Docklands Archives - Page 17 of 39

October 4, 2023October 4, 2023

Tower Hill: How The PA Show Autumn is all set for a show at Old Billingsgate

New venue for the October 17, 2023, edition allows event to grow following its debut in Canary Wharf

The PA Show Autumn is set to return following a debut event in Canary Wharf

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The PA Show Autumn is back in east London with a new location and an expanded programme of attractions, training sessions and networking.

Following an event that was so popular it tested the capacity of the East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf last year, organiser Mash Media has moved things a little further upstream along the Thames to the vaulted brick arches of Old Billingsgate’s lower ground floor.

Conceived as a more intimate, boutique edition of The PA Show at Excel, the feel is intended to be deliberately festive and seasonal as Christmas approaches.

The new venue allows for growth and greater capacity

It’s somewhere for personal, executive and virtual assistants as well as office managers to meet suppliers and each other in warm comfortable surroundings.

“We’re really happy with the new location,” said Lisa Farnfield, sales director at Mash and the woman responsible for organising the show.

“It has a direct connection to Canary Wharf via the DLR to Bank and is easy to get to from the West End, the City and the South Bank too.

“It fits really well with our audience in those locations but it also gives us greater capacity. The event last year was brilliant – it was rammed – but this gives us room to grow, with more exhibitors and more space for our two show theatres.”

The PA Show Autumn 2023 is set to take place at Old Billingsgate

In similar fashion to The Excel event, the boutique version is also very much focused on providing visitors with accredited continuing professional development (CPD) sessions.

“The new venue means we can have bigger theatres so more people can participate, as we were completely at capacity in Canary Wharf,” said Lisa.

“We have a fantastic programme of speakers running sessions on both key skills and personal development.”

Training on offer includes the likes of The Officials’ Lauren Bradley on next generation tech, Inspireful’s Hayley Watts on motivating yourself and others around you and Smile Box’s Donna Fisher on wellbeing in the workplace.

“Last year showed a one-day experience was something assistants can fit into their busy schedules – attend a session and then meet the exhibitors,” said Lisa.

“With the location, they can easily come for half a day, a full day or the whole experience with networking and drinks at the end.

“We’ll also be running speed networking sessions – one in the morning and one in the afternoon with 10 companies taking part in each.

“Those will be supported by M&S Corporate Gifts, with chocolate and wine tasting from Lindt and Ridgeview to enjoy.

“We want the people who come to feel connected.

PAs, EAs and VAs will be able to meet a varied range of suppliers and businesses

“An assistant’s role can be isolated and many are very busy, so networking and finding suppliers can be a challenge day-to-day. Here they can find it all in one place.

“We’ve got a lovely mix of exhibitors attending, including lots of new companies, so there will be plenty that people haven’t seen before.”

Sponsored by South Western Railway’s Business Direct platform, the show’s exhibitors include the likes of Fairgame, The Savoy, Qatar Airways, Virgin Experience Days, The Groucho Club, PA Life magazine, Harvey Nichols and many more.

“It will be a very relaxed environment with hotels, venues, hospitality, corporate gifting companies and travel supplies all represented,” said Lisa.

“We’ll also be operating our PA Passport, where visitors collect stamps from exhibitors to receive a fantastic goody bag and be entered into our fabulous prize draw.

“We’re looking forward to a buzzing event – the demand is really strong and it’s a great time of year to bring people together in the run-up to the festive season.

“We want people to come down, meet each other and explore at their own speed.”

The PA Show Autumn is set to take place on October 17, 2023, at Old Billingsgate near Monument station from 10am-6pm with networking drinks until 7.30pm.

Free passes to the show are available to PAs, EAs, VAs and office managers or those in similar roles.

The next edition of The PA Show will run at Excel in Royal Docks from February 28-29, 2024.

Mash Media sales director Lisa Farnfield is in charge of the event

WHAT’S ON – Theatre sessions at the 2023 show

Personal Development Theatre

Difficult conversations for EAs – 10.30am
The “WFH-battle” is on: Employee vs Employer. Who is right? – 11.20am
Motivating yourself and others – 12.10pm
The project mindset – 1pm
Your best is yet to come – 1.50pm
Assisting yourself to mental resilience – 2.40pm
The tactical triangle:
Three perspectives from a strategic partnership – leader, chief of staff and executive assistant – 3.30pm
Talking anxiety – how to forge ahead! – 4.20pm
Be seen, be heard – create a credible, powerful voice – 5.10pm

Key Skills Theatre

Do your minutes actually achieve anything? – 10.30am
Navigating an increasingly complex sustainability landscape – 11.20am
Unlock the power of ChatGPT – 12.10pm
Wellbeing in the workplace – 1pm
Skills to differentiate yourself and progress your career – 1.50pm
Growing your professional network on LinkedIn – 2.40pm
How to excel at corporate gifting and Christmas party organising – 3.30pm
How to stand out amongst the crowd – 4.20pm
Your career’s make-or-break moment: Emerging tech defining next-gen assistants – 5.10pm

The show takes place on the venue’s lower ground floor under brick vaulted ceilings

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

October 4, 2023October 4, 2023

Isle Of Dogs: How The Forge Art Fair is set to fill Craft Central with vibrant creations

Carolina Kollmann has founded the week-long event to showcase contemporary artists’ work

Artist and founder of The Forge Art Fair, Carolina Kollmann

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Carolina Kollmann wants to build something.

Originally from Argentina, the artist and teacher studied in Buenos Aires and at Central Saint Martins in London in the 1990s before relocating to Asia in the early 2000s.

Having returned to the UK to live on the Isle Of Dogs in 2019, she took a studio at The Forge, Craft Central’s Westferry Road facility, where she works and runs classes (often involving a glass of wine or two).

Now she’s eager to use the former industrial building as a venue to showcase her work and that of other artists by creating an annual event – The Forge Art Fair.

“I’ve always been very independent and I never paid a penny to expose my art,” she said.

“When I was in Hong Kong, I was a member of a group and we’d find sponsors to put on exhibitions.

“Here it’s different – it can be very difficult and when I found that one organisation wanted to charge me £800 to have my work in an art fair, I decided to start my own.

“It took a while to find the right artists for this.

“The main idea I had was that it should be at The Forge – it’s a great place and it needs to be known as creative and artistic.

“I thought that if I created a proper contemporary art fair here, that will create some noise and help draw people from outside the local area to come and visit.

“I knew we couldn’t do 100 artists, that we’d start small and then, if successful, we’d grow.”

The Forge Art Fair is set to take place from October 20-26, 2023, with a private view on October 19 from 6pm-8pm.

The exhibition will feature work by eight contemporary artists including Carolina herself.

