Our History and Values
Here we share the story of St. Hilda’s East history and our values. So much has changed since we were established in 1889.
Thank you for your support.
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 ultimate 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.
St. Hilda’s East history
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 2 representatives nominated by the Guild and, as the College’s permanently nominated charity, the students and Guild organise fundraising activities to support us.
St. Hilda’s East facts in 2023-24
1889
the year that St. Hilda’s East was established by the Guild of Cheltenham Ladies’ College
83
the average number of volunteers offering their times and skills each year
40
the number of older people we can support at Sonali Gardens Day Centre, 6 days per week
£1.4m
approximately how much it costs each year to achieve our outcomes
240kg
the weight of affordable, fresh fruit and vegetables distributed by our food co-op every year
45
the number of staff members working at St. Hilda’s East
£99,000
in new and back dated benefits awarded to people accessing our bi-lingual advice service last year
99%
proportion of people participating in our over-50’s Feeling Good activities who reported that doing so had improved their physical health and mental wellbeing
106
the number of slow cookers given out as part of our Centre for Warmth activities
A Note from our Director
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
Find out more about St. Hilda’s East
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Volunteer in East London and support our local community with your skills and time.
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Become a Friend of St. Hilda’s East by making a regular or one-off donation towards the running costs of our centres and services.
hire our space
We have a wide range of spaces, halls for hire in East London and offices for hire in East London.