Politicians shown the way by innovative community project The Hive Dalston
12:00 23 April 2016
Mayoral hustings taking place at The Hive in Dalston
A London Mayoral hustings in Dalston saw candidates quizzed on all the major issues in the capital. But the very building they were in was a great example of how authorities and businesses can work with the public to find solutions to a lack of funding and space.
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George Galloway was on the panel at the event
Politicians were shown how communities can work together to solve the housing and funding crises when they entered the unfamiliar territory of a Dalston community centre for a mayoral hustings.
The panel, which featured London Mayoral candidates George Galloway and Sian Berry, could have been forgiven for thinking they were in the wrong place as they stood outside the ugly office block in Kingsland Road.
But The Hive – Human Interest Versatile Environment – is a million miles away from the nine-to-five world of suited executives.
The independent, voluntary and self-funded organisation Respace Projects moved into the building last May on a “meanwhile lease” after it had lay empty for eight years.
Jeremy Corbyn's brother Piers quizzed the panel, reading out a list of eight questions
“We managed to get it for basically nothing through Hackney Community Voluntary Services,” said member Phoenix Rainbow. “The landlord Investland said we could use it and we moved in with virtually no budget. Now we get 200 people in here on weekends. We have everything from young rappers performing to Holocaust survival victims speaking. We’ve helped small businesses start up.”
Across the four floors there’s a stage, recording studio, cafe and plenty of floor space for workshops and events such as this.
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