In 2006, the East End Community Foundation distributed 100 care bags, filled with essential supplies to support older residents in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney through its first Winter Appeal.
“There are about 20,000 older people defined as living below the poverty line in this area,” said Tracey Betts, chief executive of the EECF.
“The appeal first came about through listening to the people and organisations we work with.
“The 2,000 bags we distribute will all be going to people identified by the charities we work with, so we know they’ll be going to those in need.
“The contents of the bag alone cost about £30 and we tailor what’s inside depending on a person’s situation.
“For example, bags for residents in care homes don’t need so much food in them, but instead have things to help keep people occupied.
“They also contain essentials like blankets, hot water bottles and cupboard staples for those living independently – tea, soup, biscuits, chocolate and Christmas pudding.
“Some of the people we deliver to don’t see anyone from week to week – no family or carers. It’s also an opportunity for a conversation and perhaps a cup of tea.
“The appeal is part of the work we do to tackle pensioner poverty in east London.”
For the past 20 years, the charity has delivered care packages to elderly residents – image supplied by EECF
fighting poverty across three boroughs
Isolation, fear and, to some extent, pride, are all challenges the EECF works to overcome in its efforts to improve the lives of older people locally.
With the three boroughs it operates in suffering some of the highest levels of income deprivation for the elderly in the country, the charity also uses its appeal as a point of contact to introduce them to local services and help them claim any benefits they’re entitled to.
“Some are frightened things will be taken away from them as there are a lot of personal questions during an application,” said Tracey.
“Others don’t want to admit they need it, you have to tackle that element of pride.
“But this is money people are entitled to and, with pension credit, once you’ve been approved it’s there for life unless there’s a really major change to your circumstances.”
Tracey is appealing to businesses and individuals to support this year’s appeal and is well placed to speak on these matters.
Having grown up on the Isle Of Dogs and attended George Green’s School, she’s spent pretty much her whole career fighting poverty locally.
After working for the London Docklands Development Corporation, notably in the application of its grants programme, she became the director of the Isle Of Dogs Community Foundation in 1998, which became the EECF in 2012.
The charity distributes cash via grants from its own endowment fund and donations it receives to support local organisations.
It also advises corporations, helping them manage their own philanthropy effectively and efficiently.
Its comprehensive knowledge of the area, and the charities operating within it, means it has a granular level of expertise and a real appreciation of the size of the challenges faced by residents.
This year EECF plans to gift 2,000 bags through its Winter Appeal – image supplied by EECF
working to give people chances in life
“One of the issues we face increasingly here are the working poor – people who have two or even three jobs but are still under pressure to make ends meet,” said Tracey.
“Some are struggling to feed their children.
“We do a lot of work with schools to identify families and offer holistic packages to help address their issues.
“Right now it does seem as though times are getting tougher, but there are things we can do. Our Digital Inclusion project has been transformational.
“That’s all about getting kids connected so they have the technology and the ability to access the internet and do homework.
“But their families also use the facilities for job searches and to help with their mental health. The impact is much wider.”
Tracey is calling on businesses and organisations to work with the EECF to maximise that impact.
“Our remit is to tackle poverty,” she said. “What we say to corporates is that we know they have the money and we can help get it to the right place to make a difference.
“Companies can have as much or as little control as they like and can be fully engaged or anonymous and we’ll do all the evaluation and monitoring for grants made or projects undertaken.
“We can also match funding for certain projects.
“We’ve been doing this for 35 years – it’s not easy, but organisations can trust us to make the biggest impact possible.
“Through our Life Chances campaign we work with businesses to invest in young people in east London and to support older people too by funding charities that do good work over multiple years.
“With us working collectively in this way to sustain these organisations, they’re able to focus on the brilliant work they do.”
Those receiving gifts are identified by the charities EECF works with – image supplied by EECF
key details: East End Community Foundation’s Winter Appeal
“Here you are treated as a professional, the pay is great and you’re in a space where your skills are appreciated – it’s a good balance.
“I wrote my masters thesis on bringing young people into the construction industry and my research showed companies don’t always have people from the next generation working for them.
“If we don’t teach them now, there won’t be a workforce in the future – that’s one of the reasons the Government is making a push to recruit more teachers from the industry.”
That’s exactly the context of our conversation.
The Department For Education’s (DfE) latest figures have identified a shortfall of just over 36,000 workers needed in construction each year if the industry’s forecast growth comes to fruition.