“This is not a collective – for that, the people involved would need to have something in common,” she said.

Detail from a painting by Pierre Benjamin

“For the fair, every artist’s work has to be different from what’s next to it.

“I hope it brings people into The Forge and that we amaze them with what’s on display here in east London.

“There aren’t many places where you will find a beautiful gallery with fantastic artists all together, showing you their art, that’s also free to visit.”

Visitors to the fair will find work by painter, sculptor and NFT artist Pierre Benjamin, silkscreen printmakers and collage artists Jairo And Nicola and sculptor and designer Arturo Soto.

Also on show will be paintings by Jasmine Honor Mercer, work by painter and illustrator Tammy Walters, photographic abstraction from Het and pieces from digital artist Leah Ibrahim Sams.

Carolina herself works in a range of media, often blending painting with 3D printing to create pieces that literally burst off the canvas.

“The Forge is a wonderful building but it’s not ready for art – it doesn’t have enough wall space, so we’ll be using display boards for the pieces,” said the Isle Of Dogs resident, who created digital collages from images of Mudchute Park And Farm during the pandemic and sold them to help raise money to feed the animals.

“I really hope that people will be able to see what I saw when I came to The Forge – that it’s a beautiful place.

“My work is inspired by my own life.

“For example, there’s breast cancer – a horrible thing like this where you lose friends, so I wondered how I could make it beautiful?

“I mixed in fashion – Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Versace – for a series called Looking Up that’s about cancer and death.

“There are also pieces to do with the menopause, age and health. It’s all the same thing – it has to be about my life.

“When I was growing up in Argentina we had a military government. People were disappearing – there were so many horrible things all around us.

“When I was little I didn’t know what an artist was.

“My parents definitely never mentioned that I should study drawing or anything like that.

“But my grandma, who travelled a lot and loved art, said that I should be allowed to study, so I went to art school when I was 14.

“That was an amazing time in my life, when I was studying art – it was like an explosion of creativity as the military government was coming to an end.

“I met amazing artists, including Philippe Noyer, who is still alive and influenced me a lot. He showed me how to express my ideas.

“It was while I was in Asia that I had the idea of bringing my pieces more to life in relief, but I couldn’t think how.

“I couldn’t use papier mache or anything like that, because it would have been damaged by the humidity.

“Then a friend of mine – a very bright and creative person – who was one of the first people to have a 3D printer, suggested I could try using one.

“He said he’d heard there was someone in Japan doing it.

“But I thought it wasn’t very artistic and so I said no. This is always me – I say no at first.

“It took a while but then I had an idea and started designing what I wanted to create. The technology does have its limits but you work with it.

“First I paint on the canvas, then I put the 3D element where I want it and paint over the top in acrylic to make the finished piece.”

While the forthcoming fair is primarily about showcasing the work of the exhibitors involved, visitors are also invited to participate in various events over the course of the week.

Animal illustrator Tammy Walters will be running live drawing class I Love Dogs on October 21 at 3pm, with NFTs: Empowerment Through Art scheduled for 6pm on October 23.

Carolina will be hosting 3D Artist Exhibition Tour, covering her work and a printing demonstration on October 25 at 5.30pm and visual artists Jairo and Nicola will lead Fairytale And Surrealist Screen Printing on October 26 at 5.30pm.

The latter costs £5 with participants taking home a finished screen print.

Detail from an sculpture by Arturo Terraquio

Carolina is also a qualified fine art teacher and runs regular classes at The Forge – so for those unable to visit the fair, there are other ways to get involved in art.

She is currently offering Ladies Night sessions – which run over the course of a month with participants producing a finished artwork over four classes. The next begins on October 10.

“I’d taught in Hong Kong and one of the classes which was very popular there was this concept for women,” she said.

“We open some wine, but we learn about art too.

“Each month we do a different project – we might look at acrylics or watercolour, for example.

“We’re all busy working on our pieces but it’s also an opportunity to chat.

“We look at painters and take inspiration from them – especially English artists as we are in London.”

The sessions cost £100, which covers four 90-minute classes over the course of a month. In October these take place on Tuesday evenings from 6pm.

You can find out more information or book the classes online at carolinakollmannartdesign.com

The Forge Art Fair runs from October 20-26 at the Craft Central venue. It will be open from 11am-8pm Friday-Sunday and from 4pm-8pm Monday-Thursday. Entry is free.

You can also find links to all the artists featured via this link.

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

September 22, 2023September 22, 2023

Canary Wharf: How Sweat By BXR is offering free introductory classes

Crossrail Place fitness studio’s Wharf Wellness session is booked up, but there’s another way…

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The free Sweat By BXR session – set to take place at Crossrail Place Roof Garden as part of Wharf Wellness – is now full.

But don’t let that put you off investigating what the brand has to offer.

The pay-as-you-train studio, located in Crossrail Place itself, is currently offering free sessions to those new to its offering – so anyone who wants to can try one out.

Sweat is a sister business to BXR – a boxing focused gym that takes fighter training as its jumping off point for fitness.

The Canary Wharf facility offers cardio workouts in its VersaClimber studio, strength and conditioning sessions and boxing-inspired exercise as well as Pilates-based classes.

“It’s one of the world’s first elite boxing concept gyms,” said Gareth Thoo, a trainer at both BXR and Sweat By BXR, who regularly runs sessions at the Canary Wharf facility and is set to take charge of the Wharf Wellness workout.

“The great thing about Sweat By BXR is you have three things to really focus on – cardiovascular exercise, skills-based boxing training and strength and conditioning.

“While most of our clients are not looking to become professional fighters, they are being coached by people who have fought in the ring and know what it takes to get there.

“The training techniques are very practical but they’re also accessible to everyone.

“The classes are open to all levels and people with lots of experience, or none, will get something from them.”

Sweat By BXR offers boxing-inspired classes and VersaClimber sessions for cardio

Originally from Australia, Gareth knows his stuff.

Having trained in mixed martial arts as a youngster, a passion for boxing saw him compete as an amateur and a pro for six years.

But, following a number of injuries, he decided to use the knowledge he’d already gained to become a personal trainer and combines that with working for BXR and Sweat.

After four years working in the fitness industry in Manchester, he’s now brought his skills and expertise to London.

“There are many benefits to the training on offer here – building strength and making changes to your body composition, for example.

“Then there’s cardiovascular and the boost to your mental health too.

“For people who have desk jobs and spend a lot of time sitting down, the workouts can help counteract the effects of a long day in the office.

“Then with the skills sessions, it’s also nice to be learning something while you’re training.

“These will always start with basic footwork – how to stand and how to move around, which are such important parts of boxing.

