We are proud to have been recognised in the BPIC Awards for Best Community Project. This is our third social value award we have achieved this year.
This accolade has been awarded for the work we have completed in the community in Walthamstow, as part of our Soho Theatre Walthamstow project.
Above: The team with the award
We are currently transforming the theatre from an empty and deteriorating building, into an exciting new London venue. The building will benefit from better ventilation, cooling, and a weather-tight exterior, with the live performance venue consisting of 1000 seats with restaurants, café, and bar areas. A true revitalisation of the space and a regeneration of Walthamstow’s high street.
In addition to creating a vibrant building within the heart of Walthamstow, working with Waltham Forest Council, we generated over £6.5m social return on investment within the local community. This includes working with several different local schools, colleges, and businesses within Walthamstow.
We have partnered with local businesses to support people into work as well as providing work experience, construction tours, CV writing sessions, and talks about potential career opportunities within the construction industry. To create greener spaces, we have donated and planted trees within the local community, hosted discussions around the importance of sustainability and run mini projects with pupils to design and pitch their own school whilst working within a team to divide up responsibilities. Connecting over 1000 people locally, we have helped to support people into better careers and improve employment.
A large contribution to our social value work was the three community-based projects ran by our management trainees, as part of their annual Trainee Challenge. This solely focused on improving local spaces, providing more green space, and encouraging people outdoors.
Above: Our management trainees at the Trainee Challenge last year
The first project was at Langthorne Park; a play centre and toy library for children and parents. This focused on improving their outdoor space and indoor area to facilitate community sessions.
The second project was at Project Zero; a community centre focused on reducing knife crime to zero in Walthamstow. Here, we decorated indoor areas, which were later used when King Charles and Queen Camilla visited, and enhanced the biodiversity outdoors to invite people to socialise.
The third project was at Lime Academy, an SEN school, where we created an accessible school farm for them to encourage students to be outside and learn about agriculture.
To continue this legacy, we have been working with Project Zero by hosting sessions to promote young people into the industry and work on improving racial diversity in the industry.
Above: CGI of how the completed project will look at Soho Theatre Walthamstow
As a result of the work we have been delivering on the theatre, it was taken off of the Theatre’s at Risk Register this year. This was a major milestone in the building’s history which we are proud to be a part of.
We are proud of the work we have achieved on this project so far and the value it is already delivering to the local community and pleased this has been recognised in receiving this award