It has pledged to train 60,000 by 2029 in a bid to help it achieve its target of building 1.5million homes by the end of the Parliament.
Analysis by the Building Cost Information Service last month found that, so far, 437,900 homes had been delivered and that the Government would fall short of its aim by more than 500,000 at the current rate of construction.
One of many issues facing the industry is that figures from May showed construction, planning and the built environment had the second highest level of vacancies for teaching positions in the further education sector.
It offers on-the-job training, full-time, part-time and flexible contracts with an emphasis on practical experience being especially sought-after and teaching and academic qualifications not necessarily a prerequisite for employment.
Mindful of the shortfall, the Government is also set to introduce a new Construction GCSE in 2029, designed to encourage more young people to pursue qualifications and careers in the sector.
Saad Farooq, subject lead and teacher at the London Design And Engineering University Technical College – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
a new pathway into construction
“I think this is one of the best things the Government has done,” said Saad.
“Students play games and scroll because they want to do things with their hands – they want to tinker, to build things and this provides an alternative to the screens.
“The shortage of workers in industries such as construction is concerning and providing a clear route into the sector at a younger age is a really good idea.
“There’s been a change in what employers expect when their employees come to them – they are now favouring those with skills rather than academic backgrounds.”
You don’t have to spend long at the London Design And Engineering UTC to realise it’s an institution that very much puts the teaching of those skills at the heart of what it does.
Consistently over-subscribed and having recently been judged exceptional in five of the seven categories rated by Ofsted, the college’s two buildings on the edge of Royal Albert Dock buzz with activity.
Sponsored by the University Of East London, it’s also a place deeply connected to industry – its walls are coated with corporate logos that tell of partnerships, collaborations and, crucially, routes to employment.
Its workshops, classrooms and facilities are filled with the industrial-grade kit necessary for its students to gain relevant experience as they progress through its courses starting at either 13 or 16 and studying for the likes of GCSEs, A-Levels, T-Levels and Diplomas that lead to apprenticeships or direct employment in the industry.
Saad, who grew up in Newham, was a student himself when the college welcomed its first intake in 2016, pursuing a passion for architecture in both academia and in industry before returning to teach the next generation.
The college is located at UEL’s Docklands campus in Royal Docks – image supplied by LDEUTC
returning to London Design And Engineering UTC
“Originally I wanted to go back on site after my masters,” he said.
“But I came back, did a trial and I loved it. It was brilliant seeing the students in front of me all wanting to learn my specialism.
“I get to share my love of buildings with them.
“It’s wonderful to be able to provide this support to learners and it’s something people in industry should definitely consider doing.
“The UTC is different to a traditional school, the students are very much hands-on, technical people.
“To teach young people you have to really know and love your subject and be able to communicate that.
“When you’re working in industry, you see things, touch things, smell things – it’s all about passing on those experiences and that passion to the students.
“If you can’t help them visualise it, they’re going to get bored so we need people who can do these subjects justice and also who can bring connections that can help them gain experience and opportunities.”
The college’s second block – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
key details: Train Others In Further Education and the UTC
You can find out more about the work of London Design And Engineering UTC and the DfE’s Train Others In Further Education campaign via these links.
Being unable to decode complicated written texts can affect all areas of a person’s life.
The charity says people with poor literacy are twice as likely to be unemployed and, for those in work, earn 60% less on average than those able to read well.
Then there are many wider social impacts – the challenges faced by children when their parents struggle with literacy, the shame and stigma the adults feel when masking a lack of ability and the extreme social exclusion of simply not having access to the same information as everybody else.
Worse still, marginalised communities are among the worst affected including ethnic minorities, ex-offenders and those living in poverty.
To help break those cycles, the trust recruits volunteers to act as reading coaches for adults.
Working with learning providers, they take part in free one-to-one sessions for people on courses to help them improve their skills, gain confidence and boost their employability and general wellbeing.
Being able to decode the written word is an essential life skill – image by Megan Lee / Pexels
giving something back
“My father left school at 13, so his education was interrupted,” said Declan Cashin, who volunteers as a reading coach through the Adult Literacy Trust at New City College’s Poplar campus.
“He could read, but it probably held him back.
“I’ve made a career out of reading and writing, I know the joy they can bring and how important these skills are, but I also understand how vulnerable someone can feel if they’re having trouble with them.
