Working with women in Bethnal Green, Sew Talented teaches textile skills to adults who produce and sell handmade products both to support the charity and to gain valuable work experience. With Tower Hamlets being very ethnically diverse, the women who participate not only learn new skills but also have the opportunity to learn English as a second language. This helps many of our learners enter the workplace or go on to further courses for the first time. The success of our course is demonstrated by our talented course tutor Aziza - a previous student of the course who has taken the project from strength to strength. Sew Talented has been running in Tower Hamlets for over 10 years - and now we need your help to continue to secure it's future for another year.

The foreshores of the tidal Thames are among London’s most precious and unique spaces. As ancient access points fall into disrepair or ‘disappear’ through neglect and abandonment, access to the foreshore is becoming increasingly challenging. Wayfinding to the functioning steps is generally poor or non-existent which further inhibits opportunities to enjoy this remarkable space. There is a history of recreational use of the foreshore. The Tower of London’s ‘Children’s Beach’ was, for decades, a hugely popular space for Londoners. Opened in 1934 by King George V, the beach closed in 1971 due to fears of water contamination. Although the river is cleaner now, the beach has never reopened and foreshore access has generally become more restricted. Securing access through restoration of the historic stairs, will create a truly democratic shared space, to be enjoyed by the local community, and will enable all Londoners to access their river and explore its foreshore.

Wellclose Square Saturday Market is more than a market - it's an opportunity to reclaim and revitalise historic public space through the provision of a platform of opportunities for local businesses, cultural groups and community organisations. Wellclose Square through it's market will evolve into a connector between generations, cultures and technologies - a role akin to that it previously enjoyed when established 333 years ago. The market will be embedded within a diverse area that we want to support and help thrive. Wellclose Square is East London's Oldest Formal Square, and the changing nature of this (currently neglected) city square over time inspires our vision. Our vision considers: the past - we wish to REVIVE the memory of the area the present - we will CREATE a market where people can meet and discover the future - the market aims to CONNECT a place and community to the wider context of London, progressive developing thought, culture and technologies

Hackney WickED Art Festival has championed the community of Hackney Wick & Fish Island since 2008 developing a reputation for creating large (35,000 people in 2014), unique, free & one off art events, inhabiting unused land. “The work you do in Hackney Wick is a wonderful celebration of the area and its creative heritage. I wish you all the best as you continue in your ambitions to highlight the cultural brilliance of this area.” Boris Johnson The areas rapid change from industrial wasteland to culture hub sitting alongside the Olympicopolis has forced us to reassess our delivery. Following a large audience & artist study (supported by ACE, Legacy List & LLDC) it became clear that the next stage of our development would be to facilitate a series of events (Open Studios, markets, exhibitions, commissions, music, film screenings, workshops, talks). We need your support to allow us to expand on the benefits of our annual festival to support the local creative community & local economy.

The funds will enable the creation & fitting out of a brand new; - Coffee Shop & Community cafe with a garden: Serving great locally roasted coffee & healthy food, hosting workshops for the local community, bringing people together in a hub space, hosting employment training programmes alongside volunteering & work placements, and creating jobs. - Arts & performance space: Hosting a range of arts projects & creative workshops, bringing the community together for performances & creating volunteering placements & jobs. - Recording Studio & Media training suite: Hosting a range of media & creative training & education programmes, providing a space for local people to record music & creating volunteer & work placement opportunities.   The space for all of these projects will be provided by Shoreditch Tab church within their brand new building but we have a need to raise funds to purchase the materials and equipment for each of these elements of the project.