future generations.
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Why We Started Context
Why This Walk Needed to Begin
The founding vision started with local history and local dignity: making sure the story of North Kensington stayed visible and teachable.
North Kensington was once regarded as one of the five poorest areas in England and received central government support through City Challenge funding.
The Walk of Honour is designed to keep those histories visible and connected to present and future community life, so contribution is remembered and passed on.
Parliamentary records from June 1997 show the North Kensington City Challenge partnership had received about GBP 66.2 million in public funding and GBP 29.7 million in private funding by 31 March 1996.
How It Began
From Petition to Public Launch
Local support, trust partnership, and a committed community team turned an idea into built heritage.
Step 1
Community support through petition
After gaining local support through a petition it instigated, New Wave Arts CIC approached the Westway Trust with a proposal to place the Walk of Honour on the walkway between Ladbroke Grove and Portobello Road.
Step 2
Permission and committee formation
Permission was granted. The directors of New Wave Arts then formed a committee with local people whose support was invaluable in bringing the Walk into reality.
Step 3
Design and fabrication
The stars were designed by committee member Mr Junior Tomlin, a talented local and internationally recognised artist. Tomomi Yoshida was commissioned to make the stars.
Step 4
Launch and ribbon cutting
A public launch followed, attended by the then Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Cllr. Preety Hudd, who joined local community members to cut the ribbon. The opening marked a key moment where local collaboration became a visible public legacy.
Objectives of the Stars
What the Walk Was Built to Do
These five objectives define the purpose of the stars and the wider civic role of the project.
Inspiration
Despite many problems, North Kensington produced people who achieved national and international recognition through hard work, commitment and belief.
Education
To educate local and other people about the history of North Kensington and what emerged from it, and to show that hope exists even at the end of a very dark tunnel.
Community
To show how people from different countries and cultures learnt to respect one another and work over time towards one shared community.
Unity
In major tragedies like Grenfell, the community came together as one family, calling for social justice while helping neighbours in need.
These stars reflect the story of the North Kensington community.
New Wave Arts CIC
The Five Stars Vision
The Original Five Stars
The Walk consisted of five big stars: Community, Arts, Music, Sports and Market.
Community
Paying tribute to people whose work strengthened everyday life in North Kensington.
Arts
Recognising visual and cultural contributors across generations.
Music
Celebrating musical talent and local sound heritage.
Sports
Highlighting sporting contribution, coaching and local achievement.
Market
Honouring traders and market culture that helped define local identity.
The idea of the stars was to document North Kensington's rich history, pay tribute to people from its many communities, and act as an informative educational tool.
New Wave Arts CIC project vision
People Who Shaped It
Key Contributors
The people who helped bring the Walk of Honour to life.
Mr Junior Tomlin
Committee member and internationally recognised artist who designed the Walk of Honour stars.
Tomomi Yoshida
Talented artist commissioned to fabricate the Walk of Honour stars, translating the committee's vision into lasting public artworks.
Community Committee
A committed group of local people helped shape and deliver the Walk of Honour from concept to launch.
The Westway
The Walk of Honour was placed underneath the Westway on the walkway between Ladbroke Grove and Portobello Road, rooting the project in a key North Kensington location.
Funding and Support
Who Made It Possible
The Walk of Honour was made possible by institutional support, family contributions and local donations.
Ambition and Lessons
Caribbean Communities Garden Proposal
An important part of the original vision that reflects both ambition and delivery constraints.
Community Space Vision
A place for intergenerational connection
As part of its commitment to strong community growth and recognition of local talent, New Wave Arts CIC proposed a Caribbean Communities Garden where young and older people could meet, converse and learn from each other while playing games such as chess, snakes and ladders, and other board games. The proposal reflected the many communities across the Caribbean islands, including African-descended, mixed-heritage, Indo-Caribbean, Indigenous Kalinago/Carib and Garifuna, as well as Chinese, Syrian/Lebanese, and European-descended communities.
The idea received support in the form of a series of petitions but did not progress to implementation.
What Comes Next
More Stars to Come
It is hoped that additional stars can be laid, space allowing, following local community nomination. This next phase is about recognising more people whose service shaped North Kensington.
Future nominations
Future stars can honour individuals, often forgotten, who made it their life work to help and support the local community.
Examples include teachers, nurses, cleaners and labourers whose service helped hold North Kensington together in difficult periods.