“Then they cover techniques like basic punches – straight punches, hooks and how to implement those in combinations, while working the bag effectively, as a boxer would strike it, hard, fast and very precise.

“People might feel, especially if it’s their first time boxing, that a boxing gym could be an intimidating environment.

“But it’s our job as coaches to make sure everyone feels really welcome.

“Clients might not know initially what their goals are so we structure the classes in a way where we teach the basics very often as everyone needs to know them.

“Whether you’ve been coming for two months or two years, we’ll be drilling those in, but there will also always be new things to learn.”

In addition to boxing skills, Sweat is known for its VersaClimber sessions – a machine that mimics the motion of rock climbing and can be used in time to music.

“Those are tough classes,” said Gareth.

“Two minutes into my first one and my legs were burning, but it’s a really great session, a trademark. Climb To The Beat is fantastic.”

Music is something Gareth also relishes bringing into his sessions, putting together bespoke playlists for his workouts.

“It’s about creating a high-energy vibe when I’m picking the tracks,” he said.

“Music is such a massive part of my classes.

The VersaClimber is a piece of equipment that mimics the action of climbing

“For me there will always be a bit of hip-hop and some bassy house. In any of my classes, you can pretty much guarantee there will be something from the Notorious BIG and Kendrick Lamar.

“Another favourite is an Australian DJ and music producer called Fisher, who people may have heard of.”

In addition to the obvious attraction of the soundtrack, Gareth said the key reason to train at Sweat was the breadth of the offering.

“This isn’t just running on a treadmill and punching a bag – there are so many class concepts and you can do something different every day of the week,” he said.

“There’s a real option to mix it up, with a cardiovascular workout one day, a boxing session the next and then maybe a strength class.

“Then, on top of that, you can incorporate sessions where you learn some serious skills and that’s really what makes it a great place to train.”

Wharfers interested in having a go can download the BXR app and book a free class using the discount code CLASSONUS – terms and conditions apply.

Introductory VersaClimber classes and SweatBox sessions cost £30 for three and £40 for four respectively.

Sweat is located on Level -2 at Crossrail Place in Canary Wharf.

Find out more about Sweat By BXR here

Wharf Wellness is set to take place across the Canary Wharf estate

FIND AN OFFER

While many classes for Wharf Wellness are now booked up, the festival is also a celebration of stores and retailers on the Canary Wharf estate with the a number of businesses running offers across the four-day event from Sept 27-30, 2023. Here’s our pick…

>>Randox Health

Get 15% off all health checks at the Cabot Place clinic booked during the duration of the festival with code WHARFWELLNESS.

>> Stretch Inc

Enjoy 20% off any assisted stretch at the Canada Place facility over the four days. Just mention WHARFWELLNESS when making an appointment.

>> Pure

Recently reopened at Cabot Place, the restaurant will be offering 50% off its new Nourish Bowl range. Those with a reusable cup can also get £1 off barista-made drinks.

>> Kiehl’s

The Jubilee Place store will be offering 20% off all products as well as 25% off a £100+ spend. Offer runs Sept 22-Oct 1.

>> Farmer J

The lunchtime favourite will be offering 20% off click and collect orders on the Wharf with code FJAUTUMN20.

>> Urban Greens

Have promo code WW20 ready at the till when you visit the Bank Street store and you’ll get 20% off salads.

>> Le Chalet Cryo

The Canada Place facility will be offering more than 40% off its Cryo and Hyperbaric Therapy starter packs with code WHARFWELLNESS.

>> Atis

Challenging even the might of Farmer J as the Wharf’s most popular lunch, this salad-focused mini-chain is offering a fifth off bowls with code WHARFWELLNESS.

>> Weather And Palette

Head over to the Jubilee Place store for 10% off all skincare products and treatments for the duration of Wharf Wellness.

>> Malmin Dental

The private clinic on South Colonnade will be offering 10% off Invisalign treatments purchased during the festival.

>> Rituals

The Jubilee Place store has 25% off selected products for Wharf Wellness. The offer is valid on a maximum of three items.

>> Get A Drip

Last but not least, the Cabot Place clinic is offering free Vitamin D testing to visitors.

Download the Canary Wharf app for full listings and updates

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

September 21, 2023October 2, 2023

Canary Wharf: How Enter Gallery has popped up in Jubilee Place

Brighton brand offers art from £50 to £50k with its walls hung thick with limited edition prints

Enter Gallery has taken over a vacant unit in Jubilee Place

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There’s a blunt clue in the name to the right way of approaching Canary Wharf’s latest pop-up.

Brighton-based art dealer Enter Gallery will be in Jubilee Place until October 8, 2023, having coated the walls of a vacant unit with all manner of original works and prints to buy.

As its branding suggests, it’s a place that’s all about welcoming people in and allowing them to get up close to the pieces.

Works are hung to cover the available space rather than reverentially displayed in acres of white space.

Nevertheless, the gallery has some big names on its list, dealing in the likes of Peter Blake, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Lucy Sparrow, Patrick Caulfield and Gilbert And George.

“We mainly specialise in signed, limited edition prints from established and emerging artists – although we do have originals too,” said Helen Hiett, buying director at Enter Gallery.

“You can find art that’s anywhere from £50 to £50,000 in our Brighton gallery. Art is for everyone and is meant to be accessible.

“When people come in, one of us will usually come and chat to them and tell them a little bit about what’s on display – we try to demystify art.

Enter Gallery buying director Helen Hiett

“We help to guide them to pieces.

“We have about 400 pieces on the wall there, all mixed together – emerging artists mixed in with more collectable names, so that people are drawn to something they love.

“We also have a lot of unframed prints in the drawers, so we can get those out and show people.

“The main thing that hits you when you enter is a lot colour – different types of pieces and a whole range of different artists – more than 100 in total.”

Helen’s current role is, in some ways testament to Enter’s ethos.

She was passing by the Brighton gallery and spotted a piece by Dan Hillier, an artist whose work she’d loved while studying illustration at university.

She walked in and handed over a paper CV to a man who turned out to be owner Lawrence Alkin.

An interview followed and, after nine years, she’s never looked back.

“It was fun and it was a very strange way of ending up in a gallery,” she said.

“I’d run pop-up galleries and immersive events in London and Brighton, so I knew I wanted to work in the art world.

“But the places I had lived in before hadn’t had the sort of artists that appealed to me – there were a lot of landscapes and more classical pieces.

Enter Gallery hangs all sorts of pieces right next to each other

“I really liked Enter Gallery because it has art for everyone – street art, fine art, illustration and it had people who used to work in fashion but moved into printmaking, so it’s really varied, and you can see that on the walls – that’s what really appealed.

