Mother House: studios with childcare

As a supporter of the 'Mother House: Studios With Childcare' crowdfunding campaign, we are writing to let you know about some important changes to the project. We are pleased to say that the project is still progressing well and we hope to soon be able to deliver an affordable artists' studio model with integrated childcare. However, there has been one significant change that we must inform you of, with regards to the proposed location that had been chosen in Deptford, which can no longer be used. Fortunately, an alternative suitable location in Catford has been identified. Creating opportunities for people to access affordable workspaces is a priority for LB Lewisham, as outlined in their Business Growth Strategy for 2013-23. Due to a growing number of artists and especially family households moving to the area, Catford is planned to be the next area of creative development in Lewisham, with investments and activities planned for the upcoming ‘Borough of Culture’ programme. We think this makes it an ideal location for the Mother House Studios. Aligned with Catford Mews values, we are committed to prioritising the community of local artist-mothers in Catford and adjacent areas in Lewisham, critically helping women return to work. This site has been agreed by all parties and we hope to make an official announcement about this as soon as contracts have been signed in the coming weeks. We can confirm that the nature of the project remains completely unchanged and The Mother House will still cater for the same number of artists and children as initially planned. The Mayor of London’s pledge also remains unaffected. Over the coming months, we intend to employ and engage people in the community by partnering with local organisations and groups. The first engagement is with local artists and families; we will open the studios for Open studio days and activities designed for the local community of artists and families, as per the original campaign. We will open with 18 to 21 desks, 2 child-development practitioners employed, 2 part time studio managers from the PCP team and up to 5 volunteers in the first 6 months of operation. The Mother House will be a valuable addition to Catford Mews’ programme for the local community, bringing arts and entertainment, education and creative activities for all ages into one big hub. The public programme will be organised using both the ground floor public exhibition area in partnership with Catford Mews, and our flexible setting in the artists studio and children area on the first floor, depending on the nature of the events. If you are happy to continue to support this project despite the change of location, you do not need to take any further action. If your willingness to support the project is affected by the changes described above, please contact Spacehive via [email protected] by 5pm on Friday 18th September to discuss this matter further. For those of you waiting for rewards, thank you for your patience. We will be shipping them when everything is confirmed and they will be with you hopefully by the end of October. Thank you for the precious support and we look forward to welcoming you at the Mother House studio soon. Paola & Dyana Procreate Project; Project Delivery Manager for Mother House Studio.

Dear all, we hope that 2019 started brightly for you. A quick update from us. All pledges are shortly going to be collected, everything's going well with planning the project delivery and we will keep you posted on future developments. Don't forget to follow us on social media @procreateproject and @motherhousestudios on Instagram. Thank you again for you incredible support.