The Canal Club Community Centre was designed and built by Julian Sofaer in 1978 for the Wellington Estate and the Garden was built in 2010 by watery residents with the local community to support the Community Centre ❤️ We are open on Tuesdays and Sundays during the growing season from 2pm till 6pm. The garden has been grown to encourage visitors such as bees, butterflies and other wildlife including like-minded people! We also hold all kind of events such as making art, outdoor art exhibitions, drawing and painting, poster and banner making, cyanotype printing, clay modelling, sewing and knitting sessions and making breads and pizzas in the outdoor clay oven. We have small plants of flowers and vegetables in the growing season to take away for small donations. Elderflower cordial making and apple pressing to make fresh juice and c***r in the relevant seasons (please check our page for these events). We hold art and gardening workshops and events and exhibitions when we’re not open to the general public on Tuesdays and Sundays - please check our pages for updates to get involved! Gardening tips and seed sharing is an ongoing event. Or just come and sit in the garden and relax by the canal ...
Volunteers are always welcome - contact us directly for gardening dates and times. Wheelchair access. Toilets and hand washing facilities. Wednesday 12th October 2022 UPDATE! We have just heard the wonderful news that the planning application to demolish our community garden and the community centre has been withdrawn! With thanks to everyone involved in the long drawn out campaign to save this unique community space. Bless you all and hope to see you all soon. This info below is an old plea to the council from 2018 finishing on the 12th October 2022 under the new administration - but we’re leaving it up as the reason for our campaigning to save this small wildlife garden supporting the Wellington Estate Community Centre
“At present we are unsure as to whether the Canal Club Community Centre and the community garden will be demolished by Tower Hamlets Council to make way for blocks of flats. Of course we need more social housing but not at the expense of losing our social and last remaining community centre and open space within this overcrowded and densely populated area of Bethnal Green. Our community amenities and our necessary social lifelines within our close community will be taken away forever and we need these community open spaces more than ever - so please Tower Hamlets Council - listen to your local residents voices as 99% of all the local community during those lengthy consultations in 2018 and 2019 have always asked for the refurbishment option for this necessary community centre and to be saved in its entirety for a permanent use now and for our future generations, but we have never been listened to. Tower Hamlets Council have given the local community a “meanwhile use” for the Canal Club Community Centre after an interior refurbishment, but the planning process to demolish this community site is still ongoing through the councils planning department (PA/20/00516/A1)
We ask on behalf of all our local residents that the planning application to demolish this community site submitted by the applicant, Tower Hamlets Council, be withdrawn. The Canal Club Community Centre was designed by the famous social architect Julian Sofaer for the Wellington Estate after the local residents visited many of his buildings across London and chose a specific design. We shall post updates of this ongoing situation - so far, we’ve been verbally promised that the community wildlife garden will be saved as it is, but we’re still awaiting this confirmation in writing. Meanwhile, we’ve had the community garden licence reinstated through Tower Hamlets Council. Please call 07812991373 if you wish to hold an outdoor community workshop or need to speak with us directly about anything else. Email for the community garden: [email protected]
Email for the community centre: [email protected]
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Take care of yourselves and thanks for all your support
Canal Club Community Garden
