Bridget’s Café at Chobham Manor

Bridget’s Café, the new community café at Chobham Manor development

A new community centre and café have just opened at Chobham Manor – and one local loves it so much that he has already started working there.

The launch of Bridget’s Café marks the official opening of the local community centre - which received £300,000 from us and our partners.

Bridget’s Café also marks the completion of the Chobham Manor development which started in December 2013, with 189 affordable homes to meet local needs. The scheme, between East Village and the Lee Valley VeloPark, provides 871 homes in total and won the Mayor’s Prize at the 2019 London Planning Awards.

As well as recruiting local residents, Bridget’s café will run a work-based training programme for adults with additional needs. They aim to recruit and train up to 20 people in a variety of roles, with the goal of keeping them on as paid employees.

Luther Acheampong, who only moved there three months ago, leapt at the chance to work at Bridget’s Café. He said:

“I wanted to be more connected with my community and thankfully, this job has made that happen. I get to meet my neighbours and new visitors every day. This role has given me an amazing opportunity to engage with locals.

I’m really looking forward to the community centre being active. I’ll be involved in organising events and participating in various workshops too. I have a musical background, so I’m hoping to get people involved in creative workshops and learning new skills.”

Chobham Manor was designed to foster a strong sense of community, and projects ranging from herb-planting to mosaic-making were held there over the last few years to help residents come together and get to know each other.

A £127,000 fund provided by us, and our partners Taylor Wimpey, also provided workshops that taught skills ranging from cooking to bike-building.