People come to 240Project to work on their art. The lure of hot and healthy meals and bottomless tea and coffee is also a draw. But for most, it is the magic combination of creativity and community that entices them to the large hall above the Latymer Community Church in West London.
Since 1998, the 240Project activity centre has been helping vulnerable and excluded people, including many who have experienced homelessness.
Every Monday to Wednesday, it offers them the space and materials to create art. Alongside this, there are regular classes in portraiture and drawing, mosaics, music, creative writing, plus yoga sessions, cranio-sacral therapy, reflexology, nutrition workshops, a steady supply of hot drinks and a hearty lunch. There are also weekly wellbeing trips on Thursdays, which range from ten-pin bowling to tours of high-end Mayfair galleries.
“I don’t know where I’d be without it,” says artist Mango, who sells his paintings via the Big Issue Shop, as he takes a break from producing his latest work.