“The art is quite humorous, with quite a lot of colour, a lot of happiness in many of the pieces, with nods to the history of music and pop culture – there’s a bit of everything.”

The Canary Wharf pop-up, which can be found on the main mall level beside Starbucks, is very much arranged in keeping with the original gallery’s aesthetic.

Brightly-coloured prints line the walls, guarded by Buddha Smalls, a statue of the Notorious BIG masquerading as a curvaceous figure of enlightenment.

Squatting a metre-high, the piece is cast in resin to resemble ivory and carries a price tag of £10,000 – mo money, mo sculpture.

“He’s by a really funny artist we work with called Ryca, aka Ryan Callanan,” said Helen.

“We’ve worked with him for more than 10 years and he makes pop art often to do with music – rap and hip-hop – he’s brilliant.

“We’ve always loved doing pop-ups in London and we thought Canary Wharf would be an exciting place to try.

“We thought it would be a great way to let people see how we can bring a little bit of Brighton to the area, but also all the artists who work for us, so that they can be exposed to a different audience.

“We’ve tried to echo the original Enter Gallery and, while we were setting up, we had someone come in and tell us it really reminded him of somewhere in Brighton – we had to tell him it was us.

Enter Gallery specialises in limited edition prints and originals

“We’ve had a really warm response so far, and we’re really encouraged by that.

“Even when setting up we have lots of people popping their heads in and asking what is happening and whether they can come and see, which of course they can.

“Our dream with this would be to make a lot of new connections, to collaborate on new projects and then introduce the artists and the art to new clients and groups of people.”

As buying director, Helen’s remit is to fill the walls of Enter Gallery with the right kind of stuff – working with artists to source pieces she thinks will do well.

“My role is a bit of a mixture, really,” she said. “We have artists that come in who we meet, or it might be through other people who visit and recommend something they love.

“It can be through Instagram, and we also have a submissions process on the website.

“Then we also go to a lot of art fairs like Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair and we go scavenging in Miami every year, because they have a load of emerging artists, and from all over the world.

“Personally, I’m quite fickle when it comes to art – if it’s just come out, I’ll be really interested.

“I like any art that has a story behind it, something to look at that you can really think about or just if it’s funny.

“One of the pieces I like is a really cool new map by Justine Smith of the Thames.

“Her work is really hard to appreciate online because it’s really detailed.

“She often uses pieces of different types of banknote and makes a collage of them – there are so many layers of meaning in her work.

“From far away the pieces just look like an image until you get up close and realise there’s a lot going on.”

Crucial to Enter Gallery is the idea that art need not be expensive or financially cumbersome to acquire.

“We participate in a really good scheme called Own Art, which is backed by Arts Council England – people can buy art and then pay for it over 10 or 20 months interest free,” said Helen.

“It was designed to support artists and the people purchasing, so the artists can make money from their work and it doesn’t break the bank for purchasers.”

Failing that, Wharfers can just pop down and drink in the creativity all over the walls.

Find out more about Enter Gallery here

Detail from Inhabitants by Justine Smith at Enter Gallery

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

September 20, 2023September 20, 2023

Canary Wharf: How WyzePay aims to save its users cash on regular purchases

Level39-based startup uses pre-pay to guarantee retailers income and consumers discounts

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What if I told you I could take £400 and instantly give you an extra £100 to spend at a specific venue in Canary Wharf?

Well, I can’t, but WyzePay can.

The startup, now based at tech community Level39 in One Canada Square, relies on the premise that businesses will be prepared to offer better prices to customers who pre-pay for their services.

Suppose, for example, I get a coffee from the same place every day on my way into the office (yes, I’m not hybrid working on Fridays or anything like that).

It’s habit – a ritual that I enjoy – and it costs me £3.20 per day.

For the sake of argument, let’s say I work 47 full weeks each year, so the bill would be £752.

Provided I’m happy to use WyzePay – and cough up the cash up front in chunks of £400 – that cost will only be £601.60.

I wonder what I’ll buy with the £150.40 that I’ll save?

“The current way of paying for things – credit and debit cards – has been around since the middle of last century,” said Ian Rae, CEO at WyzePay.

“From a consumer perspective, we thought there could be a better way of doing things.”

Born in Mile End, the grandson of a docker, things have somewhat come full circle for Ian.

During an extensive career in technology for financial services firms, he’d moved steadily eastwards ending up in Hainault before heading back in, to Wapping High Street.

Ironically, his aunt told him that his grandad hated the building he wound up moving into as it was formerly a sugar warehouse and the commodity was too heavy to nick.

In a sense – albeit completely legal – WyzePay is also about getting something for nothing. Ian and co-founder Joe Channer decided to relocate the firm to the heart of Docklands, following a spell proving the concept in Queen’s Park.

They are now engaged on applying its offering across the Canary Wharf estate to demonstrate its benefits both to consumers and businesses.

“When developing the idea, we looked at Starbucks, which in 2018 put its loyalty scheme on an app and raised about $1.5bn in a matter of months,” said Ian.

“There was obviously something in the idea that people would be willing to prepay for things they were going to do anyway and that would benefit the retailer.”

For the consumer, the attraction is simple.

Pay up front and get a discount on what you’re buying.

WyzePay offers users the ability to buy credit in the form of coins dedicated to a specific retailer. These are then held in a digital wallet and can be spent with the venue via the app. This example shows the difference in savings by pre-paying for £30 and £500 at Boisdale Of Canary Wharf in Cabot Square

“You’re going to get a better return than from that money just sitting in a current account, so it’s a no-brainer,” said Ian.

“The merchant gets the cash up front – which is extremely valuable for a business – and the discount rewards the customer who keeps coming and loves the service.

“It’s buy now, take more later – a bit more responsible than take now and pay later.”

WyzePay is currently undergoing a growth spurt. Ian and the team are in the process of striking deals with various restaurants, bars and businesses in Canary Wharf, with some already live and available to use.

At present, coins can be purchased for The Grandstand Bar, Boisdale Of Canary Wharf, 640East and Brick Lane Bagel with each offering up to 20% – meaning an outlay of £400 gets you £500 of credit at the venue.

Seoul Bird and Obica have also signed up, offering maximum discounts of 11% and 15% respectively. The minimum discount for all venues is 10%.

WyzePay’s tech is blockchain based, allowing it flexibility of form in the future although, at present, credit bought for one business can only be used at that venue.

“We’re in active discussion with several other businesses – it’s important to get the right fit,” said Ian.

“In this phase we’re aiming for 10-20 retailers by the end of October with about 1,000-2,000 consumers using the platform.

640East is offering up to 20% off via WyzePay

“That allows us to unlock some more funding and then to push on with the project.