“I’ve been involved in voluntary work before, but that was usually over the phone or through text messaging.
“I missed interacting with people and being a reading coach is something you have to do in person, so it seemed the perfect thing to try.”
Born in Ireland, Declan knew he wanted to become a journalist at a young age but initially studied English at university after a teacher talked him out of it.
Nevertheless, after graduating he trained to be a reporter and spent years working in the media, moving to London more than a decade and a half ago.
Today he lives in Hackney and works in communications in Stratford having succumbed to the lure of a “steady desk job”.
Having discovered the Adult Literacy Trust online, he applied to become a volunteer, enrolled on its training programme and began one-to-one sessions earlier this year.
from interview to training
“The trust had an initial chat with me and then invited me for an interview to get a sense of my style and temperament – to ensure I had the right approach and level of empathy for the role,” said Declan.
“Part of that process was about remembering what it was like to learn a skill, recalling being bad at something and then learning to keep that in your head because it’s probably how the person you’re matched with will be feeling about reading.”
Volunteers, who must be 18 or older, complete training sessions across four modules that include topics such as the purpose of the coaching role, who the learners are, the skills and knowledge needed and safeguarding.
They are then matched with a reader and meet with them weekly during term time, typically for an hour.
“During training we were taken into classes at New City College to meet people who were using the trust’s service and to see how they were responding to it,” said Declan.
“One of the things I noticed was how much more seriously everyone seemed to be taking their education in comparison to a school classroom.
“These people are really dedicated.
“Older students often have many responsibilities – multiple jobs, kids and studying – and on top of that they’re taking time to improve their literacy.
“It’s incredible to see people making that effort to succeed.
“I learnt that people often come to the Adult Literacy Trust when they are aiming to get a particular job or responsibility within their career and that further education is a route to that.”
Declan said that, while those using the trust’s services were struggling with literacy, that didn’t mean they couldn’t read at all.
meeting for the first time
“I was matched with a learner from the charity’s waiting list and we met for our first session just to get to know one another,” said Declan.
“He was born overseas and came to the UK as a teenager, so his schooling was interrupted.
“His reading was actually already very good, but he wanted to gain confidence. He was also very clear that he wanted to maximise what he was getting from his course at the college.
“We sit in the library and read.
“At first we used the Metro newspaper because there are passages of different lengths and lots of different levels of complexity – everything from features to advertorials and sports stories.
“It was a good way to get a sense of his ability and what he was interested in, and then I could start to tailor the material.
“A couple of weeks later he brought his own book from home, and we’ve been reading some of that for the last few weeks.
“He knows what his issues are and what he needs to work on.
“He’ll run into certain words he needs to spend longer on.
“He can read very well, but it’s making sure the comprehension is there too.
“One of the things I’ve learnt from volunteers and the trust is that it’s crucial to make sure the learners are understanding what they are reading.
“It’s something that’s easy to take for granted if you don’t have that issue yourself.
“People want to improve their skills for many different reasons.
“It might be to read for themselves for pleasure, reading to their kids, understanding official documents or reading material related to their studies.
“We’re not there as teachers – we always refer learners back to their course leader to answer any questions on their studies – we’re there to help them develop the tools to engage with text, to break it down and to understand it.
“You certainly don’t have to be an expert on what they are studying.
“In the end, all you need to be is patient and constructive with your feedback to encourage them.
“English is a strange, irregular language – it’s not always easy to understand. With my guy, we go at his pace.
“We’ve been reading his book for the last few weeks.
“There might be certain words we need to spend longer on but that’s absolutely fine.
“Sometimes it’s about helping him understand that something isn’t actually very well written in the first place and why that might be.
“Getting through a few paragraphs is better than none.
“His book is quite academic and complicated, but seeing him dive into it and his confidence growing has been really wonderful.”
getting something back
Declan said volunteering with the charity had been a pleasant surprise since he began as a coach.
“It’s very rewarding,” he said.
“I get to come to New City College, which is so buzzy – filled with people who are getting on with things.
“It’s allowed me to meet people I perhaps wouldn’t have otherwise encountered and taking an hour out of my day to help someone is a real privilege.
“You also learn about yourself – how good you are at giving feedback and putting people at ease.
“It’s also about getting involved with something local that connects you to the people in the area you live and work in.
“I’ve got so much out of it, I come out of our weekly session feeling really pumped up.
