Churchill Place Archives

Founders Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham talk simulators, Trendygolf and why they’ve expanded to east London with their latest launch

Pitch's Canary Wharf venue is located at 30 Churchill Place — Pitch’s Canary Wharf venue is located at 30 Churchill Place – image by Jon Massey

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Pitch’s Canary Wharf opening is a serious statement of intent.

Spread over two floors at the base of 30 Churchill Place, with views over the dock to Hawksmoor, it extends to some 14,500sq ft.

But it’s what founders Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham have put in the space that sets it apart as something entirely different for the estate.

Firstly there’s the golf – Pitch’s primary function.

The venue boasts 11 simulator bays, the first physical Trendygolf shop for apparel and accessories and a PGA Academy.

This is a place where people who are serious about clubs and handicaps can play detailed renderings of the most famous courses in the world.

But it’s more than that.

The bays also offer arcade-style games and challenges where players compete to get closest to the pin.

Its bars and restaurant offer spaces to socialise and relax for those new to golf or who prefer to do their talking on the shuffleboard table.

Then there’s the record collection…

It’s an evolution of a business Elliot and Chris first started as a concession in a gym in the City.

Pitch founders Elliot Godfrey, left, and Chris Ingham - image Jon Massey — Pitch founders Elliot Godfrey, left, and Chris Ingham – image by Jon Massey

from friends to business partners

“We’ve known each other since we were playing as teenagers – we’re both from Luton,” said Elliot.

“We’ve always been good friends and played golf competitively as professionals.

“We went our separate ways – Chris to Austria and I fell out of love with the game for a bit, perhaps because I’d played too much when I was young.

“At that time I was more into DJ-ing and so on.”

Both missed playing in the UK, however and, with Chris back, an idea for a possible business emerged.

“We were living in east London and the only golf club you could get to was Wanstead.

“When I came back from abroad, the new indoor tech was just coming out, but there were so few facilities for people to use.

“We thought we’d try setting something up now that the digital systems had made it possible.

“We thought we wanted to make the game more sociable with people playing in groups.

“We had our original site at Citypoint in Moorgate and we did that for about two and a half years.

“It was one of those bad-luck, good-luck situations.

“It was a concession within a gym, but it was taken over and we were homeless.

“We were having a good time there, and probably would have stayed as we had a good fanbase, but it was time to get out and take the next step – to go from a small centre to something bigger.

“We took over a place in Bishopsgate, which was the first iteration of the full concept.

“Then the pandemic hit and stopped everything.

“But we’d been successful and got through Covid with the support of our members, opening a branch in Soho in 2022, then Dublin four months ago and now Canary Wharf.”

The venue is spread over two floors and boasts two bars - image Pitch — The venue is spread over two floors and boasts two bars – image by Pitch

growing Pitch

Manchester, Birmingham and Brighton are all expected to open too, with an international franchising model for branches in Australia, Germany and America.

“Indoor golf is exploding, because of the convenience factor and the technology is so much better, with the AI tools that are about to come,” said Chris.

“We’re in the right industry and there’s a lot of demand for it, especially as indoor golf isn’t that common here.

“We use a technology called Trackman, which is the best in the world.

“On the system you can play 350 courses and one of the beauties of it is you can finish a round in an hour.

“There are also different games you can play, such as training games, social games, where you can have some beers and bring your friends for a round.”

With its expansive hospitality offering, the latter is a key offering for Pitch, which is hoping to tempt companies in for corporate events and groups in for parties alongside the more serious golfers.

Pitch in Canary Wharf has 11 simulator bays - image Pitch — Pitch in Canary Wharf has 11 simulator bays – image by Pitch

competitive socialising at Pitch

“The technology makes golf more accessible, and that’s one of the chief things for us,” said Elliot.

“It can be quite a hard sport to get into but here you don’t need to bring clubs and you can wear whatever you want.

“I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been popular – anyone can just come down and play.

“One of the best things about this place is that you can walk in and see a group playing for fun with serious golfers in the next bay.

