The much-loved skating facility is back on the Wharf, with sessions available right through until February 22.
This year there’s a new refreshment area, more ice to skate on, upgraded lighting and even churros for those in need of a sugar boost before or after they hit the rink.
Afterwards, the Oasis Bar stands ready to serve refreshments.
Tickets start at £13.95 or £49.95 for a family pass for four people.
GoBoat has an all weather solution for its hire vessels – image by GoBoat
This new venue includes an Ice Bar (from £24.95), a German Bierhaus with live entertainment and a lodge-style Chalet.
Created by Urban Playground – the team behind The Cube – the three venues offer a fresh, festive option for Wharfers looking to socialise or celebrate right through until February.
There’s even a stall selling saucy hot dogs.
The Bierhaus and Chalet will both take walk-ins, while booking is advised for the Ice Bar. Guests for the latter are advised to dress warmly as it’s kept at -10ºC.
Join the Rat Pack at Boisdale Of Canary Wharf – image by Boisdale
This venue has a truly packed festive programme over Christmas and New Year.
Having just launched its Highland Lodge terrace which offers heated tables and generous servings of fondue, there are also seasonal menus for lunch and dinner to explore.
Visitors can expect the sounds of the Rat Pack and plenty of festive cheer throughout December as well as a blockbuster New Year’s Eve celebration that’s certain to run on into the small hours.
Book early to avoid disappointment.
Marceline is hosting The Curling Club on its terraces – image by The Curling Club
The floating restaurant at Wood Wharf has teamed up with The Curling Club to offer Wharfers something a bit different over the cooler months.
In place until February 28, 2026 – anticipating the Winter Olympics, the venue will have five lanes for guests to use with a range of options for larger groups and office parties.
Pay and play sessions start at £15, while standard package offers include an hour of curling with a meal and a drink for £45.
The club already runs successful sites in Chelsea and Vinegar Yard.
Jo Malone’s special event is set to take place from December 4-6 – image by Jo Malone
Emily Dickens’ career began, as many do, with a desire to move to London.
Having studied archaeology, her initial interest lay in the museum sector.
But a friend from university had found a job at what was then peer-to-peer lender Zopa – a startup that was looking for staff.
“I contacted them, went in for an interview and, an hour later, was looking for a flat in London,” she said.
“That was the pace the business moved at back then and I think we still approach that today.
“At the time, I remember my mum saying I should wait for a better opportunity but I thought it was the right choice. I wanted to move to London and see what was out there.”
Today, Emily is head of people experience at Zopa, now a profitable challenger bank that recently relocated to 20 Water Street in Wood Wharf.
She’s among the individuals featured in Canary Wharf Group’s Where Ambition Lives campaign, which aims to tell the stories of remarkable people working on the estate that go beyond the stereotypes associated with the area.
So how did Emily go from working as a collections administrator – calling people up who’d missed payments on their loans to help them manage their debts – to working in a role at Zopa that she conceived and pitched to the company?
Zopa head of people experience, Emily Dickens, on one of the bank’s rooftop terraces – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
a career from the ground up
“After six months, I quickly moved into customers services and then on to managing that function,” she said.
“I had a brilliant manager at the time to learn from and I continue to use what she taught me about running teams in my work today.
“When I started at Zopa, we were a business of about 30 people. Now we have 1,000 employees in multiple locations including Canary Wharf.
“I’d gone straight from university into work and hadn’t taken a gap year.
“I wanted to travel so I did that, visiting Australia, New Zealand and Bali – seeing a bit of the world on a sabbatical.
“While I was away, my boss rang me up and asked me to come back and set up an HR department at Zopa.
“So, I returned and, in the first year, did everything in HR you can imagine – the full employee life cycle.”
With Zopa deciding to launch a bank, Emily continued to build her career alongside the operation before doing something a bit unusual.
“I decided to pitch my dream role to the business after my boss left,” she said.
“I’d spent so much of my early career in HR, I got to figure out what I really loved and also the things I wasn’t so good at.
“Systems operation and data are not my bag – they are not where I excel and it’s not where the business gets the best from me.
“But I was also able to identify the things I loved and pitch them as the basis for the role of head of people experience to my new boss.
“She shared my vision that this was the right direction and started me off as people experience lead. I was then promoted to my current role after a year.
“While people experience is a relatively new concept, it enabled me to come to work every day feeling like I’m adding maximum value to the business.
“My latest boss has also supported me with my dream and vision – much of which has been focused on building this new workspace for Zopa in Canary Wharf.”
Zopa’s floors are connected by an internal stairwell – image supplied by Zopa
a new space for Zopa
Arranged over the building’s upper levels, the bank has fitted out 45,000sq ft of space with facilities fit for its Zopians.
Designed by Thirdways, these include an internal central staircase, kitchens, breakout rooms, private work pods, a library and quiet spaces for prayer, breastfeeding and reflection.
It’s a project Emily has been deeply involved with, as she works to make the business as employee-friendly as possible.
“I hope people see that it’s a total reflection and statement of intent of who we want to be in the future,” she said.
“When you look down from this window at the very traditional banks, there’s a feeling here that we’re doing something really different.
“We’re trying to build an effortless customer experience with products that maximises value for our customers.
“It’s an exciting time, and I’m really proud that we’ve been able to collaborate with Canary Wharf and bring Zopa here.
“After the idea was pitched to us by an agent, we looked at 20 Water Street and I felt it was worth putting my neck on the line and make a compelling argument that this was the space we needed to be in.
“When I brought the leadership team here, our CEO could see why.
“To get him over that hurdle – to look at the space and see its potential – made me feel very confident that it was the right thing to do and we could get to a place where we could sign the deal.
“The economics were also compelling. It would have cost us the same amount to remain in our existing offices in a very old building because of the maintenance issues.
“It was never a place where the company could have grown further.”
Zopa’s new offices aim to reflect the bank’s values – image supplied by Zopa
how spaces can help retain and attract talent
Located in Wood Wharf – an area that has recently welcomed the likes of Crate, Nora, Ong Lai Kopitaim, Cafe Seek and festive pop-up The Winter Club – 20 Water Street is now filled with Zopians settling into their new neighbourhood.
Emily said: “I don’t think people want what they once did from a workplace, so we didn’t want this design to feel like an office where you would just come and work.
“You’re also living your life while you’re here, so that time needs to be very enjoyable.
“If we can attract and retain great talent, the business can be very successful.
“When you look at the design – including elements such as a mothers’ room for example – it’s important to remember those parts of people’s lives don’t go away because they’re at work.
“They need to be able to come to this space and be happy here – as happy as they are at home.
“Our mission at Zopa is to create the home of money, but one of the things we thought about with regard to our office design was that we wanted it to be a place where our employees could grow and explore their ambitions too.
