Nourish Hub will use food as a tool to help the most socially excluded people by providing nutritious food and education, feeding 200 people every day and providing opportunities for locals of all backgrounds to work, volunteer, share skills, and take cooking classes.

Where is the project located?
Unit A, Nourish Hub, Swanscombe House, 1 St Ann’s Rd, London W11 4SS
 
Who is the developer/client of the project?
LB Hammersmith & Fulham

Describe the context of this project and its neighbourhood and people?

LB Hammersmith & Fulham has the highest dependency on food banks in London and there is a huge proportion of people who are food insecure. Nourish Hub will use food as a medium to support the most socially isolated, providing personal and professional development and enrichment through nutritious food and education. Housed in a long-vacant retail unit owned by LB Hammersmith & Fulham, the Hub will be managed by UKHarvest - a not-for-profit charity on a mission to eliminate hunger and food waste through education. 

The Edward Woods Estate surrounding the Hub currently has high levels of deprivation, unemployment and poor health when compared to the rest of the borough and London averages. The project is ambitious in seeking to tackle these issues and build community resilience. The Hub will feed 200 people each day while welcoming local people of all backgrounds to access employment, volunteering, skill-sharing and cooking classes. It’s a democratic social space, which will have a public programme tailored to meet demonstrable community needs.

RCKa were involved in shaping the business case that allowed capital and revenue funding to be procured for the fit-out and the first 3 years of Hub operation. RCKa also designed and coordinated a bespoke engagement process comprising early awareness building, a community painting and planting day, testing the operational model with a pop-up kitchen offering free meals; and graphic design workshops for local young people to teach valuable skills and ensure that the finished Hub reflected local identity and character.
 
Tell us what you did and how the project, event or installation enlivened the place in a creative way?

From conception to completion, the local community was actively engaged in the creation process, making their input visible in the design and operation of the Hub. Its development was directly informed by targeted engagement to reach disadvantaged stakeholders, building in opportunities for community participation and creating awareness of good nutrition. Through the co-creation process with 200 community members and 20 community organisations, we identified key asks and needs from the local community linked to enhancing social value and equality, diversity and inclusion. These were embedded in the operational business plan, which the GLA recognised as exemplar, later using the project as a case study in embedding social value in all projects stages. 

This is UKHarvest’s first permanent space, but the design draws on years of experience in food education. Getting people through the door is the first challenge, so the Hub has an open and welcoming relationship with the street, incorporating servery windows, direct views into the kitchen and a generous 3x4m sliding opening. Inside there are two kitchens serving different functions - a fully-fitted catering kitchen for professional training and batch cooking; and a teaching kitchen which has a more domestic look and feel, with cooking stations for people of all ages and abilities. Other more modest design features enhance participation - open shelves arranged around the space encourage visitors to grab a plate and get involved, and a curtain partition adds extra flexibility within the space and a privacy screen which may be required for specific cultural needs.
 
Please share any data or figures that support your entry, for example increased footfall, happiness surveys, event attendance and/or observed changes in behaviour. 

Within a few weeks of its launch, the hub is bringing local people back into employment, serving and delivering meals and supporting children with activities and learning opportunities. The hub has provided an average of just over 100 meals a day since opening and the cafe provides locals with healthy, freshly cooked meals. The donate as you dine model ensures the Hub is viable for the long term and fosters regular exchange across varied community groups. 

The Meals on Wheels service delivered throughout the local area by e-cargo bike is a major part of the Hub with 4309 meals delivered between August and November 2021. These meals go out to a wide range of people who are unable to visit in person.

The education programme began with Hammersmith & Fulham’s Climate Festival, family sessions were run to give young children the skills needed to make good food decisions in the future. One of the young attendants said, “I learnt that reducing waste and swapping to non-meat products all goes towards helping the environment.”

Summer school activities were hosted at the Hub in August 2021, with 130 school children learning about food waste, growing, harvesting, cooking and the environment. The children received over 330 meals, and 450 healthy snacks served during the programme, 80% of which was sourced from rescued food.

The Hub has created local employment opportunities for a head chef and food delivery assistant as well as volunteering and customer service training opportunities within the cafe.

 
Did the project make a positive social and environmental contribution? 

The Hub has created immense social value at every stage, connecting the most disadvantaged to their local environment, making them feel valued and empowered. Public engagement activities included a paint and planting day, a pop-up kitchen, and design workshops at a local youth centre. The fruit and veg patterns made by young people at these events were used to create the interior identity. 

The Hub improves food access for the most vulnerable, shifting purchasing and preparation behaviours for future self-sufficiency. Combined with the upskilling for staff and volunteers, means there is an opportunity to build real skills to inspire future behaviour change around food, cement independence and better physical and mental health. By creating space for members of the public to share knowledge and time, the Hub will foster active citizenship and collaboration to create a more cohesive and sustainable community.

The Nourish Hub will directly widen employment and skills training opportunities for residents – which will have knock-on benefits for self-esteem and overall wellbeing. The employment opportunities created through relationships with the private sector also further this aim.

As a retrofit project, RCKa’s project adopts a low carbon approach by virtue of retaining and reusing a previously vacant space. The external and internal finishes are robust to ensure maintenance requirements are kept low. Fittings are locally sourced and widely available to decrease the carbon cost of any potential repairs. Within the main space conduits and plant equipment remain exposed, reducing materials usage while supporting easy access and repair

 
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"There are over 48 local organisations we have engaged with, including discussions on how to use the space and provide the broadest range of services, offering as complete a range as possible, whilst finding new ways to work together. Local charity Key 4 Life is a good example. Engaging with ex-offenders to teach cooking skills, but also providing a few hot meals and a space to talk for those who have recently been released." 

David Pippin, UKHarvest

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“We wanted the most innovative design we could get, which was also of the highest quality. RCKa were incredible during the tender process and have lived up to their commitments all the way through the process. It’s been a real joy to work with them. The most important thing that they have done is listen. They really tuned into not only the aspirations for the hub but the practicalities. They have led this design process with integrity, professionalism and passion. They also bring fun to the project.” Yvonne Thomson, CEO of UK Harvest