Guardianship and social impact in east London with Custom House Civic Community Hub

Dot Dot Dot guardians in east London have been supporting the community-building efforts created by Civic, an organisation working to re-imagine community high streets for the benefit of local residents. 

We explore the inventive ways our guardians have set out to give a new lease of life to a set of empty retail spaces by  developing them into a vibrant community-led centre.

In 2017, our property partner Newham Council, reached out to us at Dot Dot Dot for advice about a project in Custom House, east London. With a row of disused retail spaces at 3-9 Freemasons Road in need of security and  purpose, we were able to draw on our expertise in the field to suggest utilising community-building organisation, Civic.

Civic are dedicated to supporting communities to develop the tools they need to nurture positive change. After their partnership with Newham was secured in 2018, Civic set about to re-imagine the potential of these empty spaces, with one goal in mind: that they were brought back into use in the form of a community hub, run by local residents, for local residents.

Helping our guardians to create social impact in Custom House

We took on our role as junior partner in the process by supporting one of Civic’s key elements of the project – to inspire community involvement by way of volunteering. Having worked alongside Newham Council for five years to house over 150 property guardians in the area, we were able to guide local guardians towards voluntary opportunities at the community hub.

From helping the community garden to flourish to upcycling old pallets into outdoor furniture, our guardians have played a vital creative role in the transformation of the Custom House Civic Community Hub.

Rodney Roodt, a guardian in Custom House, explains how he has been involved in the project: “I helped to prepare for the first public event which was a poetry evening. This included making signs, general events preparation, and setting up the space. I really enjoyed supporting this event as it was strengthening a sense of community in my local area. I also met lots of local residents who were volunteering too. I’m looking forward to assisting them on a regular weekly basis”

Supporting Covid-19 relief efforts in the community 

When plans for the community centre drew to a halt in March 2020 due to the pandemic, Civic were quick to respond by establishing crucial relief efforts in order to support local residents and key workers. Dot Dot Dot guardians helped to deliver food parcels to those in need, distribute critical PPE to people working on the frontline and providing activity packs for children were just some of the ways that Dot Dot Dot guardians provided volunteering support.

East London guardian, Maija Sallinen says: “I have been helping with the Covid-19 relief efforts in a number of ways since I started volunteering at the community hub. I helped to assemble and deliver activity packs for children in the community, joined the mask making squad where we were creating masks to distribute, sorting out clothes donations and helping out at the reception.” 

Dot Dot Dot guardians have been a vital support to the development of the community hub, says Civic, and the project is testament to the ways in which guardians can provide much needed support to their communities. “Dot Dot Dot volunteers have been an invaluable resource in our journey to reopen the high street.

“They have given back to the community in more ways than one. Together we’ve launched a fruit and veg pop up shop, a podcast and rehearsal room, a hanging garden, a Covid-19 response and so much more. It’s been incredibly fun and they feel like part of the team. We can’t wait to continue to work with Dot Dot Dot across our Newham project.”

You can keep up with our #10Years celebration where we’re highlighting guardians from the past ten years and the voluntary organisations our guardians give their time to.