GENEROSITY IN ACTION: PLUSHSE16 AT OPEN CITY

On Friday 19th September, we were honoured to join the Open City Friends of Peckham panel at Copeland Park’s Bussey Building, as part of the ACA Peckham Action for Aylesham campaign. The lineup of voices reflected the richness of Peckham’s past, present, and future – from architects and historians to community activists, faith leaders, long-time traders, and campaigners for land justice.

Among such inspiring speakers, we shared the story of PLUSH SE16 – not only as a community-rooted business of over 22 years, but as a living example of how generosity can manifest through space, culture, and connection.

THE PANEL

Benny O’Looney (Benedict O’Looney Architects) Eileen Conn (Peckham Vision), Rev. Dean Pusey (St Mary’s Church), Anna Minton, Carmen & Michael Clinkett (PLUSH SE16), Jed Holloway (Southwark Law Centre), Josephine Francis (long-time Rye Lane hairstylist), Jan Kattein (Jan Kattein Architects), Akhbar (Khan’s), Lorelie & Jon Wilson (Copeland Park), Raquel Diniz & Francisco Mazza and Andreea Vasilcin.

Generosity as Community Power

When asked to speak to the theme of Generosity, we reflected on what PLUSH meant in practice:

• A barber shop that wasn’t just about hair, but a place of listening, mentoring, and brotherhood.

• A Caribbean takeaway where food became memory, joy, and belonging for generations.

• A music studio and creative hub where talent was nurtured and stories were told.

• A car wash and “third space” where everyday life flowed into community building.

For us, generosity was never abstract. It was the act of creating a place where people felt welcome, supported, and seen. It was raising awareness of injustices, helping others build their campaigns, and sharing our experiences so that others could stand stronger in theirs.

Even recently, as we began work around Old Kent Road, we saw how people immediately connected with the PLUSH story – not because it was unique, but because sadly it is one so many communities recognise. That act of sharing, and seeing others find strength in it, is a form of generosity we hold dear.

A Story Too Many Can Relate To

Our eviction in January 2024 was not just the loss of access to a building. It was the displacement of a cultural and social ecosystem – one that embodied Peace, Love, Unity, Strength, and Harmony.

Yet as painful as that experience has been, we’ve realised it’s also a rallying point. The injustice of PLUSH resonates with others across London who see their own communities at risk. From Peckham to Old Kent Road, from hair salons to markets, the fight for space is the fight for dignity.

No Price On Culture

Through our campaign #NoPriceOnCulture, we continue to assert that culture is not a commodity to be traded away for profit. Culture is lived. It is embodied in the places, people, and practices that make London the city it is.

If there’s one thing we hope people take from our presence on this panel, it’s that generosity is about more than giving. It’s about holding open the space for others – for their stories, their rights, and their futures.

That is the work of PLUSH SE16. and HUBSE16 CIC. That is the work of No Price On Culture and that is why our story, painful as it is, has become something special – not just our own, but one that belongs to the collective struggle for London’s communities to stay, to thrive, and to be heard.

This blog post is dedicated to Mark Saunders from Spectacle Film Productions UK , who sadly passed away in the summer of 2025. Mark was an exceptional filmographer and a local storytelling hero who truly understood our approach to documentation. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to watch a short film he started on Peckham, which we contributed to by sitting down with Mark.

It is a profoundly moving testament to the generosity of using one's talents amidst the depths of social destruction and the generosity of time. Thank you, Mark. Rest in peace.

👉 Join the movement: Follow our campaign, share our story, and stand with us as we fight on for a London where no community is priced out of its culture.