Impact Report 20/21 Different makes the difference makes Different Who’s Here The Gantry TG The Trampery on the Gantry Atrium A A Loughborough University London Press Centre PC Institute of Digital Engineering Plexal VA LC2 Atrium B B Scope BT Sport Quadient BT Studio Barratt London MATCHESFASHION Studio APL Logistics VA Studio Wayne McGregor Here East Management Suite D LMA Sports Interactive FiiT C Atrium C C Plykea D-Ford Ford: Freedom Ford: Movement B Canalside CS PC CS MATCHESFASHION Studio TG Hobs 3D MOTHER F45 Stratford A Atrium D D The Breakfast Club Ford: Progress Randy’s Wing Bar Staffordshire University London Gotto Trattoria Saint Espresso Evolve Four Quarters V&A VA Bucks Barbers Aura Organics Spa The V&A Research and Collections Centre The Lock Inn Chapters 06 14 20 Here East Plexal Humans of impact Here East 28 32 42 Disability The next The creative inclusion generation industries 48 54 60 Impact Our Looking through sport retailers ahead 2-03 0 Here East Impact Report 20/21 Alongside this, we have continued to develop Their continued commitment to making an a wide range of programmes and opportunities impact has been extraordinary, from Hobs 3D to promote employment and build relationships and MATCHESFASHION Studio sewing scrubs with local boroughs. We are very proud to have for NHS staff, to our universities adapting with received national recognition for this work, winning online open days and new mentoring programmes, the Grand Final of the commercial category at the to the work of Plexal members Badu Sports and National RICS Social Impact Awards 2020. Here One Family providing food donations and an East was praised by the judges for its social and emergency care fund respectively. environmental impact and was recognised for its benefits to the local community, fulfilling an economic and social need in the area. Looking ahead Together, we have created a strong foundation on which East London – and the city and country Impacting East London as a whole – can build in the coming years. With education disrupted, communities isolated Foreword and the employment landscape transformed across Beyond our walls and into the wider Queen Elizabeth the country over the past year, our resolve to be a Olympic Park, the London Stadium itself has the Gavin Poole, CEO, Here East leader in East London has only been strengthened. potential to generate millions in income once fans It is more important than ever that we deliver on are allowed back into stadiums. our goals and, where possible, accelerate activity to provide even greater support for our community. The emerging cultural quarter of East Bank will bring Different makes the difference Delivering on our vision Our tenants have done the same, remaining Making a difference is built into the DNA of Here While the landscape has changed beyond resilient, adaptable and community-focused. Sadler’s Wells East, London East. To deliver on the Olympic legacy, we are recognition, even in this most challenging of years, Even while experiencing their own challenges, College of Fashion and committed to playing our part in the regeneration our ability to work with, and support, communities they have been seen to come together in more of East London through job creation, access to has not diminished. innovative ways to support our community. BBC Music to East London, education and inclusive community initiatives. alongside the V&A East Over the past 12 months, Here East has continued From the moment the proposal for Here East was to expand. Not only in terms of the growth of the Project – which will house a first put forward to the London Legacy Development businesses based on our campus – from some of new collection and research Corporation (LLDC) in 2012, through to our doors this country’s leading universities, to the fast-growth first opening in 2016 and right up until the present startups delivering the innovations of the future centre at Here East – making day – a time when businesses and communities from Plexal, to those making us the largest esports this part of the city a global have experienced extraordinary disruption – we cluster in the UK – but also by continuing to widen cultural hub. have strived to do things differently. We have strived the impact we make on East London and beyond. to deliver for East London’s people and its economy. But the work does not stop here. The impact of the The pandemic has put significant pressure on pandemic will be long-lasting and much more needs And we are succeeding. The International jobs, training and mental health, highlighting the to be done to support our businesses and to rebuild Olympic Committee has described Queen Elizabeth challenges we must all face together. And so, we communities. We need to continue to listen and act. Olympic Park as ‘transformational’, responsible for understand the need for businesses across all Of course, this is not a solo project; we continue breathing new economic life and opportunities industries to collaborate with education providers to work with the London Legacy Development into this community. and engage closely with their local communities Corporation and through collaboration and joint to make a tangible, long-lasting difference. With Here East and Plexal at its core, Queen endeavours we can both achieve so much more. Elizabeth Olympic Park is one of the largest and In January 2021 we launched a scholarship To recover, London has to put its best foot most successful regeneration projects in London, programme, to support local people through forward, and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is and a model for cities around the world to replicate. higher education courses at the world-class a place I believe East London’s residents and While a small minority have criticised its legacy, in institutions based on our campus, including businesses are incredibly proud of. In this report, leading Here East since we started the project over LMA and Staffordshire University London. I believe, you will see why. nine years ago I have seen first-hand the positive impact we are making. Conversations around such an initiative have been ongoing as the educational offering on our campus has grown. The socio-economic impact of the pandemic only hardened our resolve and we are delighted to be launching the scheme this year. Image: Ciaran McCrickard 7 Here East Impact Report 20/21 We have launched Here For the post-pandemic recovery to work, start-ups and fast-growth companies need business-ready East’s first podcast series, talent. We need to be able to harness existing Listen Here, continued to talent pools in the next generation and help to deliver activities and events develop them. In this report, you will read about the educational opportunities provided by our Continuing online for families and local universities and the brilliant community-minded young people through the organisations dedicated to creating a space for young people to thrive. LLDC’s EAST Education to deliver for programme, supported Badu You will also read about our retailers, who have remained resilient and community-focused in the Sports’ mentoring group, and face of disruption to their day-to-day business, developed an exciting new and get an insight into the innovative startups committed to disability inclusion and accessibility, East London partnership with a local social to name just a few. enterprise Beyond the Box. Jasel Nandha, Head of Community As we emerge from lockdown and return to in- and Partnerships, Here East This project will see London’s first community person convening on a wider scale, I am incredibly space designed entirely by young people – a bold excited about what is to come – from the first intake new project aimed at inspiring the next generation of our scholarship programme, to the many exciting of budding engineers, architects, designers and initiatives coming from the impressive work that our tenants are doing. Whether they have been working In 2019, we decided that we wanted to capture and had, but we are under no illusion that the lifting curators from across East London. The People’s from home, or enjoying the space of our campus, spotlight the work done with and by our tenants of lockdown will see an end to many of these Pavilion is a co-design project that seeks to flip you will see here just how much incredible work for the first time, as an essential part of our impact challenges without hard work, vision and creativity. the script on who gets a say in the design of public our partners and friends have continued to deliver. measurement. Communicating the work that is space, and we are pleased to have so many Here Many young people still face barriers in attending East partners collaborating on it, including: Hawkins happening on campus is crucial in demonstrating In the year ahead, I am hopeful that we will continue university due to socio-economic circumstances and Brown, Hobs 3D, the Bartlett School of Architecture, our value to the region, for sharing best practice to grow with our tenants and foster even greater it is right that we work to remove these to ensure V&A East, Studio Wayne McGregor, REMI.C.T and with others and promoting a culture of learning, community collaboration. We can only do this with students can live up to their full potential. This year many more. opportunity and transparency. the support of our community members and warmly we launched our brand-new scholarship programme, welcome your engagement in the coming months. Our first two impact reports allowed us to which will directly support young people entering present what we have done well, reflect on higher education.