We’re delighted to announce the eight teams that have been shortlisted for a competition that we launched together with King’s Cross in January 2022, which invited individuals, community groups, established and emerging enterprises and organisations to put forward ideas for how they could transform an existing premises on Beaconsfield Street into a new community offer. 

The competition attracted an exciting and diverse selection of entries from a range of backgrounds. Each shortlisted team offered a unique response to the competition brief, demonstrating ambition and emphasising the importance of local community engagement when tackling our city’s public spaces. 

Shortlisted entrants will now proceed to stage 2 of the competition, and have been awarded up to £1,000 to develop their proposals more fully. The winner will likely be a concept that meets clearly identified community needs and addresses gaps in existing provision. King's Cross is particularly keen to see the premises support and benefit members of the community that have yet to fully benefit from, the ongoing transformation of King’s Cross.

The competition sought to allocate both floors of the premises to new uses that will deliver positive outcomes for residents and local communities alike and create stronger links across the King’s Cross Estate and surrounding neighbourhoods. 

The eight shortlisted teams are now developing their proposals more fully and will be presenting this to the competition judging panel, which is made up of key local figures including:

 

We will share further news from the King’s Cross competition as proposals are developed. 

 

The shortlisted teams are:

AC // AJ

AC // AJ is a collaborative team formed by Andrada Calin and Adriann Jeevananthan. Both have a passion for providing social and environmental architectural solutions that account for the needs of the community. The team is also interested in inclusive design that focuses on marginalised people in our society by creating spaces which promote culture and diversity. 

 

AC // AJ has a varied portfolio varying in scales from domestic projects to masterplans, with a number of projects selected for shortlists and awards from design competitions. The partnership teaches young children about architecture and the profession emphasising on sustainable practice and living. 

Launched in February 2021, Camden Black Creatives (CBC) is a community interest company (CIC) made up of a network of creatives and cultural producers of African heritage, strengthened by the global call for equality and overt diverse representation both at institutional level and accessibility to resources.

The group was founded by four local Camden Borough’s residents and creatives. Chair Caroline Chinakwe is a mother of three and mixed-media artist, Co-Chair Violeta Sofia is an artist and celebrity photography. Auda Sakho is a sustainable fashion designer and Shade Adekoya is a mother of two and supporter of the arts.

CBC’s members are made up of highly skilled and creative professionals with decades of industry experience as practitioners with their own businesses. Together the group have amassed an impressive portfolio of experiences and skills that they can share with members of the community, supporting start up creatives businesses, mentoring young creatives and inspiring new talents.

FishTank

FishTank offers young entrepreneurs aged 18-30 a desk space, a training programme, guidance, coaching, mentoring and the opportunities they need to turn their ideas into success stories. They provide young entrepreneurs a development programme to support their personal development and the growth of their business ideas. The FishTank members, who are millennials and Gen’Zs, also provide consultation and focused pieces of creative work providing both generational and cultural insights.

They provide support for entrepreneurs to apply for start-up funds including FishTank's own Get Hooked grant-based pitching event. FishTank creates a safe space with opportunities to socialise and network with investors, creatives, entrepreneurs, businesses and like-minded young people.

Emily Compston for Little Village

Emily has worked at Little Village for three years in the Operations Team. During her time as Head of Operations, she has seen the charity grow from a small team of 20 to over 40 staff at 3 hubs and now there are 7 sites across London. She was instrumental in launching the ‘retail concept’ shop in Brent, working with a volunteer team from Selfridges on the design and fit-out. Most recently she has established a warehouse in Watford and is involved in all aspects of operation, including logistics and transport strategy, tech transformation, stock control, health and safety and regulatory compliance, property searches and set up and, most recently Little Village’s work to scope potential for a national network of baby banks.

Martin Whitelock is a Personal Trainer from London. Most of his time is spent on the King’s Cross Estate operating bootcamps, personal training and corporate fitness classes. Between sessions he also works with local schools. The objective is to provide workouts to young adults that don't feel like your traditional PE class with fitness programming designed to inspire. Martin is passionate about sharing the benefits of exercise and building community around a combination of weight training, honest communication, and work ethic.

 

Miss Olivia Schubert

After securing a degree in Geography, Olivia stepped straight out of college and into the framework of Food For All, where she has since become one of its prized workers. During the two years she has been with Food For All, her skills are put to good use as manager for most of the projects that keep Food For All running smoothly. Olivia also works with Food For All volunteers, manages all the kitchen staff in Holborn, helps make the local distribution happen on time daily and liaises with local supermarkets and donors to keep the whole project moving. Olivia was a major part of ‘Food For All - Covid 19’ pandemic which went on to collect not only another Community Champion award but the Queens Award for services to the community for going above and beyond the call of duty. 

 

Jennie Matthias 

 

Founder of Show & Grow and an ambassador for Food For All, Jennie’s early success stemmed from the entertainment world where she received significant accomplishments in the music industry. Well-travelled, Jennie has graced numerous stages globally, entertaining thousands of people day and night. Her work experiences have supplied Jennie with the confidence to become a voice for those in greatest need. 

 

In 1999, Jennie founded her own Drug Awareness Charity. She used her skills in the arts as a tool to educate teenagers on the perils of drug abuse. Her team worked with schools, theatres, and youth clubs. It was then that Jennie met Olivia, Director of Food For All. They have remained friends ever since and have been working together symbiotically for the cause of others for 22 years. 

 

Jennie uses Show & Grow as a platform to help those interested in getting back into the workplace. Jennie’s team assists individuals with positive life changes and technological skills. Its focus is on taking people to the next stage of their life’s journey. 

 
Street Storage

Rachel founded Street Storage in November 2018 after seeing a visible need for the service in the city and in the sector. Alongside her fantastic colleagues Caroline Allouf and Simon Webb, Rachel manages Street Storage’s strategic vision and growth as well as the financial and operational side of the charity. She speaks regularly at events, conferences and panels across the country, campaigns for change across a wide range of issues and conducts street outreach and emergency response throughout the year.