“Everyone – the learners and the volunteers – are in this for the right reasons and it’s really inspiring.”
they say
The Adult Literacy Trust gathers regular feedback from service users. Here are some of their comments on the sessions it provides:
“It helps me to catch more, you know, so, with my teacher, I can ask him more questions. So, he is explaining more about what I’m interested in and I can talk with him about whatever I wish. It’s helping me a lot to improve my English.”
“Learning to read has opened so many doors for me. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but my volunteer, Janine, stuck with me through it all. She never stopped encouraging me.”
“Because of her, I found the courage to apply for a job I never thought was possible – and I landed it. This programme has helped me read, but it’s much more than that – it’s been a turning point in my life.”
“Before, when they say we should read in class, well, I tried to put myself back. But now when it gets to my turn to read, I’m happy to, even if I make one mistake.”
“It helps you with your mental health and wellbeing because you are reading with someone that will listen to you. It’s really helpful to become, for a moment, separate from all the hustle and bustle around you.”
Source: Adult Literacy Trust
key details: Adult Literacy Trust
The Adult Literacy Trust is currently accepting applications from prospective volunteers for training sessions in September.
Those wishing to find out more can email the charity’s volunteer and training coordinator via laura@alt.org.uk for more details or visit the organisation’s website here.
It’s been 45 years since the Royal Docks ceased to function for their intended purpose.
Having survived the Second World War, they’d become the busiest facilities of their kind in the 1960s only for containerisation to render them redundant as global trade demanded deeper and more accessible ports.
Since their closure in 1981, they’ve lain relatively vacant as land around them has found new purpose as exhibition and events space, a university campus, housing and a home for businesses.
While the development of London City Airport in the late 1980s saw some of the water lost under its runway and, more recently, its new taxiway and aircraft stands, bar the odd pop-up and vessel of interest, little advantage has been taken of the surface of Newham’s largest liquid asset.
Royal Victoria Dock as it is today – image supplied by RDW
what are the plans?
In short, there are three main uses proposed for the 12 hectare stretch of water adjacent to City Hall – floating wellness, a floating park and floating homes.
Plans for the first include a lido, sauna, spa and expanded support for open water swimming in the dock.
The park will comprise a floating green space, art installations and cultural programming with the possibility of future expansion.
The homes will be provided via residential moorings and floating dwellings.
It’s unclear what will happen to existing watersports and hospitality facilities in the area including the Oiler Bar and WakeUp Docklands.
The plans feature a floating lido and sauna facilities – image supplied by RDW
they say
Scott Derben, managing director of Royal Docks Waterways, said: “This vision represents the biggest step change in the management and development of the Royal Docks since they were closed to commercial shipping at the end of 1981.
“Now, 45 years later, our goal is that the docks that used to feed London will be used to nurture its inhabitants.”
The proposals aim to encourage open water swimming – image by Emma Nathan
what now?
Naturally it’s consultation time.
RDW is seeking to engage with stakeholders and members of the public to help shape the detail of the plans as it begins to establish partnerships with organisations that will deliver them.
Britannia Village Hall will host exhibitions of the proposals on March 4, from 3pm-6pm, so people can view them and discuss the ideas.
Online sessions will be held on March 3 and 12 at noon and 6pm for those who can’t make it down in person.
Then, on March 7-8, Thames Sailing Barge Will is set to be moored at Royal Victoria Dock West.
Open from 10am-3pm each day, the 100-year-old vessel will be carrying a cargo of information boards and plentiful post-it notes for people to jot ideas onto.
At 100ft long, she’s the largest of her kind ever built and is well worth a visit in her own right.
Following the public engagement events, there will be further workshops and opportunities to get involved with – details to be disclosed at a later date.
RDW is also looking to have private meetings with local stakeholders and businesses. Interested organisations should email rvdw@royaldockswaterways.com to set up dates.
A floating park would be open to the public – image supplied by RDW
then what?
Following the consultation, feasibility studies and other administrative gubbins, the first elements of the plans are expected to be delivered by 2030.
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.”
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.
CEO Jeremy Rees says the 25% boost in space and new facilities are already proving popular with organisers and brands, bring prosperity to the capital and Newham and the Royal Docks
Excel London CEO Jeremy Rees, left, is joined by deputy Mayor Of London for business Howard Dawber, centre, and Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, chairman of Excel London and managing director and Group CEO of ADNEC Group at the new venue’s first event – image by Excel London
People of greater seniority, plus time, results in events that do more for those attending and their organisers.
