Over the past months we’ve been heading out into the neighbourhood and striking conversations with people right on their doorsteps. We’ve been listening to their stories, learning about their experiences here in Walworth, and inviting them to the Living Room as a chance to come together and connect with more local residents.
This month, we’re delighted to spotlight one of the wonderful people who opened their door to us! We met Em two months ago, and since then it has been lovely connecting with her over our Friday community lunch! Nikita and Em met on a sunny Friday afternoon at the Walworth Living Room for the conversation below.
How was your first encounter with the Pembroke House team? I remember Mike leaving your conversation feeling really excited.
That’s nice to hear! Mike was really lovely, and gave me a summary of Pembroke House and the Living Room. He spoke about the activities that go on there and why it might be of interest to me to come down there as well. It piqued my interest, particularly when he started talking about food and Walworth Eats. I think my housemate was listening in the background and was also sold on that!
I normally only get people trying to sell broadband or charities collecting money appearing on my door, and Mike shared at the very beginning that it wasn’t what he was there to do.
Had you heard about Pembroke House or the Walworth Living Room before?
No, I hadn’t been before. I think the door to door outreach is a nice way to be introduced to. If someone hadn’t come to chat with me, I would have walked past this space a dozen times until I noticed it was here to be honest. I also wouldn’t have realised what it was for. It’s really nice to go out and speak to people as I’m sure there’s a lot of other residents who would love to come here.
How long have you lived in Walworth and what has been your experience in the neighbourhood?
For over 20 years now- it’s a really nice area. It has gone through a lot of change, and I think some of that has maybe thrown the baby out with the bath water. Still, this part of Walworth has kept a lot of its character, and has a really great mix of things. There are so many good places to eat and a lot of them are by people who’ve brought these cultures and cuisines from all over the world.
It feels like there’s a split in the neighbourhood with the new developments, especially around Elephant and Castle. A lot of people have been pushed out.
I know they’ve tried to inject some social housing, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot as developments haven’t been keeping to their initial agreements.
So much of London used to have its own particular character, good or bad, but then it gets blasted away and you’re left with high streets that look like they could be anywhere in the UK. It would be a shame if that happened to Walworth.
What has spending time in the Walworth Living Room been like?
It’s been great coming to the Living Room as everyone has been really lovely. I feel comfortable being here, and there’s such a good mix of people- from all ages and backgrounds. Everyone is fun, and it’s been a very positive experience.
What are your hopes for Walworth?
Change is inevitable-I don’t want the neighbourhood to be frozen in time as that would be a bad thing. But I hope we can get to a good mix. At the moment it feels like there’s a divide between old and new Walworth. The people who have moved into the shiny new developments have done so for a reason, and they’ve probably thought that there’s lots of exciting things here. It would be a real shame if those two sides can’t be fused and become sustainable, as a degree of change is good.
I’m a transplant too, so I’m not trying to pull the ladder up after myself. I don’t think the area should stay the same forever, it’d be nice to see that mix.
What does community mean to you?
Community is lots of different people with different beliefs finding a common ground and living together with respect for one another. What’s nice about the smaller places in Walworth is that you’ll be recognised after you’ve gone there a few times. Everytime a new place opens, I always try to go there a couple of times in their first week- after that I sort of become a regular for life. I think they always really appreciate that.