“Canary Wharf is a great place to do this because it’s that community approach which fits with what we want to do further down the line.

“We have an idea to explore a community coin, where instead of spending the credit with a specific retailer, it would be possible to use it with any of the retailers that are signed up.

“We’d also like to set up an exchange where credit could be moved from one business to another.

“Then it becomes an alternative way of paying for things and a way to disrupt some of the lazier players in the market.

“If you look at gift cards, for example, you have an industry that’s really quite inefficient.

“It’s well known that even though it’s digital, a percentage of the money that’s been paid just sits there and isn’t spent.

“That’s no good if I’m the giver or the person receiving the gift – we think there is a better way of doing things.

“As a business, our revenue comes from a percentage on the purchase of coins through WyzePay, which is charged to the merchant.

“However, every time you use a credit card there are charges they are paying and we cost less than that.”

Boisdale Of Canary Wharf is offering up to 20% off on the platform

Right now, WyzePay is all about awareness – signing up businesses for its platform and attracting users to give it a go.

That includes the likes of sponsoring the Action For Kids Beach Volleyball in Canada Square Park, which runs until September 28, 2023, and reaching out to companies on the estate to explain the offer.

“We’re focused on hospitality because it’s easy for people to get their heads around,” said Ian.

“But really WyzePay can be applied wherever there’s a supply chain.

“The options are endless – but it’s better to start somewhere to demonstrate what it does.

“We’re also very clear that we won’t be for everyone – the lazy, rich and indolent, for example. It’s for people who want to get a good deal.

“Our dream is that WyzePay will one day be used as a verb.

“Imagine you’re in a restaurant and someone says: ‘I’ll WyzePay that’.”

That, of course, would put it in the big leagues alongside hoover, google and, increasingly, Uber (which hasn’t quite dropped the capital letter yet).

Just remember, it got big on the Wharf first.

Find out more about WyzePay here

Seoul Bird is offering up to 11% off via WyzePay

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

September 7, 2023September 7, 2023

Bermondsey: How Jerome Favre set out to capture Millwall FC fans on their turf

The New Cross-based photographer has created a book based on the hundreds of images he took

The cover image of Jerome’s book – all images Jerome Favre

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BY LAURA ENFIELD

The old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” comes into focus as I chat to photographer Jerome Favre.

He spent three years trying to capture the true face of Millwall FC fans on their home turf in Bermondsey.

The aim was to take a closer look at modern day supporters and whether they deserve the reputation that has dogged them for years.

“I’m a huge football fan and a fan of football culture,” he said. “I moved to England in 2005 – New Cross in 2013 – and the stadium is really close to me.

“I’d heard about the reputation of Millwall fans and was interested to go and see for myself and to have an honest look at them.

“The aim of the book was to evaluate their reputation in contemporary football culture.”

Thousands of camera clicks later, his self-published photobook No One Likes Us contains more than 200 images taken in and around the South London stadium between 2018-2022.

Dave has been supporting Millwall since 1967

He photographed ageing die-hard fans, fresh-faced teens, families and everyone in between, all proud to wear the blue and white and many grateful for the chance to show there was more to them than tattooed hooligans.

But to be successful, first Jerome had to overcome the fan’s initial judgments of him.

“I went to The Den with a couple of cameras around my neck and my French accent,” he said.

“At first I hung around with the supporters and then I started going in the stadium as well.”

He usually had no more than a minute to pitch his idea to passing fans and try and take their photographs. Unsurprisingly, he was told to ‘do one’ on more than one occasion.

“Some asked me if I was the Old Bill and things like that,” said the 46-year-old.

“They were a bit suspicious, but I didn’t mind because I’d be the same if a photographer approached me on the way to a game.”

It took a lot of rejection before he got the ball rolling, with Jerome estimating only 1% of people he approached said: ‘Yes’.

“Sometimes they didn’t have time, sometimes they didn’t want their photos taken and I had to be patient and ask a lot,” said the photographer, who took up the profession 10 years ago.

“I didn’t really have time for long conversations with people because they were drinking with their friends or going places.”

The first person to say yes was a dapper gent named Morris.

“When I explained what I was doing, he said: ‘Yeah, why not?’ I wouldn’t say he was super keen though,” said Jerome.

But the photographer persisted because the project had personal connections. Jerome grew up in the north of France supporting his hometown club of RC Lens – which he said had striking similarities to Millwall.

“It was set up by a mining company and for decades, both players and fans were coal miners,” he said.

“Millwall was founded by the workers of JT Morton’s canning and preserve factory, on the Isle Of Dogs.

“I was fascinated by the fact that Millwall was, and still is, a working-class club and a tight-knit community.

“It also has a terrible reputation, and I was curious to cast an honest look at this football community.”

Even across the Channel, he had heard about the stigma of violence attached to the club.

That reputation can be traced back more than 100 years, when supporters of Millwall and local rivals such as West Ham were primarily made up of dockers who worked for opposing firms, often vying for the same business.

The association with hooliganism came to prominence in the 1970s largely due to The Millwall Bushwackers – one of the most notorious hooligan firms in the UK.

Sustained criticism of their behaviour in the press and media perpetuated an image of them as violent thugs.

In response, fans created the infamous chant “No-one likes us, we don’t care” – often belted out with pride at matches.

Despite his positive intentions for the project, Jerome said he found it hard to just shake off the negative image of fans that has lingered for so many years.

”I was nervous when I started going down there, especially bearing in mind their reputation,” he said.

“There is one photo of a guy called Daniel who is covered in tattoos and looks menacing.

“I was scared to approach him, but he let me take his photo and it was memorable.

“I was really, really happy I got that one.”

Fans eventually got used to Jerome hanging around and the project ended up becoming a lot easier than he anticipated.

“A lot of people were genuinely interested and there’s a few people that I met, I’ve got really good memories of,” he said.

“The gentleman on the cover of the book with the tattoo on the back of his skull is a nice story.

“My friends were surprised I approached him because, of course, he looked a little bit intimidating.

“But he was so polite and so nice. After the book came out, his wife got in touch with me and said how exciting it was to have him on the cover.”

Many of his subjects are almost glaring into the camera, which does little to dispel the hard image, but Jerome said he always tells his subjects not to smile

“Because then you lose them,” he said.

“It immediately turns cheesy and you don’t really see their personality.

“So I asked people to have a neutral expression and look straight into the camera for most of the shots.”

So what did the fans he met think of their reputation?

“It’s undeserved, but it’s almost taken with a sense of pride now,” he said.

“They have turned it on its head and use the slogan to enforce the community so it feels even more tight knit.

“I think there is a sense of frustration that they’re always portrayed in that way in the media because they have been demonised and it is such a tiny minority.