“Our London staff work at least two days a week in the office because human interaction is very important.
“It’s also important for our workers that we maintain balance.
“We did a great deal of staff engagement with this project.
“Before we signed the lease, we brought a group of about 30 Zopa influencers across and I took their views.
“There was nothing here for them to see at that stage, so we got a range of views about the area and the feel.
“When we decided to come here for definite, we brought over 300 employees for tours and got lots of feedback from that.
“The staff then chose the names for the floors and we also asked them what they wanted in there to make that part of their life at work as comfortable as possible.
“It’s so important to get feedback from the people who will be working here.
“We hope what we’ve done here is a recipe for success.”
A library has been created for quiet reflection and focused work – image supplied by Zopa
why Canary Wharf?
When asked what advice Emily would give other organisations considering a move to the Wharf, she said listening to the right people was key.
“I’d say consider every option, because Canary Wharf wasn’t on my radar originally,” she said.
“It was an expert in the field who came to me and told me there was something really special happening here.
“The prices were good, so commercially it works and also a neighbourhood that pairs favourably with the business.
“Being prepared to do something different is also important.
“Wood Wharf is amazing and we’ve been collaborating with the businesses here already. We’ve also done a lot of work to ensure staff find the more hidden parts of the estate.
“The fact we have the DLR, the Elizabeth Line and the Jubilee line all on the doorstep is great.
“I live in Woolwich, but this location is also fantastic for people coming in via Paddington too.”
A communal dining area and kitchen at 20 Water Street – image supplied by Zopa
pride in the journey
As for Emily, she’s allowing herself a breath before making any plans for the future.
“I can’t think about what’s next until we’ve completely wrapped up the move and got our sign up,” she said.
“Then I’ll probably take a moment, a pause.
“The bank has ambitions to continue our growth plans and build innovative products and hopefully create long-lasting relationships with our customers.
“We launched our Biscuit Bank Account earlier this year and we have more exciting things planned.
“The only way is upwards – we’ll see what happens next.
“For now, I feel incredibly proud of what we’ve created – it’s a testament to the fact that my whole project team have worked unbelievably hard over the last 12 months to get us to this place.
“When you look at where we are now, you can see the journey that Zopa is on.”
The bank’s new space features plenty of break-out areas and meeting rooms – image supplied by Zopa
key details: Zopa
Zopa is based at 20 Water Street in Wood Wharf and offers a wide range of services including its Biscuit Bank Account.
You can find out more about the bank on its website here
Remember when the main driver for those developing apps was function?
Uber currently offers 11 different options for travelling between one location and another.
For a sample journey of 16 minutes across east London, these range between £7.42 and £22.38, depending on what class of vehicle I wish to take, how long I’m prepared to wait and whether I’d like a “newer car with extra legroom”.
If I wish to travel with a pet, it’s £12.95. In 2025, choice is in fashion.
At launch, the app only offered one option – a luxury vehicle, introducing the cheaper UberX later on to appeal to a bigger market.
It’s impossible to know how many options users might be expected to wade through by 2030.
Any additions to the 11 already in place may offer services of benefit to niche groups.
But will it be the passengers and drivers who ultimately pay an ever greater slice of the deal to swell the company’s revenue?
Against this backdrop, Jump offers Londoners a proposition that’s almost breathtaking in its simplicity.
Launched softly in January, the app has been growing its user base and allows anyone with a phone to tap into the existing infrastructure of 7,000 black cabs by digitally hailing them. That’s it.
There’s no surge pricing, no in-app payments, no multitude of options at various tariffs.
You enter your destination, name, phone number and email address (for a receipt) and the job is then offered to the nearest registered driver who’s available.
When they accept the job, you can watch them on their way to pick you up.
Then, when they arrive, it’s just as if you’d hailed a cab with an orange light on the street.
You hop in, pay the meter fare in the cab and get out at your destination.
Jump’s Lorenzo Bugliari, who’s keen to spread the word in Canary Wharf and beyond – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
quick pick-ups
“It varies depending on time and location, but drivers typically accept a job within eight seconds and arrive between a minute or 90 seconds later,” said Lorenzo Bugliari.
“It’s a quick, reliable service because the cab the job is offered to is usually just round the corner.
“It’s popular with drivers because we don’t charge them a fee – they get the same as if they’d picked up a passenger who’d hailed them on the street.”
Lorenzo, it’s fair to say, knows taxis.
Having spent more than 18 years selling black cabs to drivers for manufacturer LEVC, he left to join Taxiworld as director of its Jump app earlier this year.
“There are about 14,500 black cabs in London and more than 7,000 of those have our technology in them,” he said.
“Taxiworld is a family-owned business that makes and sells systems for black cabs that allow them to take card and contactless payments using a terminal and an iPad.
“We’re known for reliability and customer service – we also offer drivers who use our system things like free front and rear cameras to help bring down their insurance premiums.
“Our aim is simple, to get more people into the back of black cabs using their services.”
Users hail cabs from their phone and can then watch their ride arrive in real time – image by Gabriel Bush / gabrielbushphotography
Jump – a taxi app with no fees
While the majority of taxi apps on the market make their money by taking a cut of the fare paid to a driver, Jump is different.
By law, black cabs must be capable of taking card and contactless payments and Taxiworld, as an approved supplier by TfL, provides the necessary tech for free to drivers.
In return it charges a percentage of the transaction fee, capped on larger fares.
In essence, the app is just a tool designed to help more customers get into black cabs and make those transactions.
“The drivers love it,” said Lorenzo.
“Other platforms are charging them huge amounts – between 15% and 20% – on the jobs they are supplying.
“When you factor in things like surge charging when apps are busy, passengers are sometimes being charged more than you’d pay on the meter in a black cab.
“We feel that’s unfair to passengers.
“IWe don’t charge surge fees, booking fees, admin fees or green ride fees. If it’s raining or the trains are down, you won’t pay any extra.
“IWe also don’t charge cancellation fees for either the user or the driver.
“It’s about fairness to passengers and drivers and keeping black cabs on the road.
“If you’re a regular user, we believe you’re going to save money – you’re also getting the safety and reliability of a black cab, which are all wheelchair accessible.
“All new cabs since 2018 have been zero-emission capable.
“IThe drivers will have The Knowledge and they’ll always get around quicker than anyone else.
“Black cabs can also use bus lanes, which enables them to reach their destination significantly faster than other vehicles.”
There are around 6,000 black cabs in London capable of accepting fares through Jump – image by Gabriel Bush / gabrielbushphotography
bespoke business services
Jump also offers services to businesses and is targeting restaurants, hotels and bars with a range of bespoke options to fit customers’ needs.
“We believe we can save organisations up to 40% and we’ll only ever charge for a service if there’s an operational cost,” said Lorenzo.
