The centre is run by local charity West Silvertown Foundations (WSF), which has been working to develop thriving communities in the Royal Docks for more than two decades and already manages the nearby Britannia Village Hall.
We are building a community here where residents will meet their neighbours and get to know each other.”
John Mulryan
Group Managing Director, Ballymore
WSF is working with the Royal Wharf Residents’ Association and residents themselves to find out what they would like to see happening at the centre. Its 190 square metre main space, 60 square metre secondary space and two meeting rooms has a busy timetable of activities, including, kids drama, family reading time, kickboxing, family craft time, ballet lessons and adult yoga.
When classes aren’t in progress residents can still pop in to relax with a coffee, have a game at the table tennis table or enjoy some quiet family reading time. Spaces are also available for hire for parties or other activities, with a discounted rate for Royal Wharf residents.
The centre is open from 9-til-9 on weekdays and 9-til-5 at weekends and is proving particularly popular with young working professionals and young families. To cater for the latter, the centre is providing activities specifically for children, including soft play and after school family time.
That hints at the serious purpose behind all these fun and fitness activities. Moving into a new home brings with it the adventures of finding your way in an unfamiliar community and a centre like this can provide valuable connections among and between an area’s new and existing residents that can ultimately lead to friendships and cohesive communities.
John Mulryan, Ballymore’s Group Managing Director, has said that it has always been the company’s ambition to, “build a community here where residents will meet their neighbours and get to know each other.”