“That’s why there was a lot of interest in my book.”

Jerome said he achieved what he set out to do with his project, to a degree.

“I’m not saying I’ve revolutionsed football culture, but it’s something that’s never been done before,” he said.

“It’s not trying to be positive or negative. It’s just a neutral look at them.”

Jerome’s book is available through his website, price £15.

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Laura Enfield is a writer for Wharf Life and other publications covering a range of topics. You can contact her via the Wharf Life team at info@wharf-life.com

September 7, 2023September 7, 2023

Canary Wharf: Why Third Space has introduced Sound Bath classes

How relaxation sessions fit with health club’s high energy programmes to offer members time out

Third Space master trainer Clare Walters conducts a Sound Bath class

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How often do we get the opportunity to take an hour for ourselves?

The modern world is busy.

There’s information overload. We, as individuals, have the ability to be in touch with more people now, than at any time in human history.

There’s more content from media sources – social and traditional – all with ideas, advice, entertainment and distraction, screaming for attention than ever before.

We can be at work 24-hours a day, pretty much anywhere in the world. Phones can even be used in the shower.

It’s all an endless, demanding torrent of stuff. That is life in 2023.

It’s also, perhaps, why Third Space’s Sound Bath sessions are proving so popular.

With its Canary Wharf branch the largest luxury health club in Europe – arranged over three floors above Waitrose in Canada Square – it boasts a grand list of facilities.

There’s a climbing wall, an enormous functional training space called the yard, a boxing ring, a swimming pool and that’s before you even start digging into the extensive free weights, resistance machines and cardio options on offer.

Participants can lie on their backs or sit on chairs for the sessions

There’s also a densely populated timetable of classes with names like Sweat X, Hardcore Cycle and Speed Fiends, keenly focused on helping its members get a serious sweat on.

“We do that really, really well – those high energy sessions when you look at the breadth of that offering,” said Gillian Reeves, head of group exercise at Third Space.

“There’s a whole plethora of options – strength classes with weights, HIIT classes, cycling classes – which is brilliant for overall health.

“Then you go towards things like Yoga, which can also be high energy with practices like Vinyasa.

“Then at the rest end of the spectrum we have Yin Yoga, which is really popular here because it’s much slower and people know intuitively that they need to stretch.

“But we thought: ‘Why stop there?’.

“Let’s keep going and offer something beyond that.

“People, especially in Canary Wharf, work really hard and have very active lives. There’s lots going on and they really need that balance with rest and recovery.

“We decided to put on some trial Sound Bath classes and the waiting lists were really big – the demand was there, people wanted to do it and it confirmed what we were thinking.”

The Canary Wharf club is currently offering hour-long Sound Baths twice a week on Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons – but what actually happens in a class?

“It’s our way of offering peace and meditation to balance out all the activity – work, stress and exercise – a time once a month or a fortnight to find some stillness,” said Gillian.

“We think it might be seen as the least intimidating form of meditation – there’s something intuitive about sound and music.

“People really relate to that and so they’re prepared to give it a go – they aren’t faced with complete silence for a long period of time.

A series of instruments are used to produce the sounds

“You can turn up wearing whatever you want, because essentially you’re just lying down or, if preferred, sitting on a chair.

“We want you to be really comfortable on the mat so there are bolsters and blankets.

“There’s an introduction from the teacher, which deals with safety – the practice is not recommended for people with mental health issues, those with metal plates around joints or women who are pregnant, unless a doctor has said it’s OK.

“Then there’s a general overview of the class so people know what to expect.

“At launch, all of our teachers will use a common structure with a variety of instruments, but this will evolve over time.

“The classes will start either with a gong or crystal bowls and there will usually be a crescendo towards the middle of the time.

“Then there can be a fade out with some chimes to finish.

“Sometimes a teacher will stay at the front the whole time, and sometimes they’ll walk around the class with small percussive instruments.

“At the end there will be silence and then some recorded music to signal the end of the session.

“What people will get from a class depends on them and their intention. For some it may be more spiritual and for others it’s relaxation.

“It might be a physical rest or allowing yourself to be still for mental health – if you just want a lie down, then that’s great.”

Third Space’s Yoga teachers have undergone extensive training with musician Tim Wheater and sound artist Cherub Sanson – the former a pioneer of sound healing in the west who has been engaged in it since 1982.

The club’s classes make use of crystal bowls from Cherub’s brand Cherebella.

The classes use crystal bowls from Cherebella

“Because of the vibrations of the different instruments that we use, it will shift people into more of a theta brainwave state – on the cusp of wakefulness but deeply relaxed,” said Gillian.

“It has a similar effect to practising meditation and has a lot of benefits for reducing stress and anxiety.

“Our bodies are really clever – if something needs repairing or healing, then they can do that. If we’re not running around and doing stuff, then they have the chance.

“Deep sleep, where the body produces delta brainwaves, is really good for us too – people who have participated in the classes have said they sleep better after a Sound Bath.

“The main thing is for people to come with as few expectations as possible – with an open mind, a sense of curiosity – and see what happens.

“As with everything we do at Third Space, our hope is that members feel better.

“With Sound Bath, they should feel good, more relaxed and calm.

“Like all holistic practices, attending a session won’t mean all the problems in your life are magically better, but it can certainly help.

“You might be having a bad time and find your perspective shifts, you could have a great thought or come in with a problem that you’ve solved by the time you leave.

“So far the feedback has been really positive.”

Find out more about Third Space Canary Wharf here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

September 7, 2023September 7, 2023

Greenwich: How GCDA is appealing for help in completing its community hub

Organisation looking to raise £10k to help fit out its new cafe, shop, office and training space

GCDA’s community hub will be on the ground floor of this building on Royal Hill

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Change is in the air at Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency (GCDA).

Having spent more than four decades helping people in the borough through its community hubs, free training programmes, enterprise support and food projects, the organisation is set to open a new base of operations on Royal Hill.

Located on the ground floor of London Square’s Old Police Station development, the new facility will provide office space for GCDA alongside a classroom, gallery, training kitchen, shop and cafe area.

Construction training organisation Flower Skills has already contributed extensive free labour on the build-out of the unit, to get walls in place and plastered.

Now the charity is appealing to the community and local businesses via a crowdfunding campaign for help in raising £10,000 to complete the fit-out.

The hub will have a gallery, shop and cafe

“That’s our ambition and it would be fantastic if we can achieve it,” said Claire Pritchard, GCDA director.

“We launched the campaign to our members and the people who have benefited from our work in August, and achieving that total will take us a long way to getting the project finished.

