In 2018 a group of local people came together to turn an abandoned toilet block into a beautiful village hall and kitchen and, hey presto, Liberty Hall was born! Now the same team wants to turn the undercroft of nearby St Thomas' church into a fabulous community hub. With our energy - and your investment - this hidden space can find new life as a hub for different communities to come together and for new ideas to grow.

What we'll deliver:

• A newly decorated exercise studio for yoga, mindfulness, boxing, martial arts and more
• An open plan canteen and servery for community meals and events
• 6 newly fit out bookable studios/meeting rooms to be used for offices, therapy rooms, or podcast studios
• A community arts residency programme
• Project costs to support Carib Eats meals delivery service grow
• Project costs to support a youth mentoring programme using the studio
• A newly renovated kitchen available for hire and community events
• A bright ground floor common room space for supper clubs, after school clubs, and for showcasing new and local artists
• A welcoming entrance and signage

Why it's a great idea:

This year we have seen first hand the importance of neighbours helping neighbours. This is what Clapton Commons is all about. And as we emerge from the pandemic we want now to offer spaces for these relationships and our communities to heal and prosper. The Common Rooms will offer multiple spaces with different possible uses, evolving with the needs and input of our local communities. Local people, whatever their age, faith or background will be able to access a breadth of activities, from intergenerational community meals, children craft classes, youth mentoring programmes, yoga classes, community arts projects, and therapy rooms. By offering these facilities and supporting local projects to grow within them, we will be providing opportunities for people volunteer and learn, as well as promoting wellbeing, encouraging community cohesion and reducing isolation.

Steps to get it done:

• March 21 Agree terms of licence agreement with St Thomas' Church
• April - May 21 Complete Building Control and Faculty sign off
• April 21 Put project out to tender with contractors
• May 21 Complete Spacehive
• June 21 Purchase materials for renovation
• July - August 21 Undertake renovation in Undercroft
• July - August 21 Undertake renovations in ground floor hall
• July - August 21 Renew entrance and signage
• July - September 21 Market space locally and invite bookings
• September 21 Launch with first activities

As well as creating the spaces, we’re also backing three key projects already working to help our neighbourhood recover and rebuild itself after the pandemic. - Ali, who has been preparing hot meals and social connection for 70 elders every week, will be developing her outreach using our new canteen. - Martial Arts leader Garry, who mentors boys away from gang activity and will be running a project that engage directly with families on our local estates in our studios and meeting spaces. - And building on other successful community arts projects this year, we’ll be supporting a local artist to work with neighbours to develop a public arts project, helping us to make sense of the last year.