London-Wide Web Gathering in Newham
Hope is something we build together.
On 23 September, Community Asset Developers (CADs) and allies gathered at REinsTate in Newham for Hope - an afternoon of sharing food, ideas and experiences, and building London’s growing web of CADs.
The idea came from our first London-Wide Web gathering, where London-based CADs had expressed a desire to connect beyond individual projects: to learn from one another, find solidarity and explore what we could do together.
Image caption: over 70 Community Asset Developers, council partners and supporters arrive at REinsTate in Newham.
We began with food and tours of REinsTate, getting to know our host space and the people behind it. Starting with a place - and the work of bringing it into use - gave the conversations that followed something tangible to build on.
Over lunch, people met new faces and reconnected with familiar ones. Everyone arrived with their own experiences of making spaces work for their communities, from negotiating access to buildings to keeping projects going with limited resources.
Image caption: a communal meal lovingly prepared by a local social enterprise was enjoyed in the main hall.
Collective mapping helped us see the growing web of projects, people and relationships across London. Work that can feel isolated in one neighbourhood became part of a bigger picture, with shared challenges and experience to draw on.
The provocations brought some of those challenges into focus. Juliet Can from Stour Trust spoke about “Fast, fast, slow”: community organising depends on patient relationship-building, yet an eviction notice, funding deadline or tender can demand an immediate response. How do we act quickly while keeping people involved?
Nabil Al-Kinani reflected on “The cost of investment” - the time, emotion and energy people put into their places. His words recognised the personal cost of this work, and the value of being in a room with others who understand it.
Image caption: Juliet Can on “Fast, fast, slow”: the time it takes to build community trust, and the pressure to act quickly when deadlines arrive.
Image caption: Nabil Al-Kanani on “The cost of investment”: the time, energy and emotion people give to their communities, and the personal cost of that commitment.
Image caption: Making the London-Wide Web visible: mapping our places, relationships and shared challenges, and exploring where we can support one another.
Workshops gave people a chance to bring questions from their own places and work through them with others.
Conversations ranged from navigating leases and negotiations with landlords to building better relationships with councils and private developers. Others explored how to share technical expertise, find financial models that support long-term stewardship, and offer peer solidarity when a project hits a difficult moment.
These were practical discussions, rooted in people’s experience. What have others tried? Who might be able to help? What could we share rather than each having to work it out alone? Alongside the challenges, people offered ideas, contacts and knowledge.
Image caption: Exploring the mutual lease with Dark Matter Labs and House of Annetta: how leases can support shared responsibility and long-term community stewardship.
Image caption: Exploring partnerships between community asset developers and private developers: what it takes to build trust, share power and create lasting community benefit.
Image caption: sharing lessons with Wandsworth Town Property Partnership and Meanwhile Space: exploring how communities, councils and property owners can work together to bring spaces into community use.
We came back together for a final harvest, sharing what had surfaced in the workshops and the conversations we wanted to continue.
A recurring thread was the need for support that lasts beyond a single opportunity or crisis: relationships we can call on, expertise we can access, and a stronger collective voice. There was also a recognition that care needs to be part of how we organise—not something left to individuals already carrying a great deal.
The afternoon ended with more time to connect. Space to follow up on an idea, ask another question or spend a little longer with someone whose experience resonated.
Image caption: coming back together for the final harvest: sharing ideas from the workshops and gathering the questions and possibilities to take forward.
The conversation continued at the London-wide gathering at City Hall on 5 October. With growing support from the Greater London Authority, and encouraging conversations with London Funders and London Councils, there is an opportunity to build on these connections.
Image caption: together outside REinsTate in Newham: the people behind a growing London-Wide Web.
With thanks to our hosts ReSpace at REinsTate, and fellow co-conveners Tipping Point East, Footwork, Platform Places, Stour Trust, Wandsworth Town Property Partnership and Meanwhile Space. And to everyone who brought their questions, experiences and energy to the day.