St Paul's Centre

BUILDING A COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE

Objectives: To develop a dynamic and sustainable community hub, to build a sustainable income stream and to devise a longer-term fundraising strategy to meet the needs of a fast changing borough and parish in a busy part of West London. Secondary objectives were to support the work of charities investing in social transformation by providing office space, training facilities and administrative support so that they can better drive their mission.

ACHIEVEMENTS

In 24 months, St Paul's Centre has gone from strength to strength and they've surpassed all their expectations. It's now a successful event venue, with conference and training facilities and a profit-making café and catering service. Thanks to these sustainable revenue streams, the centre has shown a robust 77% growth in the first year and a further 25% growth in the second.

CLIENT ENGAGEMENT

challenges

To navigate the complex relationship between the strong pastoral mission of the Church and the commercial disciplines of running a successful enterprise, located in the middle of one of the busiest and congested traffic zones in London.

ST PAUL'S CENTRE - DEVELOPMENT focus

To continually invest in and integrate core operational efficiencies, good customer service policies, IT support within the operations team, professionalise the approach to business, set and achieve a stretching series of financial targets and personal goals.

st Paul's CENTRE - funding routes

Under Sarah's stewardship, the organisation has regrouped financially after a £7m capital campaign, building and restoration project. The centre now generates a sustainable income stream to cover all the day to day operational costs thanks to forging local partnerships and developing a loyal client base.

ST PAUL'S CENTRE - FUTURE

New energies are being scoped to work with Historic England, the Church Conservation Trust, Heritage Lottery and local government to develop the next phase of restoration on the main church building and surrounding green space over the next five years.

CLIENT EVALUATION

highlights

Sarah set up a strategic alliance with a number of significant clients and local partners during this 2 year window, and when combined together, these generated £485,000 income for St Paul's. Our on-site facilities team are there to ensure events run smoothly and we partner with a first-class staging and lighting team to give it the professional polish that sets it apart from other venues in the local area. Below are some of those key partnerships...

BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT

In collaboration with London Borough Hammersmith & Fulham, Thames TV hosted the Contestant's Village for two weeks during the BGT 2018 Live Show.

MAMMA MIA PREMIERE

For one night only, St Paul's Green was transformed into a Greek island getaway for the ‘Mama Mia - Here We Go Again’ Premiere after-party.

MERCURY PRIZE AWARDS

Hosting the press room and after party for the third year running.

APOLLO - LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNER

The working relationship with the team at the Apollo has created exciting opportunities for St Paul's, leading to a more professional and confident delivery of high quality events and event management.

HAMMERSMITH BID

Proud partners of Hammersmith BID connecting St Paul's with the local business and corporate community, supporting key initiatives to help shape Hammersmith for the better.

GLOBAL MUSIC RADIO AWARDS

Proud to host the Green Room for the first ever Global Awards.

CLIENT BENEFITS

results

“It’s hard to imagine there’s anywhere else in this community that plays host to such a rich diversity of people and events.”

It's all about perception. Before Sarah began this 2 year project for St Paul's Centre, the local community weren't sure what was there and the larger corporate and media clients weren't aware there was an amazing events/business venue right on their doorstep. This RIBA award-winning building was designed with the whole community and parish in mind. To succeed, it needs to be financially viable. It's now a successful business enterprise with the popular Atrium café at its heart. It's also a generous gateway and community space that generates social impact through its charity partnerships too. They're looking forward to the future now and thanks to this sustainable income stream, St Paul's Centre is on course to be successful for many years to come.

EVENTS VENUE

Host ambitious events with first class staging and lighting, or smaller one-off music recitals or book launches.

CHARITY EVENTS

Crosslight Advice hosts popular Jazz evenings in the Atrium to raise money for their charity advice centres.

MEETING ROOMS

Modern flexible spaces - fully integrated AV packages and in-house catering provided.

GRADE II LISTED CHURCH

Designed in the Early English Gothic Style, it's a thriving Christian community that welcomes all.

COMMUNITY SPACE + CAFE

At the heart of the centre sits the Atrium Café. It's the perfect meeting place and easily reconfigured to stage bespoke events.

CONCERT VENUE

The magnificent acoustics at St Paul's Church have made it the natural choice for all kinds of musical events.