“Other people will just be listening to music and having some food or cocktails – it’s that mix we want in our venues.

“We do have bays with orange curtains for the more serious players, but there’s congregation in the middle – a social area where everyone comes together.

“The important thing for us is that Pitch doesn’t just offer golf.

“We’ve brought in Des McDonald of Insight hospitality to help create our menu which features Asian flavours – there are plenty of things to do if you don’t want to play golf.”

While anyone can book a bay at Pitch, the company also offers a range of membership options aimed at taking the best elements of traditional golf club membership and updating them in line with the venue’s cutting-edge tech.

Packages start from £35 for a Pitch.social membership with full details available here.

The venue is ideal for large events and also has shuffleboards for guests to enjoy - image Pitch — The venue is ideal for large events and also has shuffleboards for guests to enjoy – image by Pitch

‘everyone’s a potential customer’

“The breadth of our offering here in Canary Wharf is ideal because everyone is a potential customer whether they’re into golf or not,” said Chris.

“We are super proud of what we’ve created here and it’s great to see it working.

“It’s taken a lot to get on the estate, there’s been a lot of planning but there are a lot of golfers in this area and for those who don’t play, we have a great bar and restaurant.

“It’s good to create a bit of dwell-time in the venue and it will be fantastic for corporate events.”

Elliot added: “Sometimes we forget to stop and assess how far we’ve come and remember that we’re actually very proud of what we’ve achieved.

“From those early days in the City a decade ago, it’s taken a long time for us to reach our final vision of what we want Pitch to be and our Canary Wharf venue is a really good representation of that.

“There isn’t an abundance of golf facilities in this part of London, but the area is changing and evolving with lots of major hospitality brands opening here now.

“It’s a blend of office workers, visitors and residents now and the estate has become much more of a destination.”

Pitch itself is one of a new breed of venues that have opened in Canary Wharf in recent years, joining the likes of Hawksmoor, Marceline, Dishoom and Mallow as visitors increasingly head to the eastern end of the estate.

With a new theatre coming, a host of openings down toward Harbord Square and established offerings such as The Cube, MMy Wood Wharf and Emilia’s Crafted Pasta, there’s no shortage of attractions.

Pitch also houses a Trendygolf store – the brand’s first bricks and mortar offering – image by Pitch

key details: Pitch

Pitch Wharf is located at 30 Churchill Place with entry via the dockside concourse.

It’s open daily although hours vary so check with the venue when planning a visit.

Group bookings of bays start at £56 per hour.

Walk-ins are welcome in the bar and restaurant.

Find out more about the venue here

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Having raised more than $192million between 2005 and 2021, we talk to one of the funded charities

Sadie Frost at the BGC Partners Charity Day - image James Perrin — Sadie Frost at the BGC Partners Charity Day – image James Perrin

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Each year financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliates BGC Partners and GFI Group give away 100% of their global revenues to good causes.

The event is held in memory of the 658 friends and employees of Cantor and 61 Eurobrokers, who were killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001.

Since 2005 – and not including this year’s efforts – Charity Day has generated $192million, distributed to more than 150 charities.

Celebrity patrons of these organisations are invited onto the businesses’ trading floors, including BGC’s offices in Canary Wharf’s Churchill Place to close deals over the phone and raise awareness of the causes they’re representing.

This year’s participants in London included football manager Sam Allardyce for Muscular Dystrophy UK, former footballer and pundit Rio Ferdinand for Wellbeing Of Women, TV presenter Amanda Holden for Battersea Dogs And Cats Home and Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore for Choose Love – an organisation that provides aid to and advocacy for refugees around the world.

But what does the day really mean to the organisations that participate?

For the Sir Hubert Von Herkomer Arts Foundation, which works to inspire and equip children with the tools they need to develop and pursue lifelong artistic passions, it’s a lot.

Its courses at after school clubs and in school holidays cover disciplines such as street art, photography, film making, music, sculpting, drama, songwriting and poetry.

