About Us
St. Hilda’s East has been part of the local community in East London since 1889, founded by the Guild of Cheltenham Ladies’ College.
Over the years, we have grown and adapted, but our purpose remains the same: to strengthen resilience, improve wellbeing, and create opportunities that make everyday life better for local residents.
Our services are rooted in Tower Hamlets and shaped by the people who use them. This ensures our programmes respond to current pressures while continuing to reflect the organisation’s long-standing values.
We support children, young people, adults and older residents through a broad range of activities that promote learning, social connection and confidence.
2024-25 Facts and Figures
190
the number of CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WE WORKED WITH
101
the number of volunteers THAT offerED their time
478
the number of older ADULTS WE WORKED WITH
300
the number of ONE-TO-ONE ADVICE APPOINTMENTS OFFERED
Our Vision
A world where everyone in our community thrives, feeling connected to those around them and confident in their life prospects.
Our Mission
We seek to equip our service users with the resilience to navigate modern life. We welcome everyone into our spaces, work together to deliver engaging activities, promote social contact, and ultimately enrich lives.
Our Values
APPROACHABLE
We are approachable and always sensitive to our diverse community, treating everyone with empathy and dignity.
RESPONSIVE
We are responsive to the needs of our community, offering support, expertise and connecting them to people, tools and opportunities that allow them to flourish.
EVOLVING
We are constantly evolving, striving to learn and improve how we support the wellbeing of every generation who has lived their lives with us.
ROOTED
We are rooted in our heritage and honour the legacy of doing right by our local community.
The History of St. Hilda’s East
In nineteenth century Britain, the industrial revolution created terrible urban poverty. The East End of London in particular grew quickly, becoming a place where people lived in overcrowded, badly-built housing and worked up to 18 hours a day manufacturing new commodities, such as matches and cheap clothing. Settlements started in response to this.
Places like St. Hilda’s East were set up in areas of poverty and brought people from better-off backgrounds to live and work there. St. Hilda’s East was founded by former pupils of Cheltenham Ladies’ College, the Guild.
Continuing to provide, empower and enable
St. Hilda’s East has changed immensely since being established in 1889 as a settlement by the Guild of Cheltenham Ladies’ College.
The pioneering Guild members who started our history over a century ago might not recognise the buildings now, and they would certainly be surprised by many of the changes to the surrounding area. But they would still recognise the aims of St. Hilda’s East today: to combat deprivation and social exclusion through providing education and recreational provision along with social care — activities that enable and empower individuals.
To this day, St. Hilda’s East maintains an active link with Guild members and the students and staff of Cheltenham Ladies’ College.
Our Board of Trustees includes two representatives nominated by the Guild and, as the College’s permanently nominated charity, the students and Guild organise fundraising activities to support us.
CLC Ambassadors
The CLC Ambassadors programme is a partnership between Cheltenham Ladies’ College (CLC) and St. Hilda’s East.
Each school year, two CLC students volunteer their time and energy to act as Ambassadors for St. Hilda’s East. They help raise awareness of our work, support our fundraising efforts, and strengthen the historic connection between the College and our charity.
Through the programme, Ambassadors:
- Learn more about St. Hilda’s East and the communities we support
- Organise joint events, such as collaborative arts projects between CLC students and St Hilda’s East’s Brave Girls and Over 50’s Feeling Good participants
- Support campaigns and fundraising initiatives
- Champion our impact and share our story
This partnership builds on a relationship that dates back to the founding of St. Hilda’s East by the Cheltenham Ladies’ College Guild in 1889. The Ambassadors play a key role in continuing that legacy, helping ensure our work reaches and inspires new audiences.
A Note from our Director, Lucy Bingham
I joined St. Hilda’s East as Director in 2023, having previously led several other inner-city community centres. What stands St. Hilda’s apart from the many other charities I have been involved with is our 135-year heritage and the wide breadth of services it delivers.
I first got to know St. Hilda’s East in the early-90’s when I was working for a charity just opposite what was then the newly refurbished community centre. The team were so proud of their smart new building and the positive links being forged with the diverse local community. The building is no longer so new (we are busy fundraising to replace the boiler and upgrade the lift) but our focus on breaking down barriers and promoting diversity is as strong as ever.
We provide high quality support for people of all ages. Our services include sensory room therapies for pre-school children, youth clubs, women’s groups, social activities for older people and elders’ day care.
We believe that our strength lies in our diversity. We promote understanding between all sections of the local community and offer a setting for multicultural, inter-generational and interfaith exchange. In all we do, we strive to break down barriers and reduce isolation, enabling access to opportunities and empowering people to reach their goals. We are responsive to the changing needs of local people, supporting their aspirations and engaging them in the design, delivery and evaluation of our services.
Our Community Centre is inclusive and welcoming. Do pop in and see what we have to offer!
Lucy Bingham, Director
Hear from our Community
“Coming to St. Hilda’s means everything. Company and joy.”
“The St. Hilda’s Stay and Play has been a godsend and all staff are welcoming and friendly.”
“It has improved my social life making me feel less isolated. Interacting with others and brain storming has opened up a wealth of knowledge. Having a joke and laugh with others helps with my moods.”