It’s this equation that underpins the expansion of Excel London in Royal Docks and the reason it’s already proving popular with brands from across the world.
Opened earlier this summer, the new facility saw early action hosting Formula E as its debut.
Built by Canary Wharf-based McLaren Construction, the extra 25,000sq m of space boosts the venue’s overall capacity by 25% to 125,000sq m.
That’s golden acreage for organisers to use, especially with the Elizabeth Line working as a major artery to deliver an ever increasing flow of people to the venue.
Excel London’s expansion massively expands the venue to the east – image by Excel London
a crucial transport link
“Since it started running and now everyone’s become familiar with it, visitor numbers have
risen 20%, dwell time has gone up by 20% and there are substantially more senior people from organisations coming to events here,” said Jeremy Rees, CEO of Excel London.
“The data is now backing up what we’ve been observing.
“If we’re in the business of connecting people, we’re doing that with an audience that’s a fifth bigger, is more senior and for a period of time that’s 20% longer.
“That multiplier effect is very substantial.”
With such positive figures as a foundation, it’s perhaps little wonder that an enhanced Excel is proving very popular following the introduction of the new facilities.
The extension includes an expanded international convention centre – allowing the venue to compete to host some of the largest congresses in Europe – as well as new exhibition halls, conference spaces and meeting rooms.
It is part of a wider £350million investment programme in London’s business and tourism economy by venue owner ADNEC Group.
The new facility includes outdoor terrace spaces – image by Excel London
a transformational expansion
“Our customers are saying the extension transforms the way they can use Excel,” said Jeremy.
“There are 37 rooms, you can have 7,000-8,000 delegates in the new space alone in a very cost-effective and efficient way.
“By using its external terraces, organisers can also create more of an emotional impact.
“Around 60% of our corporate market now is coming out of the USA – large tech, pharma and life sciences events.
“It’s exactly for them that we have built this facility.
“The encouraging trend is that they like it, they’re booking it and they’re going to be bringing tens of thousands of people to London for the first time.
“The market is speaking, everyone is moving forward with intent and the space is already getting booked up.
“It will be fascinating to see what happens over the coming months.
“Our owners in Abu Dhabi are wholeheartedly committed to investing in the experience economy in London.
“They’re extraordinarily proud of what’s been achieved so far.
“Opening the extension was definitely a history-making moment.”
Excel recently hosted Formula E – image by Excel London
Excel London: creating a halo effect
There’s a wider story here, however.
While greater provision of facilities at the venue is good news for Excel, its owners and their clients, the benefits extend well beyond its walls.
“The new facility is a very substantive step forward in terms of regular employment and profile for the area and I think the halo effect will continue to ripple through the estate and further afield into Newham and the surrounding boroughs,” said Jeremy.
“It’s an increasingly attractive proposition to invest in hospitality and the experience economy in and around Excel.
“When you look at Canary Wharf and London City Airport, the wealth building agenda in Newham and beyond with the GLA, there is a really coherent strategy to maximise the experience for visitors and the returns of investors and investees in London.
“There’s a real sweet spot at the moment and there are big players investing heavily in infrastructure – we’re one of those – to make sure as a city we stay ahead of the game compared to our European competitors.
“We’re already leading Europe and, globally, with this new facility, we are very much in the top percentile of venues that have everything to offer – exhibition and convention space, amazing transportation as well as fantastic hospitality offerings.
“My sense is that, until the next venue is completed in a tier one city, Excel is the place to come to.
“It’s fashionable, practical and commercially resonant for everyone that uses it.
“This new extension allows us to present a new kind of space that’s not existed in London before – it’s genuinely transformational for the city.”
Excel, of course, isn’t standing still.
Future plans include investment in its digital infrastructure, its hospitality offering and outside areas.
This will build on the success of Immerse LDN, a series of spaces of chapters on the edge of the dock that have been generating a steady stream of visitors to immersive attractions celebrating the likes of Formula 1, Egyptian history, Friends and Squid Game.
“There are regularly around 6,000 people a day visiting these and they’re here for a very different purpose than those coming to events at Excel,” said Jeremy.
“They are coming to be entertained, for fun, for enjoyment and they’re bringing their families.
“It means bars and restaurants can build really quite compelling business cases to locate here with consistent trade flowing though on a daily and weekly basis.
