We speaks to Nekane Cherrie, events and office coordinator at London Bridge Hive, to find out more about the bustling community space – and her favourite things about SE1.
What does your day-to-day job at London Bridge Hive look like?
Nekane Cherrie: No two days are the same, I deal with the bookings for the Hive from beginning to end, show the room to prospective bookers, welcome attendees to events and manage the running of the office.
Tell us more about London Bridge Hive…
London Bridge Hive is a versatile community venue. We offer a space to encourage collaboration, creativity and the strengthening of partnerships in the community. We can provide a variety of layouts from boardroom to theatre style – or, if you prefer, we can work with you to facilitate a bespoke arrangement. We are professional and friendly, our pricing is very competitive and we work to be as sustainable as possible.
Why did Team London Bridge launch the Hive?
Team London Bridge is at its most successful when it’s able to bring the community together to work collaboratively and make connections, and what better way to do this than to provide a physical space in which this can happen? In addition, many BID members had told us they struggled to find space for events and meetings at an affordable rate, so we set about creating a community venue that provided just that.
Can you give some examples of events that have been held in the space?
There are so many to choose from! We’ve hosted eco film festivals, a poetry writing room with Apples and Snakes, the Royal College of Arts master’s programme, a talk with artist and local legend Andrew Logan, yoga classes, stem-cell embroidery and stand-up comedy workshops as part of our MediCulture Festival.
What is your favourite thing about working at the Hive?
I find it exciting to meet people face to face – the attendees, the trainers, the facilitators – and learn about the event itself. It’s rewarding when you see how successful the event has been and the satisfaction on everybody’s face at the end of it. Hosting events is a very positive experience in general.
I know we are now more used to connecting online, but there is nothing that can rival the human interaction of meeting in person. In a way, we are all still quite tribal, it is part of human nature to want to gather as a group and share ideas.
What is your favourite thing about working in SE1?
I had always lived and worked north of the river until I joined Team London Bridge, but SE1 has been a very pleasant discovery for me. I love my walk from Waterloo Station to London Bridge along the river in the mornings.
There’s so much to do right on our doorstep, too – I can pop out on my lunch break and discover somewhere new to grab a bite, visit the Fashion and Textile Museum, one of the Bermondsey Street galleries, stroll around Potters Fields Park, or catch a show at the Bridge Theatre after work – the list goes on!
londonbridgehive.org
8 Holyrood Street, SE1 2EL
-
This article is brought to you by our sister publication The Bermondsey Biscuit & Rotherhithe Docker click to see digital editions
