The Culture Club
As presented to the Partnership Board 26th March 2026 by
Mat Jenner, Culture Development Officer, Woodberry Down, LB Hackney
The Woodberry Down Culture Club (working title)
The Culture Club is a proposed community-led structure to support the development of community-led activity in Woodberry Down by making decisions about funding cultural activities by people living or working in Woodberry Down.
A key challenge for developing the Culture Club model is the lack of existing nimble community structures to manage and distribute funds that currently exist in Woodberry Down. Wood Co is not structured to play this role directly, and other partners either do not have capacity or do not offer value for money in terms of management and overhead costs. Hackney’s capacity to issue small grants is insufficiently responsive and not geared towards individuals seeking support of up to £300 for a community activity with light touch monitoring.
To date the project has:
- Developed a draft framework for decision-making.
- Worked with members of Wood Co to develop and test frameworks and opportunities for the Club and how it will work.
- Funded Culture Nights, a series of community-led evening events at Café Nar as part of the business development and night-time economy agenda. These events have been curated and organised by members of Wood Co and will finish in early April. Nar paid community members directly.
- Funded a series of community-led events as part of the Pavilion Public Programme 2025 during the Hidden Rivers festival.
Next Steps
- Review and evaluate Culture Nights with Wood Co.
- Promote the Pavilion Public Programme 2026 call out for proposals.
- Test decision-making framework for making community grants as part of the Pavilion Public Programme and Culture Nights, with small grants supporting activities.
- The Cultural Development Officer, with support from Wood Co, to develop and convene a group of volunteer community members to test the decision-making framework.
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