The Brixton Exchange: Skills, Stories & Soil

Total amount requested: £22,252

What our project will deliver:

The Brixton Exchange: Skills, Stories & Soil will bring Brixton residents together through 38 weekly pop-ups that blend creativity, learning, and wellbeing. Each session hosts three lively community stalls:

•⁠ ⁠Story Stall – intergenerational circles where local people share life experiences and celebrate the cultures that make Brixton unique.

•⁠ ⁠Soil Stall – hands-on micro-gardening, seed-library swaps, and food-growing activities that connect neighbours with the land and healthy eating.

•⁠ ⁠Skills Stall – short, resident-led micro-workshops on practical skills such as cooking, repair, or digital basics, giving everyone a chance to teach and to learn.

Through these, we will train 50 Community Catalysts — local volunteers who will co-design and run the stalls, developing confidence, leadership, and community pride. Across the year, more than 200 micro-workshops will take place in libraries, estates, and open spaces, supported by local schools and partners.

Which groups or communities our project supports:

We will prioritise Black, Asian and ethnic-minority families, people on low incomes, and those with insecure or no immigration status. Many of these residents already engage with our youth and family programmes in Lambeth and trust our team. The Exchange offers a free, safe space for people who often feel excluded from traditional wellbeing or green projects.

What difference it will make:

Participants will leave each session with stronger social links, practical wellbeing habits, and a sense of belonging. Loneliness will decrease as residents connect across generations; food habits will improve as families learn simple, low-cost ways to grow and cook; and community leadership will rise as our Catalysts take ownership of local change. One parent recently told us, “When I joined your group, I stopped feeling invisible.”

How this funding will help our community:

THINC’s support will let us secure venues, materials, and facilitation time so we can reach new families in every Brixton ward. It will also fund training for the 50 Community Catalysts and ensure sessions remain free and inclusive, removing cost barriers. In return, Brixton gains a self-sustaining network of residents who pass on skills, grow together, and champion healthy, connected living long after the grant ends.

Why we believe the project will succeed:

We already deliver successful community programmes across Lambeth and have the trust of more than 900 local families each year. Our bilingual team understands the pressures faced by those juggling low income, language barriers, and social isolation. We combine lived experience with professional delivery standards — trained facilitators, safeguarding, and data monitoring.

The Brixton Exchange is more than a series of pop-ups; it’s a movement of neighbours teaching neighbours, nurturing confidence, curiosity, and hope. With THINC’s help, we can show that when people feel loved, wanted, and part of something bigger, Brixton thrives.

https://haveyoursay.lambeth.gov.uk/en-GB/ideas/the-brixton-exchange-skills-stories-soil