Opening up our historic house
On Saturday the 13th of September, we opened our doors and garden to the public, as part of this year’s London’s Open House Festival.
The festival is an inspiring city-wide celebration of architecture, and a chance for Londoners and visitors alike to explore interesting buildings, homes and neighbourhoods. And we were delighted to take part again!
Welcoming in local residents, curious passers-by, former colleagues, and even one lovely visitor who travelled all the way from Birmingham, we hosted tours of our historic Kentish Town building.
While taking in our cosy therapy rooms, light-filled kitchen or wandering around our peaceful garden, we got chatting to our visitors.
Sharing the story of our legacy, from our remarkable founder Dr Faith Spicer who set up our mission way back in 1969 to the reason why we’re called Brandon Centre (after Brandon Cadbury, from the famous chocolate family) and what we do today, we managed to connect with others on a deeper level.
This feeling was reflected in the thoughtful comments left by our visitors. One person wrote:
“Thank you for helping so many young people and continuing to do such important work”
and another:
“I loved the open day and speaking to the therapists, they were so friendly and approachable” and simply, “lovely welcome, lovely house”.
These kind words mean the world to us and capture what makes Brandon Centre so special.
We’d like to give a huge thank you to Sam Weston, Lucca Hunt and Sue Sowerby for giving up their Saturday to help run the event. We’re also grateful to our talented gardener, Kitty Clarke who keeps our outdoor space looking beautiful and ecologically sustainable. Our wonderful garden was a highlight for many on the day!
It was a joy to be part of the Open House Festival and we’re already looking forward to the next one. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and helped make the day so special!