“We like to offer bespoke solutions because we don’t feel there’s a product that fits every company’s needs.
“Some want a card on file and others prefer a monthly account. We’re open to all of it.”
Jump is working to increase its passenger base across London with a particular emphasis on Canary Wharf.
Since the pandemic footfall in the area has recovered to eclipse figures seen in 2019 with more than 70million people visiting each year and that trend is set to continue.
“My aim is to spread the word here,” said Lorenzo.
“With more people using the app in Canary Wharf, word will spread among drivers that there’s more work coming out of that area and you’ll see an increase in the number of cabs ranking up.
“I want to see as many black cab drivers in the area as possible and people using the service.
“That can be through the app or just hailing the taxi on the street.”
Passengers simply pay the fare on the meter in the cab when their journey is complete – image by Gabriel Bush / gabrielbushphotography
“I knew I was going to be a dancer from the age of three,” said Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe.
“I was dancing on a table on my dad’s birthday and I told him.
“He’s a DJ and a producer and he was supposed to go out and play that night, but I wouldn’t stop dancing or go to bed.”
Growing up in Stratford and Maryland, Rhimes loved music, painting and creativity and “always danced” despite being extremely shy.
“I was fascinated by storytelling and the concepts involved in telling stories,” she said. “I was a teenager when I really got into dance.
“A man named Kenrick Sandy, who’s now co-artistic director of Boy Blue, came to my school when he was about 18 and did freestyle in assembly and I thought: ‘That’s what I want to do’.
“Then he came to teach classes and eventually held auditions for a community dance group for different schools in east London.
“There were loads of us and I remember the day clearly – I was scared but I really knew I wanted to do it and it would change my life.”
After successfully auditioning, Rhimes’ started performing with the group, going on to take part in Sadler’s Wells’ Breakin’ Convention festival in Islington.
Dancer, choreographer and creative Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe – image by Amy Cook
rising through dance
“It was the biggest stage I’d ever been on – it was terrifying,” she said.
“I grew up at a time where there was no-one to aspire to be.
“We had music videos with dancers in the background, but that’s as far as the vision went.
“Being at that festival was a big learning curve, but watching the other artists – global performers coming over from different places – made me think there was more out there.
“I was one of the first from my circle of people who dared to step outside the east London barrier – who went out to participate, to see what was there.
“I wasn’t a trained dancer, I didn’t go to college to do ballet and jazz.
“We learnt in community centres, without mirrors, with crash mats – things weren’t official. I just wanted to explore the possibilities.”
Her talents won her a place at the ZooNation Training Academy, another appearance at Breakin’ Convention and then three years in the cast of hip-hop show Into The Hood in the West End.
Today, having spent much time working with Boy Blue and ZooNation she’s risen to become associate artistic director of the latter, an artist working in a range of disciplines and is the driving force and choreographer for the first ever festive show at Sadler’s Wells East.
Danielle watches performers in rehearsal – image by Helen Murray
making Ebony Scrooge
“When I initially came on to this stage of making work a number of years ago, I wasn’t really a participant in Christmas,” said Rhimes.
“I’d distanced myself from it when there were some family dynamics that weren’t great.
“But when I was asked if I wanted to do this as a Christmas show, I felt I was in a healing spot, so it aligned perfectly.
“A Christmas Carol is a story I would watch with my grandmother, so that was my choice and the show was dedicated to her and some other women who occupy that position.
“It’s a story made in Christmas time rather than a story about Christmas.
“I pulled back from Christmas when my grandmother had a stroke, because my definition of Christmas was that I would spend time with her.
“It wasn’t about presents, it was about having that family connection. She developed dementia after the stroke and now doesn’t know who I am.
“That journey was quite painful and things were never going to be the same.
“I’m really grateful for this show, because it’s helped me heal and see my grandmother and just honour that she is here, which is a very beautiful thing.”
bright and bold
The show is billed as a bright and bold adaptation of Dickens’ tale blending hip hop, comedy and physical theatre, featuring music from Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante.
Rhimes said: “I have made an original story inspired by A Christmas Carol. There’s a big fashion element to it.
“Ebony Scrooge is an icon at the top of her game.
“She’s a black female protagonist – the opposite of Ebenezer Scrooge.
“She goes on a journey of finding identity, heritage and what is important.
“We’re in a time when things are very different, but resonate with multitudes of people, whether they celebrate Christmas or not.
“Even if you spend Christmas alone, as I have done, there’s something of self-love and acceptance.
“Audiences can expect high energy, fun, laughter, comedy – all those things – and also weight and emotion, going to deep and vulnerable places.
“It’s London and it’s vibrant, it’s colourful and it’s Christmas, but then we transition into the stark monochrome world of Ebony, and the difference between the world she has created and the world that’s on the outside, and how that affects how people show up, or don’t.
“We’re brought into the relationship between Ebony and her niece and its dysfunction.
“Her desire to put career first and shield herself with barriers and boundaries.
“There’s a disconnect there. So she goes on the journey and has three visitations.
“Instead of the cliché people know there’s a bit of rewiring of the storytelling, there are bits that are scary and bits that are absolutely hilarious.
“If you’re only going to the one show, then this is the show you want to see.
“It’s for the child who can’t stop moving – for them to be inspired and to go after what they can’t stop dreaming of.”
key details: Ebony Scrooge
Ebony Scrooge is set to run at Sadler’s Wells East from November 26, 2025, until January 4, 2026. Ticket prices start at £15 plus a £4 booking fee.
Performances take place at 7.30pm or 2.30pm matinees on selected days during the run.
The venue’s Park Kitchen & Bar will be serving a festive three-course set menu over the Christmas period priced at £35 per person.
One of the key features of Canary Wharf Group’s Where Ambition Lives campaign is its focus on dispelling popular, enduring misconceptions about the estate.
Diving deeper into that message, Wharf Life has interviewed some of the Wharfers featured, including Deborah Ojutalayo.
“When I tell people I work in Canary Wharf as a scientist, they can’t envisage what I do,” she said.
“They wouldn’t necessarily see my work and Canary Wharf in the same sentence.”
The senior research associate at AviadoBio spends her days in the rapidly growing company’s labs a few storeys above the increasingly bustling thoroughfare of Water Street on Wood Wharf.
Deborah in her lab at AviadoBio in Canary Wharf – image supplied by Canary Wharf Group
confounding the stereotype
“People think of the area as a hub for financial services businesses – but it is actually a really nice blend of people working in lots of different industries,” said Deborah, who joined the life sciences startup in 2021 before it moved to the Wharf a little over a year ago.
“When I got the job, we were based in Hatton Garden, which was weird because people always associate that with jewellery.
“We were in a really tiny lab with eight employees.
Now we have around 60 – we’ve expanded quite quickly and moved to Whitechapel before coming to Canary Wharf.
