Hackney House: a creative venue for London Games

Hundreds of Hackney residents watch the Olympics opening ceremony in Hackney House. China Daily/ Wang Yu

When the British Queen descended into the Olympic stadium in a parachute, hundreds of residents from East London whistled and cheered in unison inside Hackney House, a temporary venue erected for the Games.

Situated in Hackney, one of the five Olympic boroughs, the 1,000 square meter tent-like venue is built by local residents and businesses to make their community a more cheerful place while the Game lasts.

"We're so excited to see the opening ceremony here. There's a big buzz about the Olympics around this area," said Joanne Halstead, 28, a local massage therapist.

She invited a friend from Wales to watch the opening ceremony with her in Hackney House, believing the venue's layout and decorations fully captures the creative spirit of the borough.

In the main hall is a large screen showing the Olympic events, and in an adjacent room are many comfortable chairs and table that allow business networking to be conducted in a casual manner. Artworks and music are also commonplace in the venue.

"It's unique to this area. Hackney is just a really unique part in London, and anything goes. It's vibrant, a little bit different, a little bit edgy, and just cool," Halstead said.

Hackney House is created by the Hackney council and the UK Trade & Investment, a government agency responsible for attracting foreign investment. The venue's purpose is to showcase the growing digital community in the area and attract investment from many international entrepreneurs in London for the Olympics.

As well, the venue became a popular place for local residents to gather, share their pride for their borough, and celebrate their concerted efforts towards the Olympics preparations.

"It's an amazing space. I'll be coming often because I only work 5 minutes away," said 31-year-old Ellie Kwong, manager of a bar. "I like the randomness of the events, the space. It's exciting, different."

Sharing Kwong's excitement is Liz Harper, 30, who works in a local advertising firm. "It's been fantastic, it's a great way for local residents to have some presence during the Olympics. We're on the stage of the world right now," she said.

"The Olympics is something that can bring people together. For me, the legacy is the memory of the way this place feels, the excitement and positivity that once took place," she said.

Hackney plays an irreplaceable role in this year's Olympics, as a third of the Olympic Park is located in the borough. This includes the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre, the Handball Arena and the Olympic Hockey Centre.

Guy Nicholson, a councilor of Hackney, said the borough has been involved in London's Olympics journey since 12 years ago when the city first considered entering the bid. Since London won the bid, Hackney has undergone significant changes.

"New transport and new railways are brought into the community to help it thrive and prosper, and now we're to make sure that growth will benefit a wider community," Nicholson said. Hence Hackney House was erected.

When Beijing hosted the Olympics four years ago, Nicholson travelled with a team of experts from various London boroughs on a 10-day trip to learn how the Beijing government achieved local regeneration from the Games.

The group learnt many lessons, including how to ensure transport runs smoothly, health services run smoothly, and that rubbish is collected on time.

"It's about how you adapt what you have," he said. So rather than employ more rubbish collectors, the same team of staff would have an altered shift to avoid the traffic.

During the Olympics, Hackney House will host a series of events based around themed days. These include tech, creative, tourism, fashion, food and investment.