A permanent community hub at Salisbury Manor Primary School is now open in South Chingford, bringing classes, youth activities and neighbourhood groups together under one roof.
The Salisbury Manor Community Hub is based at the school on Burnside Avenue, in Chingford Hall. The open-plan space has been redecorated and fitted out for community use, with kitchen facilities, toilets and office space. The school and Peabody Community Foundation created the hub in partnership with United Communities, with support from other community partners.
Its programme is intended for people of different ages and includes tai chi, yoga, performing arts, dance, boccia, Zumba and karate. Other regular activities include a youth club, a craft-and-chat group and a weekly Public Living Room. The programme makes space for organised classes as well as informal opportunities for residents to meet.
The permanent arrangement follows a period when the school hosted activities in a temporary community space. Sessions moved there from the nearby Paradox Centre in September 2025, serving families, young people and older residents through classes, workshops and gatherings. The temporary hub later closed while improvements were carried out. In February, the partners said the work was intended to turn that set-up into a year-round base; local groups using the venue helped shape the plans.
The improvements included a separate entrance for community users, new kitchen facilities and toilets, and a redesigned layout. The completed space is now being used for the wider programme. The foundation coordinated partner support for the works without charge to the school and is contributing grant funding towards furniture and continuing running costs.
A free community event was held at the hub in September. Families took part in arts and crafts and games, with food, refreshments and live piano music. Children received back-to-school supplies, while residents discussed activities they would like to see in future. Suggestions included craft clubs, gymnastics, football, stay-and-play sessions, support with youth employment and seasonal events. These were ideas raised by residents, not a confirmed programme of forthcoming sessions.
Headteacher Emily Curtis said the project grew from listening to and working with the community. She described the hub as an extension of the school’s commitment to relationships, support and opportunities for families, and said she hoped residents would find services, learning and wellbeing activities close to home. She said the hub’s long-term value would depend on the people using it and the partnerships developed there.
Waltham Forest councillor Afzal Akram, who represents Valley Ward, attended the community reopening. He said residents had been asking about the hub and that he looked forward to a future Chingford Hall Residents Association meeting being held there.
For Zakia, who grew up in Chingford Hall and supports her mother, a Peabody resident, the building has a personal history: she remembered it as her nursery school. She said she was looking forward to using the hub and hoped to see wellbeing events and workshops there. A separate resident who attended the September event with her children said having a free activity close to home made it possible for the family to join in, meet people and spend time together.
The hub’s opening marks a shift from temporary use to a permanent base, while its stated purpose is broader than delivering classes: it is also intended to give local people a place to connect, access support and help shape what happens next.