“We are a gene therapy company. Certain diseases are caused by faulty genes or other mutations in your body.
“What we’re doing is developing a virus that will deliver a healthy gene to the patient with a focus on tackling dementia and motor neurone disease.
“My role is to carry out the pre-clinical testing before it is ready for trials in animals and patients.
“The viruses we work with don’t themselves cause harmful illnesses – we modify them so they are safe to use.
“I perform my tests using different types of cells – from humans, monkeys, pigs and mice – to make sure the virus is working as expected.
“I check we’re seeing the results we want, a reduction in faulty genes or an increase in the function of healthy genes.
“Only once we’ve made sure its safe, a process that can take many months or even years, does a therapy move on to animal studies and then human clinical testing.
“It’s essential we avoid any off-target effects – for example, we don’t want to affect the heart if we’re targeting the brain.”
a career in science
Growing up in Forest Gate in Newham, Deborah decided to pursue a career as a scientist after her mother ruled out working for the police.
She graduated with a first in Biomedical Science from the University Of Westminster before completing a masters at the same institution in Immunology.
She said: “I just love science. During my first degree I found out I had a passion for research, conducting various projects including one looking into parasitic disease.
“It was then I thought this could be a career path for me. In my field, there are typically two paths – academia or industry.
“I wanted to work in the latter because I wanted my work to have an impact on patients and to see the fruits of that.
“You have to be patient, but it’s rewarding to work on projects that you see through to the end.
“Sometimes we get patients coming in with diseases or conditions that there’s currently no cure for.
vWe get to understand how their suffering affects them and their families.
“That’s what gives me motivation – there’s the trust those patients put in us to hopefully find something that will cure them and gene therapy has a lot of potential.
“We’ve already seen successes in areas such as Sickle Cell Disease with a treatment now approved by the NHS for severe cases.”
highlighting career pathways
Deborah is also driven by something else – a desire to highlight and promote careers in science, especially to those who might not have considered it before.
“I’m very passionate about speaking to young people, so a lot of what I do is going into schools and speaking to students who have an interest in STEM or science about my journey,” she said.
“My career pathway from school was not that clear, and people are not necessarily aware of the different opportunities that are open to them.
“I can see that people are interested in it, so I try to convey science in a very simple way that people can understand.
“I really want to inspire the next generation.
“I like to think of myself as still young and having someone other than a teacher speaking to students in school on a casual, one-to-one level really works. They love it.
“That communication is important because when science is spoken about, a lot of the time it’s when there’s been a breakthrough, but people don’t necessarily understand the process.
“Science is not just that big, final reveal, it’s incremental progress.
“One of the reasons I share my work on social media is so that people can understand what my day as a senior research associate looks like. Science is cool.
“When you think of a scientist, you might think of old, boring people, which is just not the case.
“In the lab I’m surrounded by brilliant, intelligent people but nobody is prideful, thinking they’re the smartest.
“There is a constant flow of information and everyone has their own area of expertise, so it’s mentally stimulating.
“Of course we have the radio on – it’s a fun atmosphere too.
“Sometimes if an experiment is taking a long time I’ll use the length of certain songs to measure it.
“I like anything upbeat, like Afrobeat to keep me going. Especially if it’s a really long experiment.
“I’m half Ugandan and half Nigerian.
“I went to Uganda recently to see how their healthcare system and diagnostic facilities work. They’re not great.
“I don’t know how I’ll get there, but one day I’d love to be able to create something that addresses that and benefits people there.”
You can find out more about Deborah’s work on the Wharf via @debsdiary6 on Instagram and TikTok.
key details: AviadoBio
AviadoBio is based at 20 Water Street in Canary Wharf and is currently working on medicines to help people with frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Cody Dock is set to host its latest Frost Fair at the end of the month with a packed programme of activities and attractions.
The event, which is free to attend, will feature a local makers’ market, live music and games.
There will also be workshops for visitors to participate in including wreath making and sustainable wrapping paper printing.
Food will be provided by German Deli and Milagros with drinks – including mulled wine – from the Cody Dock bar.
Also on show during the day will be a series of artworks from River Of Hope, a project that saw school pupils work with artists at Cody Dock to creatively respond to the Lea and the environment around it.
As part of the Thames Festival Trust’s Totally Thames festival, the resulting pieces by five Newham secondary schools and nine primary schools were first displayed in September at Cody Dock, beside the Millennium Bridge and at Compressor House in Royal Docks.
Some of those by secondary schools shown at the latter will also feature at Frost Fair, while others have made the journey to COP30 in Brazil.
Two of the artworks created as part of River Of Hope – images supplied by Thames Festival Trust
two years in the making
Kate Forde, Thames Festival Trust head of education and engagement, said: “River Of Hope has been a two-year programme that’s worked in five regions around the UK as well as in France and Ethiopia.
“The aim, through partnerships, is to connect people with their local environment, specifically with their rivers and waterfronts, as well as elevate the work of young people.
“Their pieces are showcased in different ways at international festivals all around the country.
“In Norfolk, for example, we installed artwork on the sails of boats and had a procession of vessels come down the river.
“In London, our environmental partner is Cody Dock and they’ve been perfect for the project.
“With the primary schools, they all visit the site and a lot of professional development for the teachers is involved with the aim of inspiring a more creative approach to teaching and learning.
“Through the geography curriculum they deliver a term’s worth of work around River Of Hope with the final output being the artwork – in this case a series of flags that are already on display at Cody Dock.
“At both secondary and primary level we can see the long-term impact of the project is making them relevant.
“Since Covid, schools are much more reluctant to do outdoor visits, but learning in this way is so beneficial.
“Feedback from the teachers has been that these experiences at all ages were such a leveller – seeing kids who may have been disruptive in the classroom really coming into their own.
“It really does highlight the importance of a variety of approaches to learning.
“The project is very much also about leaving a legacy there, whether it’s the artwork being displayed or the schools knowing about and being able to access resources such as the ones at Cody Dock on their doorsteps.
“In addition to the flags by the primary schools – made using marbling techniques with artist Fiona Grady – the works that will be shown at Frost Fair have been created by Newham secondary schools in collaboration with artist Shona Watt and poet Dauda Ladejobi.
“These have been reproduced on silk as three metre-high hangings and they’re really extraordinary.
“It’s the students’ take on what they learnt and their feelings about climate change globally, what’s happening in the world and their hopes for the future.”
“It’s incredible – fun, exciting and the design is exquisite, based on African designs and prints,” said Tonderai Munyevu.
“Being in the East End is a powerful influence too – it’s a glorious mash-up of so many things and it reflects the local community.”
We’re sat in a rehearsal room at the end of a labyrinth of cream-painted corridors, safely away from the public’s gaze at Stratford East.