“We’re doing the work in stages – the office space, which was formerly the developer’s marketing suite, will be finished by the end of September, hopefully the kitchen and training room by the end of November and then the shop and cafe space by the end of January.

“In February we should be fully operational.”

The new facility will see GCDA’s Made In Greenwich shop relocate to the new hub and will also allow the organisation to move out of its current premises at Greenwich Centre Business Park.

“The building in Royal Hill is beautiful and we’re really excited about moving from the industrial estate to a place in the heart of Greenwich,” said Claire.

“It will also give us full disability access, which we didn’t have before at either of those two buildings.”

The money from the appeal will go towards decorating and furnishing the various spaces, with fire doors and kitchen units also on the wish list so GCDA can get on with its work – helping support local enterprise, train local people and promote healthy lifestyles.

“We’ll be offering some of our cooking and chef skills training sessions here as well as creative courses such as sewing, hat-making, creative arts, drawing and writing,” said Claire.

“There will also be the business start-up courses, which I run.

“Helping people start their own businesses is so important – there’s a real social benefit to it.

“On the courses, sometimes as many as a third will start their own operations and we can support them in that with things like start-up space on the markets we run to help them de-risk.

“That includes food businesses, street trading and general market trading, for example.

“People come to us for all sorts of reasons – they might want a change of career, have been made redundant or have caring responsibilities that affect what they can do.

“Beyond that, there will also be volunteering opportunities and this will be a great place to volunteer as they will be really supported – there will be up to 10 GCDA staff based in the building so there will always be people around.”

GCDA is raising money to help with the fit out

That, in fact, is the other key aim of the new facility.

One of GCDA’s main missions is to bring people together at community hubs – something it already does in Woolwich and Kidbrooke Village.

“A lot of people have said to us they need a centre for the community, a place to hang out and be part of, so this could be a place which local people could enjoy,” said Claire.

“We want to bring everyone together.

“We spent a year working on a project called High Streets For All about West Greenwich – this area – and looking at the markets.

“We found that in come cases local communities feel displaced by change and sometimes they don’t.

“We’ve met people who love living in this historic place and others who say there’s nothing here for them.

“We have always wanted to ensure that our main hub is open to everyone and the move from the industrial unit in Norman Road will mean that we can achieve that goal.

“Moving Made In Greenwich here means we won’t have to subsidise it in commercial premises and can continue to support the artists and makers.

“I’d also love to see local artists using the gallery space we will have.

The community hub is set to include a training kitchen

“We will be able to host more exhibitions in a really beautiful space, perhaps even following our original vision, which was to focus on exhibiting works around things we especially care about such as vulnerable people, property, equality and sustainability as well as challenging the economic system

“Made In Greenwich was always a campaign – to value what is made locally and to support the people who create those products and artworks.

“We’ve had brilliant support with this from Greenwich Council, which commissioned things from us and, more recently, we’ve had talks with The O2 and a local hotel to help drive it forward.

“We discovered that whenever the hotel has special guests, it would buy products specially from Made In Greenwich because there’s that real value in having goods created by artisan makers locally.”

The crowdfunding campaign is ongoing to help raise cash for the project, but Claire said funds were not the only thing needed to help the new hub come to fruition.

“We know that times are extremely tough for people, but even a few pounds will help us make a real difference,” she said.

“In addition, if you have any useful practical skills, then we’d love to hear from you too. We appreciate every contribution.”

Visit GCDA’s website online or via the QR code below for more details of the crowdfunder and how to get involved.

The site also offers full listings for GCDA’s various activities and facilities, such as room hire at its venues and kitchen space.

GCDA staff will also have office space at the facility

Find out more about GCDA here

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

September 6, 2023November 9, 2023

Isle Of Dogs: How Ballet Nights is set to draw top dancers to the Island

Lanterns Studio Theatre set to host artists from The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Northern Ballet

The Royal Ballet’s Steven McRae will perform – image Mich Rose

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Following a pilot last year, Ballet Nights is set to explode into east London with a trio of programmes featuring dancers from the likes of The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and even Britain’s Got Talent.

“The Lanterns Studio Theatre on the Isle Of Dogs is a very intimate and exciting environment,” said Jamiel Devernay-Laurence, founder and creative director of the platform.

“Ballet Nights presents classical ballet and contemporary dance up close and without compromise, featuring some of the best performers in the world, in what I’m calling ‘theatrical widescreen’.

“We have a very large, 289sq m stage, with front row seats where audiences’ toes are touching the performance surface.

“There are no bad seats in the house and it brings the artists to eye level – it’s all about that connection.

“Having this space means we can present these big dance stars as you would see them on stages across the world.”

Ballet Nights will also feature rising star Musa Motha

Following his own dance career with Scottish Ballet, Jamiel has turned his talents and experience to creating new paths of development for artists and new models for programming and staging performances.

With investment secured, the three Ballet Nights programmes in 2023 will all be performed for two nights on September 29-30, October 27-28 and November 24-25, respectively.

Each will be compered by Jamiel and feature 10 performances – five either side of an interval, with all six shows starting at 7.30pm.

“Rather than presenting one production, this enables us to bring together world ballet stars alongside brand new emerging talents – a taster platform that’s never really been around for dance before,” said Jamiel.

“I’ve been asked how we can include so many different and diverse performers in each of the programmes?

“The answer is that this is led by artists, it’s for them, by them and celebrating them – that’s the key element.

“We’re not here to have Ballet Nights in capital letters – the artists are the most important thing.

“We’re more like a TV channel – putting the performers at the centre and giving audiences the opportunity to see their favourite artists and be introduced to new ones.

“The compère provides an introduction or reintroduction to each artist and that gives them a voice.”

Jamiel Devernay-Laurence will compere the event

The first programme alone features Steven McRae, Melissa Hamilton and Ryoichi Hirano of The Royal Ballet, rising contemporary dance star Jordan James Bridge and former Royal Opera House concertmaster and international violinist Vasko Vasilev as well as award-winning performer Constance Devernay-Laurence.

“When you want the best performers, you start with the best companies in the world and many are having a push towards professional development,” said Jamiel.

“The directors of these companies understand that this is a great opportunity for choreographers and dancers to have a chance to go out and experiment.

“Steven McRae, for example, who is a principal at The Royal Ballet is not doing what he’d do at the Royal Opera House, he’s presenting a tap number with music from Vasko.

“It’s a real opportunity for artists to blow off steam and to present themselves to audiences in different ways – to take risks and be celebrated.

Constance Devernay-Laurence is also on the bill – image Sian Trenberth

“On stage, at the major venues, there’s quite a distance between performers and the audience. Here it’s like when a big comedian goes and tries out new material at a smaller, intimate stand-up club.

