Always on
This project successfully funded on 3rd July 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
New Studio Fit Out
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
First target reached!
Our original target was accounting for the lowest cost improvement to the space. Sin...
Aim
We are fundraising for a fit out of the new space to make it safe and comfortable for community events and drop ins.
New Studio Fit Out — The People Speak CIC
A community space ten years in the making. Help us build the next chapter.
Who We Are
For ten years, there's been a door in Tower Hamlets that's always been open. Anyone could walk in, sit down, and be heard. That's who we are: The People Speak CIC, a community interest company rooted in Aberfeldy Street, East London, built on one simple belief: every voice matters - especially the ones that rarely get the microphone.
We're a small team with a big commitment to the people around us. We're not a drop-in centre, a council service, or a corporate initiative. We're neighbours, creatives, and listeners - and for a decade, we've kept our door open to prove it.
What We Do
Over the past ten years, our studio has been far more than a creative workspace. It's been a refuge for people navigating loneliness, a lifeline for those struggling with mental health, and a launchpad for residents with a spark of an idea but nowhere to take it.
We've helped people:
- 🎙️ Record their first podcast
- 🎬 Make their first film
- ✍️ Find their voice through creative writing
- 🎭 Step into the spotlight through drama and performance
- 👂 Be a place where people are seriously listened to
No gatekeeping. No conditions. No experience needed. Just come as you are.
The Aberfeldy Stories project 2025
Talkaoke - Our Monthly Community Talk Show
At the heart of everything we do is Talkaoke - our monthly community talk show that brings together people from all walks of life to speak, listen, and genuinely connect.
The premise is simple and quietly radical: give the quietest voices the same stage as the loudest ones.
The result? Real dialogue. Across differences, across generations, across the divides that so often go left unspoken. Talkaoke doesn't just facilitate conversation - it builds community, bridges conflict, and creates something you can't manufacture: genuine human connection.
Monthly Talkaoke - photo by Brian Whar
Our New Home - And Why We Need Your Help
Next month, we're moving - just down the road, still on Aberfeldy Street, still in the heart of the community we love. It's an exciting step forward. But to honour everything this community has given us over the last decade, we want to do this properly.
As a small community organisation, we run lean. Every pound goes back into the work. That means when it comes to fitting out a brand new studio - one truly worthy of the people who will fill it - we need your support.
What Your Money Will Pay For
Every penny raised goes directly into making the new studio safe, comfortable, and ready to serve the community. Here's exactly what we're working towards:
🔒 New Shutters: Keeping the space safe when we're not there, so it can keep being there for everyone when we are.
🛋️ Furniture and Flooring: That makes people feel genuinely welcome the moment they walk through the door. A space that feels like it belongs to the people who use it.
🎙️ Studio & Audio Equipment: The tools of our trade: kit that lets us keep producing podcasts, films, and media with and for our community, to the standard our work deserves.
🎨 Paint & Finishing Touches: The details that turn four walls into somewhere people want to be - bright, welcoming, and alive with creativity.
The Open Door
There is not a single day that goes by without someone stepping into our studio on Aberfeldy Street.
Our door sign says "Come In and Chat" — and we mean it, every single day. That open door is not a policy. It's a promise. A promise to every lonely person who needs somewhere to go, every aspiring creative who needs a helping hand, and every community member who simply wants to feel heard.
We've kept that promise for ten years. Help us keep it for ten more.
Join Us
Whatever you can give - big or small - will go directly into building a space that belongs to this community, run by this community.
If you can't donate, please share this page with anyone who believes in the power of community, creativity, and connection. Every share puts us one step closer to opening those new doors.
With gratitude and open arms, The People Speak Team 🎙️
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made