In 2023 I had the privilege of joining Hackney Shed as the Chair of their board. Hackney Shed represents so much that is close to my heart. They teach and make brilliant, alive, and relevant theatre with young people who are amazingly diverse and generous to each other. To me, this is the best theatre, when it's empowering young people to have a voice and brim with confidence, and find people who they feel are their people.

By supporting Hackney Shed you are supporting a grassroots organisation powered by passionate people. The money you donate will go straight into changing the lives of young people in Hackney. When you support small charities more of your money goes directly to benefitting the people they work with!

Let me tell you a bit more about the amazing work they do (trust me they are really unique) -

Hackney Shed is an inclusive theatre group in Hackney for young people aged 7-25. We have 4 different groups and run regular outreach and partnership workshops and masterclasses. During the course of a year Hackney Shed works with over 200 children, young people and volunteers as part of our activities. Many of our participants do not have the opportunity to access this kind of creative theatre work any other way, either because their physical or learning needs would not be accommodated, or because of financial barriers.

Hackney Shed offers a safe inclusive environment for young people with and without special needs to come together, have fun, make theatre and meet new people.

Our approach breaks down misunderstanding and develops strong bonds between young people with vastly mixed abilities. We teach our members to explore their imagination, characterisation and creative use of language, as well as fostering speaking and listening skills, which will support them in everyday life.