Here, the venue’s latest panto is being forged. Costume designs are stuck up on the walls, keyboards are plugged-in and plastic chairs stand in for scenery.
“I love panto and I love working with Tonderai,” said Vikki, a multi-faceted artist known for her work as a musician, composer, comedian and actress amongst many other endeavours.
“Over the years I worked out that I’ve been in more than 500 performances.
“I know about audience behaviour, so I understand what it takes as a comedian to make people laugh.
“You don’t have to have been on stage in panto to write one, but I think it gives me a lot of relevant experience.
“Working together, we hope we’re creating something that moves the form along, making it relevant and fresh while still respecting the traditions.
“One of the things I am precious about is the classic set pieces and we don’t mess with them – they’re perfect.
“I like to think that someone who is 85 or 90 could come and see Mama Goose and recognise the rhythm and the jokes they enjoyed as children.
“There are bits you can mess with – and we’ve played around a lot with the story – and bits you can just leave as traditions so they are the same year-on-year.
“I think knowing what those are is part of the job.”
Vikki and Tonderai say their skillsets support one another’s work – image by Talitha Thomas-Kelly
fascinated by the form
While Vikki has a wealth of panto experience behind her (oh yes she has), Tonderai is more of a newcomer to the form – although he has already cut his teeth.
The pair first met in a writer’s room during the pandemic and, when Vikki was asked to write Cinderella for the Lyric Hammersmith in 2023, she put her friend forward to direct, even though she hadn’t mentioned it to him.
“My family were not theatrical, they were more academic but I did go to the theatre when we came to England,” said Tonderai, who grew up in Zimbabwe before moving to the UK with his mother aged 13 and has since pursued a career as a playwright and actor.
“My first experience of panto was taking by sister’s son to see one in Stratford because we felt we should take him.
“I also went to see the production of Aladdin in 2021 that Vikki wrote.
“I sat there, watched it, and I was a bit astonished – it was completely bonkers and based around the press briefings Boris Johnson was giving at the time. It was really funny.
“I’d done classic theatre as a writer and an actor, Shakespeare, two-handers, and so on, but we didn’t treat audiences the way panto does.
“I was fascinated by it, but never thought I’d be directing – so when it came to doing Cinderella I was terrified but also excited.”
Tonderai says he is having the time of his life making panto – image by Talitha Thomas-Kelly
a party, a riot
That thrill persisted and 2025 finds the pair working together again, having pitched their idea to Stratford East.
“We are having a really great time making Mama Goose – it has to be a fun environment because you can’t fake joy,” said Vikki.
“With panto, we want it to feel like a party, a huge riot where people come in, forget what’s going on in the outside world and have a good time.
“Mother Goose isn’t one of the big four – Aladdin, Cinderella, Jack And The Beanstalk or Dick Whittington.
“It’s known as the ‘dame show’ because all of the others are led by a young hero or heroine who is pursuing love.
“Instead, our show has the dame as the protagonist and it’s not performed as often, partly because there’s no original text – just a set of poems that aren’t very relevant.
“As a panto, it was first performed around 1910 and traditionally it has a moral centre about making good and bad choices – that voice on your shoulder telling you to do good or evil.
“What’s good for us as writers is that there’s no story we have to stick to.
“This gives us enormous licence to simply make things up.”
a story with a message
Collaboration is at the heart of their endeavour with both making varied contributions from their skillsets and experiences.
Tonderai said: “I’m having the time of my life.
“I write plays about people like Mugabe – strong stuff – but with this, I feel liberated and thrilled to learn, watching Vikki navigate the millions of decisions that have to be made to create a show.
“I couldn’t ask for a better education.
“Vikki suggested we do this show and, as we were talking Mother Goose became Mama Goose in deference to African culture.
“Coming from Zimbabwe, that was important to me.
“We wanted to say things that, if either of us had been writing alone, we couldn’t say, whether that’s about the black community or the East End geezers.
“We’ve created something multi-cultural and really funny.
“It’s a love story – Mama is a wonderful woman who, naturally, loves her geese.
“She loses them and gets a replacement, which gives her all sorts of things she has never dreamt of.
“Instead of getting her old geese back, she goes on a journey where she forgets who she is, but at the end she is reminded of who she was and what it means to be part of a community.”
local links in Mama Goose
As is tradition, Stratford itself plays a significant part in the production, with plenty of references for local audiences to enjoy.
“The shops of Westfield Stratford City feature as well as the trains and the older parts of the area, without giving too much away,” said Vikki.
“Mama’s house is in one of the older Victorian streets near Maryland, for example.
“It’s a huge responsibility because, for some, this could be the only theatrical experience people have over the course of the whole year.
“We need to ensure they have a great time and that it’s a beautiful experience to come to the pantomime.
“It’s also important for the livelihood of the venue so that’s another responsibility.”
Tonderai added: “It’s part of our job to think about the money as well as the audience and that’s a good thing.
“We want as many people as possible to come and enjoy this and so at the point of creation we’re asking these questions.
“Will people from all backgrounds enjoy this?
“I did a serious play in the summer, where I played former Kenya president Jomo Kenyatta, and it was amazing to me that all actors had the idea that all they had to do was think about their character.
“It’s bigger than that when you’re telling a story.
“It’s not just your character, it’s your costume, how you interact with the venue, the building, the promotion – it’s all part of the storytelling.
“We are proud to be business-minded, because what’s the point of doing something exquisite that nobody sees?
“The message of Mama Goose is all about coming together and that love is all you need. One of the themes is chosen family – those people you stick with and make the best of things.
“I always worry about kids – there are things happening in the world that are quite scary and there are lots of negative messages.
“That’s why we want them to have a moment of joy when they come to see the show – a moment of feeling togetherness.
“My family, including my nephew, are due to come and see the production, which will be incredible – there will be nothing like that feeling.”
Mama Goose is set to run at Stratford East until January 3.
The panto’s cast includes Duane Gooden in the title role, Charlie Cameron as AI Jill, Mya Fox-Scott as BFF (The Bougie Fierce Fairy), Grace Venus as the Tax Man, Ellie Seaton as WTF (The Wholesome Thoughtful Fairy), Jerome Lincoln as Kay Perry, Marcellus Whyte as Jack Goose and Che Walker as Gary The Goose.
The show also features music by Robert Hyman who also co-wrote lyrics to the songs in the production with Vikki.
key details: Mama Goose at Stratford East
Mama Goose is set to run at Stratford East from November 21, 2025, until January 3, 2026.
Performance times vary. Tickets start at £10, but are selling fast, so book early.
Area’s population has had a hand in philanthropy, the foundation of unions, workers and women’s rights and female suffrage
Today the Bryant And May Match Factory has been converted into residential apartments, but it was once the scene of a history-making strike – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
The relentless digital news machines deliver a steady diet of shock and awe at callous acts of brutality by humans the world over.
