Highlights from the Guild’s Inaugural Meet the Members Event!
EETG’s New Regular Event
Huge thanks to Rachel Ferriman for beautifully capturing the spirit of our very first Meet the Members event held on 16th October at The Loop — meander through the gallery below to relive the energy, conversations, and community connections that made the evening so special.
A New Chapter for the East End Trades Guild
On 16th October, the EETG hosted its inaugural Meet the Members event at The Loop in Hackney Wick. This marks the beginning of a new regular series, held three times a year, bringing our members together to connect, collaborate, and strengthen local supply chains.
Our goal is simple: to spark connections that boost community wealth and social value through local procurement and inclusive economic opportunities — keeping value in the community, supporting good jobs, and ensuring prosperity is shared fairly across the East End.
Each event will feature:
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Updates on Progress from Guild members and partners on our Manifesto for the New Economy
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Networking between members, anchor institutions, and large businesses
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The EETG Bar & Food – great conversations over delicious treats
We also hope to host sector-specific events, creating focused opportunities for members to meet potential buyers and collaborators.
Highlights from Our First MTM
We were honoured to hear from Juliet Can, Chair of Stour Trust, and mentor Krissie and Len, who spoke passionately about the vital yet often overlooked “life-affirming infrastructure” that global majority, working-class, and other marginalised communities bring to London through the myriad shops, garages, restaurants, galleries, pubs, maker spaces, places for sports and wellbeing and so much more.
Updates came from across our network, including from Tosan Tuoyo, founder of OnyxDelta, who supports Black female entrepreneurs to scale and shared how our Henrietta Cyrille played a key role in helping her get started through the Guild’s work with the Hackney Impact consortium that the Guild is a part of saying:
“I would not have been able to get this off the ground without Henrietta’s support.”
Lisa Gornick, resident artist from Proposition Studios, told us about her upcoming live drawing sessions outside Pellicci’s this Saturday, part of the new Saturday Market for Bethnal Green Road, alongside five other local stallholders. This market gives local people a say in how space is used, who it serves, and how it supports the future of independent businesses, working-class and global majority communities, and the rich cultural life of the East End.
We’re laying the groundwork for a different kind of high street — one where economic opportunity is shared, not extracted, and where local people aren’t priced out of the places they’ve built.
The Guild was also joined by cross-party politicians, including Assembly Members Zoe Garbett and Sem Moema, who recognised the Guild’s vital role and tireless campaigning for community-led development.
The Deputy Mayor of London for Business, Howard Dawber, reaffirmed his support, stating that:
“A site for the CLT will definitely happen — and it won’t be temporary. It will be a minimum 999-year lease for permanently affordable rent.”
When asked when a site would be identified. He added:
“Soon.”
Len, Juliet, and Krissie will meet with Newham Council next week to explore potential sites, with the Royal Docks also identified as an area for site opportunities.
The Guild may need your active support to make sure ‘soon’ really means early next year — otherwise, our next Meet the Members event might just be held outside City Hall!
Congratulations to everyone who joined us — and to Rachel Ferriman for capturing the joy, pride, and solidarity of our first Meet the Members event. Register for March 26 now here!
Special thanks to the member-led team who pulled this off:
Hak, Leon, Tayla and Joe from Block Brew, Ed Taylor – Square Root Soda and Company Drinks, Harriet Jones – Orlando Frames, James Hughston – Tiempo Tequila, Joe Sharpe – Zhero Logistics, Kate Evenden – Sundries Press, Len Maloney – JC Motors, Maher Anjum – Oitij-jo Collective, Patrick Scally – Hackney Wick Development Trust, Rob Gardner – Gardners Bags, Yolanda Antonopoulou – Gaia Pulses, Archie Brown – Signature Brew, Ben MacKinnon – E5 Bakehouse, Simon Goode from London Centre for Book Arts for helping print our beautiful signs, thanks to Harry Bennett for design, of course, our incredible volunteers, Demitri Kirlew and Sebastien Quinn, and everyone who chipped in!
Together we were stronger than ever!