“It’s not just Monday-Friday, it’s also the weekends and it extends into the evenings too. In terms of driving a more vibrant estate, it brings life to these spaces on a consistent basis.
“I believe London has deserved more substantive, more modern and flexible infrastructure and it now has that.
“We all need to work very closely together to attract more inbound business, which ultimately creates a substantial effect throughout the visitor economy, advantaging so many of our businesses and organisations.”
key details: Excel London
Full venue details for those interested in hosting events at Excel London can be found on its website alongside extensive listings detailing what’s on in Royal Docks.
The attractions and pull of Riverscape are myriad.
Ballymore and Oxley’s 749-home scheme on the western edge of Royal Wharf overlooks Lyle Park and offers residents direct access to central London via the Uber Boat By Thames Clippers river bus service that stops at a dedicated pier on the development’s doorstop.
Then there are the connections to the east and south-east of the capital via the DLR, the on-site amenities including cafes, restaurants, a pub, a nursery, a primary school and a host of independent stores.
That’s before we even talk about the residents’ access to the Royal Wharf Clubhouse with its 25m swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi and gym, the 24-hour concierge service and the 16th-floor Sky Lounge overlooking the Thames.
For publication designer, visual journalist, expressive and therapeutic arts practitioner and recent Riverscape buyer, Deborah Withey, however, the first thing she noticed was the scheme’s brand colour.
A show home interior at Riverscape – image supplied by Ballymore
finding a home at Riverscape
“Orange is my favourite colour so you had me at orange, seriously,” said the founder of arts education studio, Henry H Art Academy.
“I saw it on Instagram and I thought the presentation was really smart – it had a bit of soul to it, so every time it came up I found myself not swiping it away.
“Eventually, I went to the website.
“Riverscape was only the second place we looked at.
“I felt immediately at home – odd, because I had never spent any time in the Silvertown area before.
“The apartments appeared to be thoughtful in design and materials.
“I loved the close proximity to the Thames, the incredible views, and in particular the garden design.
“Green space is important to all of us and I felt Riverscape was designed with attention to that, along with a respect for the Docklands.
“For example, putting the memorial of those killed in the 1917 Silvertown explosion in a prominent place on the grounds, making Lyle Park more beautiful, and preserving the Harland And Wolff signs there.
“It’s important to pay homage to what went before.”
One, two and three-bedroom apartments are available at Riverscape – image supplied by Ballymore
living close to the Thames
Designed by Howells architects, Riverscape offers one, two and three-bedroom homes – the latter designed with families in mind.
For Deborah, though, chief attractions came via proximity to the river and the chance to put her stamp on a new home.
“My son just graduated from UCL and he is in Docker Building in a one-bed, with a beautiful west-facing view right above Lyle Park,” she said.
“Earlier this year, I sold our home in Wales and decided to use the funds to purchase something for my future life.
“It’s a one-bedroom on the top floor of the Steamer Building.
“I am very excited about sourcing pieces for it and filling it with art, both my own and works by others.
“I lived in the centre of Detroit along the river for many years and it reminds me of that.
“I am a visual journalist and designer who decided to pursue a new path with creativity and wellbeing at its heart.
“In 2018 I opened Henry H Art Academy an expressive arts education studio where the creative and therapeutic process of art making is employed to enhance the psychological and social wellbeing of individuals of all ages, learning needs and health conditions.
“Let’s say I love helping others find their own form of creative expression – their ‘secret sauce’.
“Having the Thames Clippers pier was a big factor in my decision.
“I think the local area and community have great potential as long as it stays green and I’m most excited about taking the boat everywhere on the Thames as well as walking our whippet, Ricky, in Greenwich along the Thames Path.
“I’m also looking forward to being involved in charity and community art projects in the Docklands and within Newham.
“I feel very fortunate to live at Riverscape and cannot wait to make the apartment a creative haven and visual jewel.
“My style is mid-century, which I liked way before it was everywhere – eclectic, smart and interesting.”
Facilities at the communal residents’ Sky Lounge at Riverscape – image supplied by Ballymore
key details: homes at Riverscape
Prices for the final apartments available at Riverscape start at £459,000 for a one-bedroom home.
Event on Saturday, September 20, 2025, will see visitors welcomed to the ecological regeneration project for art, workshops, exhibitions, performances and live music
Artist Zhiyan Cai will unveil her Cabinet Of Curiosity at Cody Dock’s Lighting Up The Lea event – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
Cody Dock is getting ready to host Lighting Up The Lea later this month.