One antidote to this pipeline of 24-hour misery is to take a step back from the present to look back and realise how far we’ve come in some areas.
Roughly six and a half generations ago (191 years, to be exact), it was legal in Britain for one person to own another. It took a further 31 years for the USA to abolish slavery.
The freedoms and rights we enjoy today all have their roots in the toil and struggle of people who led lives unimaginably impoverished compared with our own and – in the grand scheme of things – not all that long ago.
This is precisely why we need to study history and develop places that showcase and highlight the collective achievements and missteps of our species.
An artist’s impression of how Cody Dock’s Heritage Pavilion will look when installed – image by Cody Dock
a Heritage Pavilion on the River Lea
That is one of the missions that Cody Dock, an ecological regeneration project on the edge of Canning Town, is undertaking through its Heritage Pavilion project.
The structure will be built as part of a £1.6million National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, using the restored hull of Welsh lifeboat the Frederick Kitchen – likely the last vessel built at the Thames Ironworks – as its roof.
The glazed space will host quarterly exhibitions on the history of the area, with a special focus on the River Lea.
As anticipation builds for the pavilion’s launch, this is the second in a series of articles in a partnership between Wharf Life and Cody Dock to draw attention to some of the topics that will be featured.
The banks and marshlands around rivers are well known for their fertility.
The nutrient-heavy silts washed up by the constant flow of water, make for rich soils and abundant growth.
Factor in their historic use as corridors of trade, transport and migration and it’s little wonder that city waterways conveyed similar prosperity on the operations along their banks.
The Lea once bristled with industries that demanded sprawling communities of workers.
This human tide, forced to contend with extraordinary deprivation and shocking conditions, was in itself a potent force and one of the reasons east London has played an outsize role in the nation’s social history.
Here, people stood up, fought for better lives and succeeded. The four stories below aim to offer a flavour of just some of their remarkable achievements.
Harper Twelvetrees based his Imperial Chemical Works alongside the Lea – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
echoes of the past along the River Lea
Close to West Ham station, Berkeley Group is currently building a housing development called TwelveTrees Park.
That branding isn’t a reference to some long forgotten copse with a dozen pines, but a name from history.
The scheme is located on land near Twelvetrees Crescent, a road named for entrepreneur, factory owner, chemist, writer, campaigner and inspiring philanthropist, Harper Twelvetrees.
In his time, much of east London was a patchwork of industrial operations and slums, the latter housing the workers for the former.
The author Charles Dickens visited nearby Canning Town and wrote in 1857: “The houses are built in rows; but there being no roads, the ways are so unformed that the parish will not take charge of them.
“We come to a row of houses built with their backs to a stagnant ditch.
“We turn aside to see the ditch and find that it is a cesspool, so charged with corruption, that not a trace of vegetable matter grows upon its surface, bubbling and seething with the constant rise of the foul products of decomposition, that the pool pours into the air.
“The filth of each house passes through a short pipe straight into this ditch and stays there.”
Later on the same visit, he finds “three ghostly little children lying on the ground, hung with their faces over another pestilential ditch, breathing the poison of the bubbles as it rose and fishing about with their hands in the filth for something, perhaps for something nice to eat”.
Dickens’ bitterly ironic depiction of the dirty, blighted lives of the workers and their families around Bidder Street near the Lea is a stark picture of the kinds of conditions people endured a little over a century and a half ago in the name of industrial progress.
While plenty of business owners were content to exploit their employees, others had more progressive, compassionate ideas.
Born in Bedfordshire and originally apprenticed as a printer and a bookseller, Harper Twelvetrees developed an interest in chemistry.
Moving to London in 1848 he initially sold laundry products from other manufacturers in Holborn while working on a plan to make his own.
Having set up a small factory in Islington, in 1858 he moved production to a larger site on the banks of the River Lea at Bromley-By-Bow, just over the water from Three Mills.
Moving to the heart of the complex himself, he set about improving the lives of his workers – 400 at the peek of his Imperial Chemical Works’ success.
He built rows of cottages to house them, invested in a library, opened a lecture theatre, put on evening classes, organised sewing circles, created a clothing club and hosted non-denominational services.
There was even support for sick workers through a benevolent fund.
In 1861, the Stratford Times wrote: “Instead of dirty, narrow lanes bounded by high walls, now there are to be seen neat, commodious and well-built cottages, flanking tidy roads.
“The old population is losing its distinctive traits before a new, fresh and vigorous class that is rapidly settling amongst them and giving an air of busy life and incessant occupation to a place, which once wore an empty gloom hardly redeemed by the wild rush of waters roaring in the adjacent mill-stream.”
Philanthropy can be fragile, however.
Twelvetrees’ deal to sell his business in 1865 went bad, resulting in bankruptcy, although he did start up again on the other side of Bow at Cordova Works off Grove Road, eventually going on to produce washing machines and mangles.
A blue plaque marking the location in Bromley-By-Bow of the Match Girls’ Strike – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
lighting a fire
Collective effort is where lasting gains are often made.
While some workers in east London were relatively well treated by those making money off their sweat, others were not.
In July 1888, the women and teenage girls working at the Bryant & May match factory in Bow went out on strike.
There had been previous periods of industrial action over pay and punitive fines – sanctioning the often barefoot workers for dirty feet, untidy workbenches, lateness and dropped matches – but they had all failed.
1888, however, was different.
Atrocious working conditions including 14-hour days and the horrific ravages of phossy jaw – an industrial disease caused by exposure to the white phosphorus used in match production which killed a fifth of sufferers – were taking a terrible toll.
Social activists Annie Besant and Herbert Burrows became involved in the cause, publishing an article that angered managers at the factory, who attempted to get their workers to sign a statement repudiating its claims.
When they refused, a worker was fired – it was the spark that ignited the strike, with 1,400 women and girls walking out – probably on July 2.
Four days later, the whole factory had ceased to function.
The women had gone to visit Besant to enlist her help and with her support and the backing of some MPs, the strike generated significant publicity.
Besant – a prominent campaigner of a wide range of social and political issues – assisted in the negotiations and the workers were successful in getting unfair fines and deductions for materials abolished as well as a new grievance procedure with direct access to management.
A separate room for meals was also provided to prevent contamination of their food with poisonous phosphorus.
In the aftermath of the strike, the workers founded the Union Of Women Matchmakers – the largest such organisation of women and girls in the country at the time.
Their efforts inspired a wave of organising among industrial workers, the mothers of change.
fighting for workers’ rights
Canning Town Library played a significant role in that process.
In 1889 it was the venue for the formation of the National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers.
Will Thorne, Ben Tillett and William Byford founded the organisation in response to lay-offs at Beckton Gasworks, with the former elected as its general secretary.
