Last year we leased a vacant office unit in our apartment building on Kingsland Road to create a community hub called House of Transformation - www.hotspaces.org. Once it is safe to gather again, we are planning on hosting a post-lockdown programme of recurring outdoor and indoor events designed to reignite the spirit of community in our local neighbourhood post lockdown and showcase local heritage / community projects, makers, musicians and artists. We are calling this programme H:FEST. The content of H:FEST will focus on wellbeing, the arts and sustainability. We will be hosting weekend conferences, creative workshops, local art exhibitions, community dinners, sustainability hackathons and wellness events. Your investment will fund the co-design and transformation of the courtyard space as well as making critical improvements to House of Transformation. This will enable us to successfully launch H:FEST and deliver hundreds of community events post-lockdown.

What we'll deliver:

• 100+ workshops / experiences split over 6+ recurring monthly pop-up festivals
• We will buy x100 silent disco headsets & controller that we will share for outdoor dance events
• We will buy indoor and outdoor lighting equipment and flexible decorations for pop-up community dinners and experiences
• We will support local artists, venues and businesses that have been hit hard by the lockdowns
• Engage hundreds of our neighbours in experiences and discussions that will improve their wellbeing and mental health
• Create a great sense of community and connectivity in our neighbourhood, where you know your neighbours
• Support sustainable food and arts projects through running crowdsourcing workshops and pitch events
• We will co-design, co-build and purchase pop-up furniture that we can use for ongoing outdoor events
• We will transform our courtyard space so that we can host community gatherings and pop-up exhibitions.
• Build some planters where we can grow some of our own greens and vegetables

Why it's a great idea:

The primary benefit is the impact on the wellbeing of the people who attend our events. We have been deprived of social interaction for so long and this is having an significant impact on everyone's mental health. The secondary benefit lies in the additional footfall and revenues that we can generate for local artists, musicians, wellness practitioners and small business and venues who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. The third benefit is economic and educational. By bringing people together we enable new connections and collaborations, that could result in job opportunities or new businesses being setup. We will also look to bring an educational and skill-sharing element to our programme, where we look into the future of retail, the future of work and the future of living / housing. The final benefit lies in environmental projects and causes that we will support and initiate at a local level. We will promote a zero waste circular economy approach to all our events.

Steps to get it done:

• Complete co-design + co-build of furniture and exhibition walls. Buy headsets, lighting and decorations - April
• Setup operational team and decide on launch weekend for our first H:FEST (depending on COVID restrictions) - April
• 1st H:FEST weekend - May
• 2nd H:FEST weekend - June
• 3rd H:FEST weekend - July
• 4th H:FEST weekend - Aug
• 5th H:FEST weekend - Sep
• 6th & FINAL H:FEST weekend - Oct
• Reach financial sustainability so that we can continue to host community gatherings & events at House of Transformation
• Setup H:FEST as a cooperatively owned social enterprise
• Scale up H:FEST to a multi-venue neighbourhood wide urban festival

We accomplished a lot during last year’s lockdown. However, to keep building on this momentum we need your help. We have set a goal of £20k, of which we hope £10k can be matched by the Mayor of London. This leaves us with £10k to raise through our networks. Every pound that you invest in this campaign will be converted into a digital coin that you will be able to spend at H:FEST and HOT events. One of the ideas we are considering is to build some planters so that we can grow some of our own food in the courtyard as well as hosting community gatherings and art exhibitions. Your investment will fund the co-design and transformation of the courtyard space as well as making critical improvements to House of Transformation. This will enable us to successfully launch H:FEST and deliver hundreds of community events post-lockdown. Let ’s unleash a post-lockdown wave of positivity and collaboration.