Case Study 

Stratford City

In the buildup to the opening of Westfield Stratford City in September 2011 the centre worked closely with schools and other educational organisations to engage young people in the process of regeneration and change in the physical environment around them. 

That engagement led to the establishment of Building the Future, a three-year partnership between Stratford City and Discover, working to involve children and their families in the regeneration of the local area. Discover is the United Kingdom’s first hands-on story centre focusing exclusively on creativity through projects, exhibits and activities. Each year over 60,000 children and adults participate in Discover’s school workshops, family visits, outreach projects and training sessions and for many children, Discover provides their first opportunity to work creatively with professional artists.

Westfield Stratford City established its relationship with the local community long before the centre itself commenced trade.

A flagship social initiative at Stratford City is the Retail Academy – The Skills Place – a partnership between Westfield, the London Borough of Newham, and Seetec, one of the United Kingdom’s leading providers of training and employment services. Several hundred young people have benefited from the various courses on offer at this permanent training centre to date. An example of the Retail Academy in action are the pupils at Sarah Bonnell School in Stratford, who took part in an initiative aimed at introducing school children to the diversity of retail - the largest private sector industry in the United Kingdom. Prior to opening,12-13 year old students participated in a retail business diploma ‘taster’ aimed at promoting the retail career opportunities.

Westfield Stratford City has also worked to promote local art and culture through the creation of Studio East, celebrating East London’s creative spirit. A cultural initiative aimed at supporting and nurturing young talent, a Cultural Committee chaired by retail expert Mary Portas was formed – with a collective of London’s most acclaimed opinion-makers awarded a series of four commissions to be embedded in the physical fabric of Westfield Stratford City. The Studio East Cultural Committee shortlisted talent from East London’s rich creative pool and handpicked the most visionary in the areas of art, fashion, product design and environmental innovation to be awarded a £10,000 commission each. 

To document the process the centre also worked with young people aged 15-20 from local boroughs to create films documenting the progress of the Studio East commission winners. The project, created in partnership with A New Direction, has enabled young people to work with the professional filmmakers Eelyn Lee Productions and learn key media skills such as film direction, film sound, editing and interviewing. The completed films can be seen on the websites of both Westfield Stratford City and Eelyn Lee Productions.

Beyond the local area Westfield Stratford City has also supported national and local charities in raising funds and awareness. During the year the centre raised and contributed almost £30,000 to Breast Cancer Care through events such as “Unleash your inner pink” - a day of free make-overs, manicures and live music that was held at Stratford City.

The centre has also continued to provide grants of up to £1,000 to a number of local community organisations. The grants are designed to support a diverse array of projects and individuals, making a real difference to their neighbourhoods. Recipients have included the Theatre Royal Stratford East (to support their ‘Drop-in Drama’ sessions), the Social Enterprise Change Community Project (providing mentoring and support for local, isolated women from Newham looking to start a home business) and the Panathlon Foundation. By September 2011, over 100 grants had been awarded to local grass-roots projects.

Finally, Westfield Stratford City hosts regular community festivals and events with a focus on community participation, particularly families and children. Over 20 days during the first Christmas period in 2011, 25 groups from local schools, faith groups and community organisations took up the chance to preform Christmas carols at the centre. 

The team at Studio East