A New Chapter for St Margaret’s House: Creativity for Social Change
The past twelve months have marked a period of significant transformation for St Margaret’s House. As a longstanding community anchor in the heart of Bethnal Green, with a legacy that stretches back to 1889, we are proud to share this update with our community through our first blog post—a medium we intend to use more regularly to reflect on our journey, share news, and invite conversation.
Our rich history spans more than 130 years, encompassing many cultural, political, and societal change eras. Throughout this time, St Margaret’s House has adapted to meet the local community's needs, championing inclusion, wellness, and access to the arts. In the coming months, we will delve deeper into our archives to explore some of these pivotal moments in our history. But today, we focus on the present—a time of renewal and ambition.
Leadership Renewal and Organisational Change
In June of last year, we saw the departure of our longstanding Chief Executive (CEO), who had served the organisation for over three decades. This moment marked the beginning of a bold new leadership model. Rather than replacing the outgoing CEO with a single successor, we adopted a co-leadership structure, reflecting our commitment to collaboration and shared responsibility.
Beccy Allen, as Arts and Wellbeing Director, and Jonno Ellicott, as Executive Director, stepped into the roles of co-CEOs. Their first major initiative was to work alongside staff and trustees to co-create a new Vision, Mission and Values statement that would exist not merely as a formal document but as a living guide for all our actions, decisions and interactions.
This collaborative process was deeply philosophical, reflective, and collective. Through many drafts and honest discussions, we sought to ensure that each word represented the beliefs and ambitions of everyone involved. The result is not simply a renewed organisational identity, but a foundational framework that underpins everything we do moving forward.
SMH: A Home for Creative Health
Our new strapline, ‘A Home for Creative Health’, reflects our heritage and future. While St Margaret’s House is no longer a literal residence, as it once was in its early years, when we provided lodging to women in need until the 1970s, it remains a figurative and creative home for many.
Once bedrooms, the 14 rooms in our central building at 21 Old Ford Road are now offices and studios occupied by mission-aligned organisations such as London Arts and Health, Globe Community Project, and Freshwater Theatre. These groups and our internal teams represent a tapestry of social engagement, healing, and creativity. We want everyone who walks through our doors to feel welcomed, seen and supported. Whether they’re coming to work, participating in a workshop, or enjoying a healthy meal, St Margaret’s House is designed to be a second home.
Our aim is not just to offer space but to provide an environment in which empowering local artists and residents becomes second nature and where cultural engagement for positive impact is embedded in the building's architecture.
Our Vision: Everyone is Healthier Through Creativity and Connection
We believe that creativity and human connection are vital components of public health. Our vision is rooted in this belief: that everyone is healthier through creativity and connection. We understand health not only physically but also in terms of emotional resilience, mental wellbeing, and a sense of belonging.
At its core, this vision affirms the transformative power of creative practice. Whether through music, movement, visual arts or storytelling, creativity offers people the tools to process their experiences, express themselves, and forge new relationships. These practices are especially important in urban environments like London, where isolation and inequality often hinder community cohesion. We are committed to engaging East Londoners in meaningful projects that promote wellbeing and bring people together in shared experiences.
Our Mission: Delivering Affordable and Sustainable Creative Health Practices for All
Our mission articulates our commitment to affordable and sustainable creative health practices, ensuring they are accessible to all who wish to engage. We recognise the immense value of creative engagement and acknowledge the barriers that often prevent access—financial, cultural, or otherwise.
That’s why affordability is a central tenet of our programming. We strive to ensure that most of our workshops, events and initiatives are free or low-cost and we enable people to choose between three tiers of prices for most activities. This approach broadens participation and helps support underrepresented voices in the arts—particularly those who may lack the resources or institutional support to access traditional arts spaces.
Furthermore, we are dedicated to making the most of the historic and physical assets entrusted to us by our founders. From event spaces to studios and meeting rooms, we are constantly evolving our offer so that the community can access spaces that foster collaboration, experimentation, and collective action.
