Celebrating Local Heroes at Neighbourhood Works
Let’s talk about communities, those amazing groups of people who come together to support each other, share resources, and build networks. It’s about forming relationships, making social connections, and finding that sense of belonging we all crave.
As our society becomes more collaborative and interconnected, it’s important to develop a strong connection with our local community. And that’s where our coworking spaces come in! They’re awesome hubs where people can share a workspace, network, collaborate, and support each other. It’s a community within a community, and it’s pretty special.
Spacemade is thrilled to announce our second Local Heroes exhibition. This initiative is all about celebrating and highlighting the amazing local businesses and entrepreneurial talents in our area. We design and create flexible workspaces in both close-to-home and city center locations for business owners, entrepreneurs, startups, and flexible workers to come together, share ideas, and build relationships.
So, get ready for this super cool photographic exhibition at our vibrant workspace in Neighbourhood Works, London Fields; showcasing the stories of some incredible business talents in our local area, including our very own members at Neighbourhood Works and others who contribute so much to our local enterprise.
The exhibition features six Hackney-based entrepreneurs, founders, and innovators who are doing some seriously amazing stuff. We’ll be sharing their stories through our social media channels with some awesome short films that celebrate entrepreneurship and inspire the next generation of local business owners.
Just to give you a sneak peek, we’ll be featuring Alex Stephany, the founder of Beam, which is the first-ever online platform dedicated to crowdfunding employment training for homeless people. We’ll also have Greg Hobbs, the Co-founder and Head Brewer at The Five Points Brewing Company, and Oriance Lungo, a Hackney-based boxer, creator of All Elite Boxing, and winner of the Champion title at the 2019 England Boxing National Elite Championships. These are just a few of the awesome folks we’ll be showcasing at our exhibition.
The exhibition runs from 23 May 23 to 23 June 23 at Neighbourhood Works, London Fields and showcases stunning portraits taken by photographer, Alastair Hilton. Join us to celebrate these local heroes, and be a part of our amazing community at Spacemade. Can’t wait to see you there!
Who are the local heroes?
Alex Stephany, Founder and CEO of Beam
Back in 2016, Alex Stephany struck up a friendship with a homeless man who often sat outside his local train station. Alex would regularly stop to chat with him, and in doing so, he learned that the man had been out of work for a very long time. Alex became determined to help this man leave homelessness for good, but he realized he couldn’t do it alone. Alex began crowdfunding for homeless people, and Beam was born.
Launched in 2017, Beam is the first-ever online platform dedicated to crowdfunding employment training for homeless people and it has partnered with over 10 charities. The initiative is primarily funded by innovation grants from the Mayor of London and Nesta. Spacemade is a proud partner of Beam, giving each of our members a £10 voucher to support someone in Beams network.
Nat Mady, Founder of Hackney Herbal
Nat Mady is Founder & Director of Hackney Herbal, a social enterprise that shows people how to incorporate herbs into their lifestyles, for health and improved wellbeing.
Hackney Herbal was founded in 2015, inspired by Nat’s passion for urban food growing, which began when she joined a community garden in 2011. As a social enterprise, any money made from their workshops or tea products helps to fund community work promoting good mental health.
Greg Hobbs, Co-founder and Head Brewer at The Five Points Brewing Company
With a background in chemistry combined with experience of being a head chef, Greg Hobbs co-created one of East London’s top craft beer producers. Launched in 2013, The Five Points Brewing Company sits in the heart of Hackney and holds the distinction of being the first brewery in the UK to receive accreditation as a Living Wage Employer.
Oriance Lungu, All Elite Boxing
Oriance Lungu is a Hackney-based boxer, coach and winner of the Champion title at the 2019 England Boxing National Elite Championships. Oriance created All Elite Boxing, a collaborative of Oriance, alongside a nutritionist and osteopath, which guides people to reach their full potential, whatever their background.
Roger Love, East London Life Coach
After quitting journalism in his 40s, Roger Love became a personal trainer. Roger’s natural progression into life coaching came after seeing the effects that the COVID-19 lockdown had on his clients mental wellbeing over their physical. Roger has lived in East London for 20 years.
Mat Giles and Alex Jurva, Studio Mean
Mat Giles and Alex Jurva are the innovative duo behind Studio Mean – a branding studio, specialising in food and beverage and culture brands. After 13 years in the industry, Mat and Alex created Studio Mean, to find a purpose in the industry and to create that perfect work-life balance. One of their most exciting projects was a guerrilla campaign across TFL during COVID which to encouraged Londoners to be better mask-wearers on the city’s transport network.