“Constance, who is also my wife, has left Scottish Ballet to pursue a career on screen, so this is a chance for her to appear on stage as an independent principal ballerina – Ballet Nights is a vital platform for artists like this in the heart of the Canary Wharf area.”

Future programmes will feature the likes of Katja Khaniukova, Aitor Arreita Coca and Ivana Bueno of London City Island-based English National Ballet (November) and Musa Motha of Rambert Dance Company (October).

The latter, originally from South Africa, had his left leg amputated at the hip when he was 11 due to bone cancer, but forged a career as a dancer – appearing in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption Of Thomas Shelby on the West End stage.

He then found wider fame on Britain’s Got Talent before going on to win the Emerging Artist category at the National Dance Awards earlier this year.

At Ballet Nights, he will present Depth Of Healing, a piece he has choreographed himself.

Tickets for Ballet Nights at Lanterns Studio Theatre on the Isle Of Dogs start at £65.

Follow this link for full listings, more information and bookings

Ivana Bueno of the English National Ballet will be performing

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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

September 6, 2023September 6, 2023

Canary Wharf: How Barry’s is set to offer free classes for the Wharf Wellness festival

Fitness brand will be offering indoor and outdoor sessions in the Red Room and Canada Square

Barry’s instructor Zoe Rogers – @zoehrogers on Insta – image Matt Grayson

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Wharf Wellness is set to arrive across the estate with free classes, taster sessions, talks and discounts over four days.

Taking place from Wednesday, September 27, to Saturday, September 30, 2023, the festival will feature a multitude of Canary Wharf-based brands including Third Space, Feels Like June, Mallow, Nuffield Health, Bobbi Brown, Randox Health, Love Open Water and recently launched padel tennis club Padium.

Ahead of the event, however, we’ve decided to focus on Barry’s, which will be running three taster sessions – one outside on the sand of the pop-up beach volleyball courts in Canada Square Park and the other two in its Red Room studio on the lower level of Crossrail Place.

Zoe Rogers is the instructor tasked with leading the outdoor session. Originally from Essex, she discovered the Red Room having moved to London to go to drama school.

“I’d been involved in fitness one way or another since my teens,” she said.

“I actually started out selling gym memberships through cold calling – it was absolutely horrendous.

“I heard about Barry’s on the grapevine and this thing they do called ‘Hell Week’ – seven classes in seven days.

“Living in London, I couldn’t afford to go very often as a student, but I could afford to do Hell Week every single time it was on.

“So, I’d be at drama school, save up my pennies and go and do those seven sessions.

“I remember my first class so vividly – it was with a trainer called Alex Castro and it was phenomenal.”

Zoe will lead a session for Barry’s in Canada Square for Wharf Wellness – image Matt Grayson

Zoe ended up taking a job front-of-house at Barry’s in Canary Wharf, while continuing to pursue a career as an actor.

She then decided to train as an instructor – a role she’s now been doing for two years.

Splitting her time mostly between Soho and the Wharf, she’s also taught classes on the main stage at Pacha in Ibiza.

From noon on September 28, Zoe will be in command of a 50-minute class for 60 on the sand in Canada Square Park (with mats to protect participants).

“We’ll have big speakers – participants will hear me out loud and the music will be pumping,” she said.

“We’ll have long resistance bands and mini bands to work the glutes and the legs and I’ll be running a total body workout – we’ll hit absolutely everything.

“The great thing about Barry’s is it gives you a fantastic structured workout that you know is going to do the job every time.

“The product is flawless and with the tunes, the atmosphere is fantastic, it’s almost like being in a club when you’re in the Red Room.

“Then there’s the community, which is very important to people who have just moved to London or to the area.

“That develops organically and it’s something I’m personally really grateful for, as I’ve made some great friends.

“No-one can really define what they mean when people talk about ‘The Barry’s Feeling’ but there’s this buzz that just makes you want to come back for more.

Zoe became an instructor after working front-of-house at Barry’s – image Matt Grayson

“It’s magical, everyone feels it at the end of a class and that sense of community is beautiful.

“You don’t have to think – we do the work and you can just rock up and put in the time.”

Fellow Canary Wharf instructor Craig Waters will be running the Barry’s session at 9am in the venue’s red-lit studio for Wharf Wellness.

Originally from Nebraska, he found his way to Barry’s through Yoga, Pilates and cycling classes before training with the brand.

He said: “It will be the classic Barry’s experience.

“Every day we have a different focus, so you can get all your muscle groups taken care of over the course of a week.

“For Wharf Wellness, I’ll be teaching a chest, back and

abs-focused class.

“It’s an upper body workout using different types of rows, dumbbells, both heavy and lighter weights, as well as resistance bands to cycle through those muscle groups.

“Then, as a way to give your arms a bit of a break, we have core-focused abdominal exercises.

“Classes are typically spent half doing interval-based runs on the treadmills and half doing exercises on the studio floor.

“That means you get the best of both – it really is the best workout in the world.

“You can start off either on the floor or on the treadmill and then go back and forth.

“While running, your instructor will give you options for your speed with different patterns on incline and velocity.

Barry’s instructor Craig Waters – @craigmwaters on Insta – image Matt Grayson

“These can be tailored to an individual’s needs or preferences, which means everybody can participate.

“For people who are new, it’s about getting used to the instructions as there’s lots of activity in the room.

“It’s a nightclub vibe, the lights go low and the music goes loud, with every instructor allowed to select the tracks they like to bring their personality through.

“You might have someone who plays techno and drum and bass or, like me, who prefers fun pop remixes so people can lose themselves.

“I sing along in almost every class – it’s about enjoying the moment.”

Craig said that while Barry’s workouts were tough, people at any level of fitness could benefit from them.

He said: “The workouts are hard, so I always tell people doing it for the first time to pace themselves and go at a rate that works for them – to enjoy it as much as they can.

“People feed off each other’s energy, which is why group fitness, for me, is the best way to train.

“Personally, I get more out of a session when someone has put it together – it’s also a great way to hang out and meet people too.

Craig will lead a session in Barry’s Red Room studio at Crossrail Place – image Matt Grayson

“My main thing is that I don’t ever want someone to come out of a class feeling defeated. We celebrate whatever happened.

“It’s always the case that what you did was amazing.”

A third Barry’s class will take place on the Saturday, with times set to be confirmed this week.

Throughout Wharf Wellness, brands such as Atis, Pure, Farmer J, Urban Greens, Le Chalet Cryo, Rituals and Space NK will be offering a series of special offers and discounts.

Full details of all these, other events and how to book classes will be available exclusively on the Canary Wharf App from Wednesday, September 6, 2023.

Find out more about Wharf Wellness here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com