Community Spirit in Whitechapel

Last week was the first networking event at our Whitechapel property, organised by our fantastic community host Ewa. Over 30 guardians turned up to mingle, share skills, enjoy brownies by local social enterprise Rise, and sip drinks made by the building’s resident cocktail pro.

It was a great ice breaker for guardians old and new – from the most recent arrival, just two days into her guardianship, to the first guardian to move into the property when we took it on in the summer.

Guardians introduced themselves, their passions and their expertise, covering everything from an overview of cosmic energy from a resident engineer, fitness tips from a personal trainer, advice about building an online following from a social media guru, and an offer of free woodwork sessions from a guardian interested in carpentry.

There were also lots of great ideas about how to develop the community feel including launching a guardian running club and making a film about the different characters in the community.

Another guardian spoke about the charity he has set up, Chatter Chamber. It aims to bring people together in the community, working alongside local charities, and they are currently looking for more volunteers to help out.

It was an excellent evening and a great opportunity for our east London guardians to get to know each other better. We’re excited to see how the Whitechapel community spirit continues to grow.