The organisation rapidly launched a successful campaign for an eight-hour working day, with its membership then rising to more than 20,000.
It was the start of a labour movement that eventually became the GMB union, which today has more than half a million members.
Also in 1889, the London Dock Strike saw a walkout by some 100,000 workers.
They won their pay claim for the introduction of the Dockers’ Tanner – a guaranteed rate of sixpence an hour – precipitating extensive unionisation across the sector.
It was against this backdrop that Labour Party founder Keir Hardie was invited to successfully stand for election as MP for West Ham South.
He represented the seat from 1892-1895.
A mural on the side of the Lord Morpeth pub celebrating the work of Sylvia Pankhurst and the East London Federation Of Suffragettes – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
women and equality
East London continued to play a crucial role in the development of workers and women’s rights.
From 1914 until 1924, 400 Old Ford Road in Bow was the headquarters of the East London Federation Of Suffragettes (ELFS), an organisation committed to getting women the vote and one based not far from where the match girls stuck their blow.
It was also the home of Sylvia Pankhurst and her fellow campaigner Norah Smyth as well as the location of their Women’s Hall – a radical social centre run largely by and for local working class women.
This included a larger space with a capacity of up to 350 and a smaller hall for about 50 – all furnished with tables and benches made with wood from supporter George Lansbury’s timber yard.
When the First World War led to unemployment and rising food prices, the hall opened a restaurant serving hot meals at cost-price with free milk for children.
Having broken with her mother – Emmeline Pankhurst’s Women’s Social And Political Union – Sylvia and the ELFS used east London as a base.
The group held marches through the neighbourhood, organised large public meetings, benefit concerts and parties as well as producing a weekly newspaper called The Women’s Dreadnought.
Other activities included opening a cooperative toy factory that paid a living wage to its female workers and even offered a crèche.
While the ELFS’s name changed over the years it remained active until 1924.
Today, the Suffragettes’ activities are remembered in a mural on the side of the neighbouring Lord Morpeth pub.
It’s stories like these that Cody Dock’s Heritage Pavilion will help showcase in greater depth when it opens next year.
Additional research by Cody Dock’s Julia Briscoe
key details: Frost Fair at Cody Dock
Cody Dock offers a wide range of volunteering opportunities and runs regular events and activities aimed at engaging with the local community.
He studied as a cellist at the New Zealand School Of Music, completing a masters in chamber music and performing with a string quartet for about a year after graduation.
But life took a different turn when other members went overseas to study.
He quit playing professionally, opting instead to study law and then pursuing a career in the field initially in Auckland and then in Abu Dhabi with Allen & Overy and with Clifford Chance in Brazil, before arriving in the UK four years ago in his current role as senior associate at Baker McKenzie.
“Coming to London enabled me to get involved in the amazing classical music scene here,” said Tom.
“What you have are all these amateur orchestras with people playing at a very high standard, even though they’re often pursuing different careers.
“When I got here it was really inspiring.
“I joined the London City Orchestra, which puts on a small number of concerts each year and offers a way for people to play music while also following their careers in banking and so on.
“I was playing more and more – getting my confidence up again – but there wasn’t much chamber music happening and that’s where the idea for Brahms Club came from.
“Chamber music is the holy grail all musicians want to play because you can hear yourself – you’re not having to blend into an orchestra.
“Johannes Brahms is the greatest composer of this type of music, he offers a glimpse of the sublime for audiences.
“It’s such a rewarding experience for musicians to play his pieces – they’re so uplifting and positive.
“I really do believe his music helps people get through tough times and lifts them up, inspiring them to greater things.
“Brahms Club is for people who want to play his works and for those who want to listen to them.”
Tom is joined by pianist Jennifer Lee and violinist Tim Yap to perform the first recital at Brahms Club – image by the Royal Foundation Of St Katharine
“I reconnected with some of my old professional musician friends,” said Tom.
“At first, I was a bit embarrassed approaching them and saying I wanted to play chamber music.
“But I told them about this project and that we were fundraising for charities and they said they really wanted to do it and it’s really come together.
“The first concert was quite magical – it was a really special atmosphere with the audience sitting round the performers at the same level.
“It had a real feeling of warmth and it was quite relaxed with people clapping at the end of each movement, which felt really nice.
“I’m performing myself in some of the concerts and for the first one – Brahms Piano Trio No 1 In B Major, I was playing with my friend Jennifer Lee who’s a professional pianist.
“It was so moving, quite emotional, because we used to play together when we were in high school in Christchurch and we’d played the piece when she was 14 and I was 15.
“We’d fallen out of touch over the years and she’s a phenomenal player so this was a great chance to reconnect – we both love the music and it was really special to perform with her alongside violinist Tim Yap, the leader of the London City Orchestra, who’s amazing.”
Donations at the concert go to three charities including the Royal Foundation Of St Katharine in Limehouse, above – image by the Royal Foundation Of St Katharine
raising money for good causes
Of the 19 concerts programmed, 17 remain, featuring a wide variety of performers, including participants from two of the charities supported.
Tom said: “Ilumina is centred around a festival on an old coffee plantation in Brazil.
“There, they bring talented students from all around the country together to study and play with musicians from overseas.
“After spending a few weeks together, they then go on an international tour with the professors, with some getting funding to continue their studies overseas.
“It’s an incredible charity and we’re hoping to feature one of the musicians who has benefited from its support in the concert series.
“In addition to Ilumina and The Royal Foundation, the other musical charity we’re supporting is IMS Prussia Cove, an amazing project, which hosts a residential course in Cornwall.
“Top musicians go there and the students play there for a week, then they come to London, and it’s really important for the next generation of musicians to get those experiences.
“Violinist Tim Crawford, who’s come up through that programme and is really in demand, is set to perform with us for Brahms’ String Sextet No 2 In G Major and Cello Sonata No.1 In E Minor on November 23, which will be a real highlight of the series.
“Another will be violinist Jennifer Stumm and friends on December 14.”
a community effort
While Tom is the driving force behind Brahms Club, he’s had support from the local community.
“Many people have helped with the project,” he said.
“My neighbour, Fatima Carvalho and her husband Richard Lapper, have been absolutely crucial in getting stuff done.
“Fatima is Brazilian and put me in touch with Ilumina and helped us sell out the first concert.
“Richard, a journalist and author, acted as master of ceremonies and will hopefully be introducing several of the pieces.
“Brahms himself grew up in the docklands of Hamburg and you can imagine him finding familiarity in this part of London.
“He was famously diffident and didn’t want to be famous, cancelling a trip to Oxford to receive an honorary degree because he found out promoters were trying to organise a concert of his music at Crystal Palace to coincide with it.