They are all funded through donations and via fundraising events.

Two of its ambassadors – actor and producer Sadie Frost and actor Damian Lewis – attended BGC on its behalf this year, a day that is crucial to its ongoing operations.

Rio Ferdinand works the phones at the event - image James Perrin — Rio Ferdinand works the phones at the event – image James Perrin

“We get a huge amount in funding from it in comparison to what we get in grants,” said Debbi Clark, a professional photographer and co-founder and CEO of the foundation.

“We don’t know exactly how much we’ll be getting until the following year, but last year it was about a third of our total income of around £160,000.

“We did so many things with that money – we made a short film during Covid, a project that continued as we came out of the pandemic.

“We made a book and we also supported 80 children every day over the summer to help them discover the arts.

“We’ve run a music mentoring project that is supporting kids at risk from grooming and gangs, and that’s becoming a hugely successful programme.

“We also do a band jam for kids who can’t afford to buy instruments, that’s held every Saturday.

“We work on a grass roots basis, project-by-project, so having the money from the Charity Day is a massive help because it enables us to plan what we’re going to do.

“We work mainly with children in Camden, but have done a project in Deptford as well and last year we were able to support an extra 255 kids throughout the 12 months.

“All the money we receive goes on our projects so we can help disadvantaged and vulnerable children.”

The foundation is named in honour of the work of Sir Hubert Von Herkomer, an artist, playwright, actor, composer and film director known for his social realism and founding an art school in Bushey that encouraged students to ignore conventions and develop their own individual talents.

In 2011, Debbi and her husband, Mark Von Herkomer (Sir Hubert’s great grandson), set out to create a charity that celebrated his approach, resulting in the foundation.

Debbi Clark of the Sir Hubert Von Herkomer Foundation

“Our programmes give kids access to projects that they would never be able to afford to participate in otherwise,” said Debbi.

“For example, we do photography and Olympus sponsor us and send cameras so the kids get to use SLRs and different lenses.

“Our courses are free, so it’s giving kids opportunities that they should be getting at school but aren’t.

“I think that the arts are one of the most beneficial things you can teach, because it really does accelerate a child’s growth. In my opinion creativity empowers confidence and collaboration.

“They’re building new friendships and can say: ‘I’m a photographer’ working with proper equipment.

“It’s about putting them on the same platform as everybody else, so when they do leave school, they feel able to hold their own.

“All of this stuff is building up their confidence and putting them on an even keel.

“Four years ago they hadn’t seen a camera.

“Now they’re coming back with creative ideas – I’m really proud of them.

“I have always suffered with anxiety and I think that creativity saved me. When I did find my art, I felt free, it was a whole new world.

“Being able to be creative is so important for mental health and that’s why these donations matter. The arts are so important for the next generation – they give people freedom and that’s a beautiful thing.”

The foundation has also developed the McCrory Award in memory of its patron, the actor Helen McCrory, who died from breast cancer in 2021.

Laura Whitmore attends the event - image James Perrin — Laura Whitmore attends the event – image James Perrin

Debbi said: “We did this for my dear friend Helen, awarding three 14-year-old scholars funds to support them with one-to-one mentoring and a bursary to pursue their chosen field.

“On a wider level we’d love to expand what we do, but that means we need to find more funding.

“There’s a real need for the work we do. In Camden, for example, there’s a lot of knife crime and we see it first hand.

“We know which of the kids we see are at risk, the ones who are being groomed by gangs and we do everything we can to make sure everybody’s safe.

“Work like this opens up other avenues for people.

“A group who came for the first time two years ago were swearing and going outside for a smoke.

“We got some really cool people in to participate in their project and they became a bit empowered.

“The kids wanted to come to the sessions because they were really cool.

“Then they stopped swearing, they stopped being rude and started to have some respect for themselves and those around them.

“Some of those kids are now working in good jobs.

“I’ll be honest, it doesn’t work for everyone – but it does work and the money we get to do these projects is vital for that.”