Curation with Purpose: Creativity for Social Change
One of the cornerstones of our approach is intentional curation. While we do produce our own in-house programmes, we also see ourselves as facilitators and a platform for others to create, share and collaborate.
This commitment to curating unique, meaningful, free or low-cost creative activities, rooted in social change defines our programming. It ensures that our work is not just creative for creativity’s sake, but always politically and socially engaged. We honour our roots by ensuring that all our artistic and wellbeing offerings are tied to a broader mission of equity, justice and transformation.
By supporting emerging and established artists alike, particularly those from marginalised or underserved backgrounds, we aim to foster a creative ecosystem that truly represents East London's richness and diversity.
Beyond the Studio: A Holistic Approach to Wellbeing
Creativity and wellbeing extend beyond art workshops or gallery spaces. At St Margaret’s House, we see wellbeing as holistic, encompassing what we eat, wear and interact with our environment. Our charity boutique, Ayoka, and our vegan cafe, The Gallery Cafe, are not peripheral ventures—they are integral to our identity.
These initiatives promote sustainable living and inclusive economic models, inviting the community to participate in ethical consumption and mindful living. Shopping secondhand or choosing plant-based meals are healthy choices and expressions of values aligned with environmental and social justice.
By offering these services alongside our arts and health programming, we reinforce the idea that creativity for social change can be woven into the fabric of daily life.
Affordable Workspaces for Mission-Aligned Organisations
We understand that we cannot—and should not—do everything alone. That’s why we proudly offer affordable office space to organisations and practitioners whose missions align with ours.
From arts collectives to mental health charities and youth-focused initiatives, our tenants form a vibrant and collaborative network within our buildings. This allows us to contribute to a broader ecosystem of change-makers, extending our reach and diversifying the support available to the community.
Together, through co-location and cross-pollination of ideas, we amplify our collective impact and demonstrate the power of shared space in fostering innovation and resilience.
Investing in Emerging Artists
Our commitment to empowering local artists and residents includes a focus on nurturing emerging talent. We actively seek to support artists at the beginning of their journeys—those who may not yet have the recognition or institutional support to take risks or explore ambitious projects.
Through residencies, exhibition opportunities, and tailored mentoring, we create pathways for early-career artists to grow and flourish. Our aim is not to hold onto these artists indefinitely, but to give them a strong foundation from which they can progress to larger platforms, contributing to a more inclusive and dynamic arts sector.
In doing so, we remain focused on supporting underrepresented voices in the arts and ensuring our spaces are not only accessible but also empowering.
Towards a Future Where Creative Health Shapes Public Health
We are unambiguous in our conviction: creative health must become central to public health. We believe in a preventative, inclusive and human-centred approach to health and in the power of culture to heal, connect and build resilience.
We will continue to advocate for integrating creative health practices into mainstream health and social care systems. Through strategic partnerships, community outreach and evidence-based programming, we aim to demonstrate that creativity is not a ‘nice add-on’ but essential.
We are currently at the beginning of an ambitious plan to invest in our physical infrastructure. We recognise that in order to sustain and expand our work, our buildings must evolve. We are assessing how best to adapt our spaces to meet the needs of the 21st century, ensuring they are accessible, environmentally sustainable and fit for purpose.
This will be a significant undertaking, but we are committed to it. Just as our founders chose 21 Old Ford Road for St Margaret’s House to serve the needs of their time, we are now tasked with preparing the same building for the needs of the next 100 years.
This moment of reflection and renewal marks a new chapter for St Margaret’s House. With a refreshed vision, bold mission and a deepened commitment to engaging East Londoners in meaningful projects, we look forward to the work ahead.
As always, we invite you—our community, partners, artists and supporters—to join us on this journey. Whether you are an old friend or a new acquaintance, we hope to offer you a space to belong, create, connect and grow.
Together, we can shape a future in which cultural engagement leads to positive impact and creative health becomes a cornerstone of a more inclusive, equitable society.