“He told a friend in a letter his only regret was that he wouldn’t get to see London’s docks.”
key details: Brahms Club
The Brahms Club concerts take place at The Royal Foundation Of St Katharine on Sundays at 2pm.
Dates for your diaries in 2025 include November 16, 23 and 30 plus December 7, 14 and 21.
Performances will then continue in 2026 from March 1 and then into April and May.
Tickets are free with donations welcome – all proceeds go to charity.
Lecturer Victoria Wright talks opportunity and job prospects as she discusses courses at the university’s campus near Canary Wharf
Victoria Wright, lecturer in International Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University Of Sunderland In London – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
Tourism is booming. In 2024, 1.4billion people travelled for leisure pursuits – an increase of 11.5% on the previous year.
Early 2025 saw 5% growth year-on-year, according to the United Nations.
In the UK – the seventh most visited country in the world – we welcomed 41.8million visitors in 2024, a 12.2% rise on 2023 and a figure that exceeded pre-pandemic numbers in 2019, according to the Office For National Statistics.
Then there’s hospitality. The Harden’s London Restaurants 2026 guide, published in September, found that while 65 of the 3,000 notable establishments it tracks had closed, 146 new venues had opened – a net increase of 81.
Put in context, that’s the lowest rate of closures for a decade in a single year and a growth rate only exceeded on four other occasions in the guide’s 35 years of data.
Put simply, these two interrelated sectors – despite some significant economic pressures – are fundamentally in rude health.
The University Of Sunderland In London is based at Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
industries that ‘thrive on experience and innovation’
“These are dynamic and globally connected industries,” said Victoria Wright, lecturer in International Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University Of Sunderland In London (UOSiL).
“They thrive on experience and innovation – what we try to do here is inspire students about the opportunities that are available.”
With a background in tourism herself, Victoria is passionate about helping to generate opportunities for its students.
She said: “I studied tourism, first at college and then did a tourism management degree.
“As part of that course, I got experience in the industry and that was a stepping stone that led me into a career with international tour operator Tui.
“Working in the sales reservations department, I was very fortunate to go on fantastic familiarisation trips, so we could get to know the product and experience what we were selling.
“I went to Switzerland, Austria, Colorado and Finland, which was amazing.
“I decided I wanted to support people in learning how exciting the industry can be and the career options that are out there, so I decided to enrol on a teaching degree.
“From there I started lecturing in colleges and then went on to do an MA in tourism and cultural policy.
“I’ve been a lecturer for 15 years, joined the UOSiL in 2021 and have now started a PhD.
“Tourism and hospitality are different in many ways, but they are also similar – they’re both part of the service sector and provide tangible and intangible experiences to customers.”
theory, experience and job opportunities
Rated ninth in the UK for student satisfaction by the Complete University Guide 2025, the department is enthusiastic about delivering theory, experience and, crucially, job opportunities to its tourism and hospitality students.
Victoria said: “We make the programmes that we teach as practical as possible to provide students with the skills necessary to develop their careers. We also support them when it comes to employability.
“Our courses give students knowledge of the various dynamics of the sector and how it’s changed over the years – different types of accommodation and the various roles in hospitality, for example.
“That’s attractive to people with ambition and goals to work in these different areas as they pursue their careers.
“It’s important they get a broad understanding as, while they may want to get to the position of hotel manager, for example, it’s important they know about roles in sales, marketing and operations.”
Students can also expect guidance, trips, networking and visits from industry figures to help enhance their experience.
Victoria said: “We’re based in a very exciting part of London and there are lots of opportunities to connect with the hospitality and tourism industries.
“We offer a variety of courses for people at different stages in their careers and we’re always striving to provide students with experiences they’ll remember and get benefit from for the rest of their lives. It’s about enriching their time with us.
“We take students on hotel visits, residential stays – we’ve just had a group return from Budapest – and trips more locally.
“I’m from Surrey and I think it’s really important they learn what the UK has to offer.
“For example, I’ve taken groups to Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Box Hill – an area of outstanding natural beauty – and to Brighton as part of a module in creative tourism because of all of the different cultural offerings there.”
local connections in east London
More locally, the university also engages with the likes of Greenwich Market and London Museum Docklands as well as the hubs around Victoria and Waterloo.
“We’re also very proud to be working with Springboard, a charity that helps students and unemployed people with career opportunities in the hospitality sector,” said Victoria.
“I’m really passionate about making sure the courses we offer have both theoretical and practical elements that result in job opportunities – that’s why this partnership works so well.”
Supported by the likes of Barclays and beverage giant Diageo, Springboard works to promote the industry and provide skills for people looking to embark on a career in hospitality.
“We help people from all kinds of backgrounds by delivering courses, experiences and placements in the industry,” said Arion Tsapis, programme and project manager at Springboard.
“We have a very extensive network of partners across the UK, which allows us to help people get an understanding of the industry and what they can achieve – then we help them get jobs.”
Arion Tsapis, programme and project manager at Springboard – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
a love of teaching
It’s a sector Arion knows well.
He started his career working in hotels and bars aged 16 in his native Greece.
By 21 he was teaching mixology and bar-tending internationally in locations such as Austria and the Netherlands before heading for “the capital of cocktails”, London.
“What I love most is teaching people about hospitality,” he said.
“I’ve been working with Springboard for a year and a half.
“The industry has seen real growth in recent years – it’s not how it was before the pandemic.
“Employers are offering a lot more training and opportunities.
“They want staff to stay with them as their businesses grow.
“Working behind a bar, for example, is no longer seen as something to do before you get an actual job.
“Now people in those positions can work their way up, even to manager of a big hotel.
“With Springboard, we’ve seen a lot of people who started as waiters are now directors of food and beverage for big companies.
“That’s what draws people to hospitality.
“It’s an industry where you can belong to a family and where, if you put effort in, you’ll be rewarded.
“That’s where degrees come in – they enable people to progress faster in their careers.”
University Of Sunderland In London graduates celebrate their achievements at Southwark Cathedral – image supplied by USOiL
growing partnerships at the University Of Sunderland In London
Victoria added: “We intend to build on and grow our relationship with Springboard because it works for both of us.
“It’s important, so that the students have a sense of accomplishment and they feel a sense of pride in achieving their degree – but it shouldn’t just stop at the graduation ceremony.
“They need to move on to a career that they want.
“As a lecturer, I hear from my students, sometimes years later, and find out about their successes – that’s really what it’s all about for me.
“When that happens I feel very touched – a real sense of pride that I’ve been able to help people on their journey.
“It’s all about caring for the students and helping them to achieve their full potential, to be that teacher that really helps them follow their dreams.
“That’s why our Springboard programmes are offered to alumni as well – the care we have continues beyond graduation.”
key details: University Of Sunderland In London
The University Of Sunderland In London at Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs offers a range of tourism and hospitality courses.
