- Set to launch in Spring 2018, Canvas will provide coworking space for 18 people.
- Any profit generated by Canvas goes directly back into supporting Connection Crewโs campaign to help people out of homelessness.
- The space has been renovated with the help of the Big Issueโs social investment arm, Big Issue Invest.
At first glance,ย Canvas in Brixton looks like any other coworking space. However, itโs one of the most noteworthy new additions to Central Londonโs flexible workspace market of late.
Thatโs because Canvas is run byย Connection Crew, a social enterprise thatโs working to help people out of homelessness and into training and employment. A crewing company for the events industry, Connection Crew started in 2005 as part of the homelessness charity, The Connection at St Martinโs.
โWhen we moved to 215 Lyham Road in February we thought weโd let our additional space to one commercial tenant,โ said Charlie Dorman, Director of Connection Crew. โWe thought, no fuss. Any profit would be used to maintain our training facilities.
โBut then we realised we could make a more inspiring contribution to the local economy by accommodating a range of ambitious, creative and socially responsible businesses instead.
โItโs more fitting with the culture of diversity and collaboration that thrives here in Lambeth, London.โ
Set to launch in Spring 2018, Canvas is based on the first floor of Connection Crewโs three-storey head office in Brixton. Any profit generated by Canvas goes directly back into supporting Connection Crewโs campaign to help people out of homelessness.
The key members of the Connection Crew team involved with the coworking space are co-Directors Charlie Dorman and Warren Rogers, and Marketing Manager, Margarita Ktoris.
The space will be open to anyone, but the Canvas team is particularly keen to encourage members of the local creative community to join the space.
โIn order to foster a sense of family in the space, weโre targeting like-minded talented people to join Canvas. Itโs ideal for small creative businesses and social ventures that might be looking for part of a coworking space to make their own for a while.
โWe also hope that our triple bottom line approach will resonate with these kinds of businesses, especially those in the local area.โ
Canvasโs ethos and community-focused vision is found not just in its people, but also in its infrastructure — in its bricks and mortar, its furniture, even its refurbished floorboards and beams. The building, a former Victorian print works factory, has been carefully restored using locally reclaimed materials and sustainable methods.
โAs a social enterprise, sustainability is most definitely important to us. Sustainability is about longevity and itโs only truly achieved when all three of its pillars are addressed in conjunction — environmental, social and economic. Thatโs why weโve built Canvas around these principles.โ
Since becoming a Community Interest Company (CIC) in 2010, Connection Crew has focused on developing and expanding its social impact mission.
โSince our beginnings [2005], weโve grown eightfold,โ Dorman added. โIn 12 years weโve employed 180 ex-homeless people to complete 96,828 hours of work.โ
Currently, around 25% of Connection Crewโs workforce are from a homeless background, and the company is now planning to switch things up with the help of Canvas.
โMoving to our new premises in Brixton Hill marks a new era of growth for us. It gives us the space to expand our impact even further. Weโre really excited about sharing it with the Canvas community.โ
Canvas has been renovated with the support of Big Issue Invest — a social investment and funding organisation thatโs part of the Big Issue family.
Alan Tudhope, Regional Investment Manager at Big Issue Invest, said: โA lot of great organisations struggle to access small and medium-sized loans, so we want to provide support for those exciting social enterprises and charities.
โWe are so pleased that we have been able to provide support to Connection Crew in order for them to continue to keep doing the incredible work they do.โ
Prior to its launch in Spring 2018, Canvas will be opening its doors to local artists and business who want to use the space to run a showcase or product launch ahead of its official opening.
