Union Chapel

A CHARITY based at a famous venue in Islington is marking 33 years of supporting people facing homelessness and systematic inequality.

Union Chapel’s Margins Project helps those experiencing food poverty, homelessness and exclusion by providing meals, showers, laundry facilities, vital housing and employment advice.

While best known as a world-class live music venue, the historic Grade I-listed Union Chapel, on Compton Terrace, is also a pioneering social enterprise offering life-changing experiences through the charity.

Its supported employment programme trains people in the venue’s cafe and kitchen, helping participants rebuild confidence to move towards working independently. Last month The Margins Project marked over 30 years of pioneering work with two opportunities for its clients, many of whom are facing life-changing experiences.

On June 11, during Men’s Mental Health Awareness Week, a local history tour of Islington was arranged for clients of the Margins Project with historian Nigel Smith of Islington Guided Walks.

And on June 25 a group of asylum seekers and refugees supported by the Margins Project were invited for a visit to Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium.

The charity also runs Be The Change, a free weekly applied theatre and creative arts programme for adults in recovery or at risk of homelessness, supported by the National Lottery.

Sessions include acting, clowning and writing. Union Chapel hopes its model of combining culture with care will inspire other venues around the UK.