The event, which will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2025, features workshops, exhibitions, performances, a plant sale, food stalls, live music and more as the ecological regeneration project throws wide its gates to the community.
The event is officially part of three festivals – Open House, Totally Thames and Newham Heritage Month – and will also see the unveiling of Cody Dock’s second Cabinet Of Curiosity.
Commissioned as part of the project’s National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, artist Zhiyan Cai has been asked to explore the pre-industrial history of the River Lea for the installation.
“I started off studying architecture and then worked in that industry for a year, but while it was an interesting thing to study, the work was boring,” she said.
“However, I did learn about structures, rendering animations.
“I started off making digital art for myself, but people liked what I created and so I thought it could be a pathway for me.
“I’m from China originally and I first came to the UK to study in Glasgow. I decided to move to London because of the opportunities to practise art here.”
Zhiyan, who has just completed a four-month residency at Arebyte Gallery in London City Island, responded to Cody Dock’s open call to create the next in its series of cabinets and won the commission.
Zhiyan’s prototype lightbox for her Cabinet Of Curiosity project – image by Jon Massey / Wharf Life
a portal to the past at Cody Dock
“I really wanted to make something 3D but, of course, everything we have from that time is either documents or 2D paintings,” she said.
“What I’m doing is using structures within the cabinet that will look three dimensional when viewed from the front.
“It will be like a portal people can feel like they’d pass through – like a magical door from Dr Who. It’s a great idea to bring a history from the abstract into real life.
“I also work with projector mapping so there will be animation involved.
“The piece I’ve created will be in the middle of the cabinet and I’ve worked with children in workshops at Cody Dock to help them build lightboxes inspired by the area’s history.
“The idea is to combine all these different angles on the past – from me, from local kids – and, that way, to build connection.”
Angles is the right word. Zhiyan’s light boxes use optical illusion to create a sense of depth and movement as the viewer literally changes the perspective in her creations by moving their heads.
She hopes her work will encourage visitors to take a fresh look at their surroundings with the content she has created – all inspired by the research she has done alongside Cody Dock’s Julia Briscoe into the area’s past.
“We visited archives and found out about the design of Stratford Langthorne Abbey, which was located near here and founded in 1135,” said Zhiyan.
“I’ve used that information to create a kind of gallery as a framing device – it’s like a memory hall, so people can see this area at different periods in time.
“It’s about the wetlands with the plants waving in the wind, the Vikings and the abbey itself. I live in Canning Town myself and it’s really interesting to find out about the history of the land along the river.
“I was surprised to learn about the life of the abbey and the farming that happened around it as well as the fact local people simply took the bricks after it was demolished after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII.
“They used the stone to make new buildings.
“Things were always changing here – some of those materials may still exist in buildings in this areas and I hope my work helps to illustrate these things.”
A lightbox by one of Zhiyan’s young workshop participants – image by Zhiyan Cai
Lighting Up The Lea
In addition to seeing the new Cabinet Of Curiosity, visitors to Lighting Up The Lea will also be able to enjoy Dock Tours, try beeswax candle rolling, purchase Cody Dock honey, and see the site’s singular rolling bridge turn over.
Also on the agenda will be the chance to meet artist-in-residence Remiiya Badru who is working at Cody Dock over the course of a year to explore the area’s relationship with the textile calico and pigment Prussian Blue.
She will be inviting visitors to share their stories, inspired by items in the collection at V&A East Storehouse with the aim of producing an artwork related to her research.
Those interested in participating should sign up in advance for one of three Common Threads workshops to be held on the day.
Certain Blacks’ Ensemble Festivalis set to return to Royal Docks for two days of “excitement, entertainment and a bit of education” over the last weekend in July.
“Right now it’s quite hectic,” said Clive Lyttle, artistic director at Royal Docks-based Certain Blacks, which curates the event.
“We’ve got two new directors on board and we’re training staff to work on the festival.
“We’ve got 10 young people who we recruit locally for the event – we try not to use volunteers because we know those living in the East End don’t necessarily have the ability to say they’ll do it for free and we want to give as many people as possible a bit of experience working in the arts.”
That focus on diversity is at the core of Ensemble Festival. Returning for a sixth time, the event is an outdoor celebration of circus, dance, physical theatre and street art – free at the point of delivery and as accessible possible.
