Not-for-profit Yoga
Since the reopening of the new building, Riverside Studios has been partnering with the not-for-profit yoga organisation, Lumi Foundation, to offer weekly in-person sessions on the community programme for just £5, making it a hugely accessible place to practise yoga in London. During the lockdowns, we launched the Zoom yoga sessions and have since continued them to complement the in-person sessions thanks to their enduring popularity.
The mission of Lumi Foundation is to bring Yoga to All by making yoga classes easily available and accessible.
The Lumi Foundation has delivered over 2,000 yoga classes by a professional teaching team and received “The Best Social Enterprise” Award in Hammersmith and Fulham in 2019.
Italian Culture Club
Launched in March 2022, we partnered with leading Italian Language School, Vivere L’Italiano to bring monthly Italian Culture Clubs to Riverside which offer a fun, relaxed and social environment to for those wanting to learn Italian through culture and for Italian nationals living in London who want to connect with other people who are passionate about their culture. Each month, the language teachers focus on a different region of Italy to explore the cultural nuances of each area and build awareness about the unique customs and traditions. These monthly sessions are hugely popular with the community, and are fully booked in most sessions.
Vivere L’italiano believe that the key to learning a new language is through its culture. Their native language teachers go beyond the textbooks and offer a chance for participants to soak up Italy’s culture by combining language skills with other important cultural aspects such as cooking, art and cinema, literature, and politics.
Stage Door
Stage Door is one of Riverside’s longest running community events which has had a huge impact on the participants and has even celebrated its work through a showcase at Riverside Studios. Led by Dive In Associate, Carol Allen who heads up the organisation Cats Whiskers Community Arts, these weekly two-hour workshops provide a vital space for older people in the community to meet new people, gain more confidence and discover the collaborative power drama.
Drama teacher and director Carol Allen from Cats Whiskers Community Arts has been teaching adult drama classes for over ten years, in which time her students have taken part in live performances at venues including Kensington Palace, the Drayton Arms Theatre and the Bush theatre. Students have also appeared in short films.
Riverscribes: Playwriting Group
Developed after seeing the need for an ongoing, accessible playwriting workshop which is open to anyone at any stage of their career, these monthly workshops run by actor and writer Nadine Gray provide an incredible opportunity for theatre lovers in the community to pursue their interest in playwriting no matter their age or background. The group will be performing a showcase in June, and will open to new applications again in Autumn 2023.
Nadine Gray has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Acting from The University of Central Lancashire. As a facilitator, she has taught in a range of different establishments including Lyric Hammersmith, Southwark Playhouse, West Acton Primary School and as a youth worker for Action on Disability. For her first play, Nadine was mentored by the award-winning playwright, Simon Stephens. Nadine is currently writing a full-length play in which she will star, and over the last year and a half, she has been facilitating the Black Writers collective at Southwark Playhouse. This year, Nadine has been working on voice recording projects with The Barbican and BBC Radio 4.
Off The Page: Storytelling for Kids
Inspired by a Black History Month event for children that we ran in 2022, we developed these bi-monthly after-school storytelling clubs for children to inspire self-confidence and creativity. All the books which are borrowed from the Hammersmith and Fulham Library, represent our diverse community. Run by actor Nadine Gray, these uplifting and heart-warming sessions encourage interactivity to help spark a love of reading, performance and storytelling.
Dancercise
This fun and empowering aerobics dance class run by professional dancer in the musical theatre industry, Anna Wicks, is a staple health and wellness class on the community programme, which brings together a group of people with a range of abilities and age-groups to help spread a love of moving simply to feel good. The classes are a safe space where participants are encouraged to lose inhibitions and strip exercise back to that freeing feeling of dancing when no one is watching!
Photojournalism Nights
We're proud to partner with West London charity, Photojournalism Hub for these renowned Photojournalism Nights. This monthly event invites contemporary photojournalists and documentary photographers to share their powerful, committed photography dedicated to social justice and human rights causes.
Photojournalism Nights features talks from guest speakers followed by an interactive Q&A discussion.
Duck Pond Market
Duck Pond Market is an ethical, sustainable and vibrant marketplace for independent crafters, food producers and small businesses to sell in the local community.
Duck Pond really love our planet – they love the animals and humans living on it too and they are very keen on helping to make it last for our and our children's lifetimes and way beyond. That's why, since launching in 2008, Duck Pond only source, produce and sell ethically, locally or sustainably made products. You can be sure that everything you buy at Duck Pond Market comes from 'a good place'.
