New lease for charity to continue to provide workspace and career support
A Dalston workspace provider is celebrating after the Council agreed to offer a new 125-year lease for its current premises, allowing the organisation to continue to support a diverse range of business and charity tenants and progress with work to boost career opportunities for young people.
The Bootstrap Company was founded over 40 years ago with the aim of offering young people advice and information about jobs and training opportunities. It now provides over 60,000sq ft of studio space on Ashwin Street to a mix of tenants which are committed to these objectives, from small businesses and creative and social entrepreneurs to charities and start-ups. Bootstrap works with its business tenants to support them with initiatives such as providing work placements and career help.
A mentoring service is also being established at Bootstrap, for which the organisation is partnering with youth mentoring and careers charities to support tenants to arm 16-24 year olds with the skills, knowledge, tools and a network to succeed professionally.
Bootstrap currently has 73 tenants from a diverse range of industries, prominently including film and TV production, design and architecture, events and hospitality and the charity sector. Despite the severe impact of Covid-19, Bootstrap was able to retain 70% of its tenants, providing support through rent holidays and reductions.
Hackney Council support has been instrumental in Bootstrap’s survival through Covid, and has enabled us to retain over 70 businesses and charities in Dalston, who in turn support the development of young talent in Hackney. We are grateful for this lease extension.
Bootstrap is an incredible organisation which has made a real difference to the lives of so many people in the Dalston community over the years and decades.
We are really pleased to offer this new lease, which will allow Bootstrap to continue to provide essential workspace and support businesses, social entrepreneurs and voluntary sector organisations to start up and grow in Hackney.
Bootstrap also does essential work to support local young people, helping improve career options and promoting training for people and we are pleased we can support them with this new lease so these vital services can be accessed by local people for years to come.
To find out more about Bootstrap, including details of its mentoring programme for people aged between 16 and 24, visit bootstrapcharity.com.