Clive Lyttle, artistic director of Certain Blacks – image by Jon Massey
entertainment and education
“The festival represents everything we’re about at Certain Blacks,” said Clive.
“There’s education alongside the shows and hopefully visitors will find out some new things and they’ll be mesmerised and entertained while that happens.
“Everyone needs a bit of a smile with everything that’s going on at the moment, and we hope they’ll get out and enjoy the wider area as well.
“This year, we’re working in partnership with the Royal Docks Team, which will be launching its free Summer Splash lido on the Sunday.
“The festival itself is going to have a bigger footprint too including performances outside City Hall on the greens so we’re growing it. We’ve got some really fantastic shows and I’m very excited about it.”
Certain Blacks is part of a network called Without Walls, a national consortium of more than 35 organisations presenting arts outdoors to people in towns and cities across England.
It works to commission and develop new work each year that can then tour the country and is supported by the Arts Council, where Clive worked for many years with a special focus on Newham.
He’s also a local resident, living opposite Excel in the Flying Angel, a former seaman’s hospital for more than a century before its conversion to apartments.
Holy Dirt – image by The Clay Connection
how Ensemble Festival draws visitors to the docks
“While we’re a festival for locals, we also attract people from across London – that’s one of our big aims,” said Clive.
“We always try to book the best, diverse artists available.
“The biggest show will be Tell Me, a whole programme from Without Walls about the experience of being diagnosed with HIV and living with that.
“It features circus artists and really large red cubes – the acrobatics are spectacular.
“It’s presented by the Sadiq Ali Company and features breathtaking Chinese pole work.
“We also have Waiting Song from Mish Weaver, where two trapeze artists perform to live music.
“The two artists ask the audience what they are waiting for in the workplace and they chat to each other.”
The latter, billed as a “lyrical exploration of how anticipation shapes our emotions and actions” as the acrobats engage mid-air in “a melodic conversation about their hopes for the future” exemplifies the physical nature of many of the shows.
Other highlights include Hug by Levantes Dance Theatre, with an artist soaring about the docks on a sway pole, Holy Dirtby Vidya Productions and David Glass, which blends live percussion and Indian performance styles with modern physical theatre and NoMo by Tiago Fonseca – a clown show about addiction to screens featuring juggling and body language.
Palais De Dance – image by Big Feast / Malcolm Hart
a sense of fun
Ensemble Festival is often about radical movement then, but also a bit of a laugh.
“When the Mayor Of London moved in, they were a bit cautious about having shows right outside City Hall,” said Clive.
“But we’re working with the Royal Docks Team, which is based inside and this time we’ve got a great water installation that’s going to take place on the grass right next to the beach area.
“If the weather’s as hot as it has been recently, it’s going to be really amazing summer entertainment.”
Artizani and Tenderfoot Theatre’sHydropunk promises a chance for the public to get up close to the wet stuff as a “chaotic, yet playful water machine cranks into motion”.
The show is intended as a metaphor where everyone participating must work together to recycle the liquid and keep the fun flowing.
“We’ve also got quirkier acts, such as Palais De Dance,” said Clive.
“This show looks back to the Festival Of Britain, the 1950s and the whole dancehall culture, which we hope will speak to more of our older audiences.”
Presented by Olivier Award-winning live artist Miss High Leg Kick, aka Francesca Baglione, the spectacle promises a multi-sensory flashback with a twist to an era of celebrity appeal and the excitement of teenage nights out both then and now.
Other shows presented include The Hide, by Tilly Ingram, an installation and audio experience led by the artist that takes inspiration from birdwatching and reflects on hidden disabilities and Roots To Rise, a combination of poetry, movement and music that represents a call to ecological action from Nandita Shankardass.
Then, rounding things off, there’s Truth from Ramshacklicious and Hijinx, which will only be performed on the Sunday.
This “joyful street revolution” features a mixed cast of disabled and non-disabled performers and promises a riotous show that combines clowning with physical theatre and original music in an interactive, partly improvised happening with a message of hope.
Tell Me – image by Primo Video Productions
key details: Ensemble Festival 2025
Ensemble Festival is set to take place from noon-8pm on July 26 and 27, 2025 at Royal Victoria Dock.
All performances and activities are free to attend and no booking is required.
Precise times and locations will be available online prior to the festival and event stewards will be on site to guide visitors.
