Testimonials

Gereth Oddie

Posted on 1 November 2021

Waterloo Action Centre is an invaluable community space, in a great and easily accessible central location. They provide access to essential community activities to the people of the Waterloo area. I have been to countless life drawing sessions here and it would be an immense shame to lose such an important, and valuable local community hub.

Name Withheld

Posted on 1 November 2021

I’ve only recently joined the life drawing class in WAC but I think it’s great. I love being part of a small artistic community, especially because by me learning a new skill, it helps other, less fortunate people have access to the WAC. It’s a great place and there should be more places like this to help people.

Name Withheld

Posted on 4 October 2021

I have been attending drawing classes provided by London Drawing at WAC and they have been enriching and extremely beneficial to my well-being and mental health, especially after the challenging past year or so. I have found the space welcoming and inclusive, and have really valued being welcomed into a community space with a diversity of other people. This is a special place and I feel it is wrong that these increasingly rare community based spaces are being threatened and lost.

Patricia Phipps

Posted on 3 October 2021

I am a retired 70 year old and has been going to Line Dancing classes at the Waterloo Action Centre for a number of years and have made many friends there, I really look forward to my weekly lessons and our monthly Tea Dances. It has served the community very well with the many events and activities that takes place e.g. Ballet, yoga and dance classes etc,

The Centre is a hub for community events and activities and would be sorely missed.. Please keep the centre alive for those of us in the community who would otherwise be lonely at home with mental health issues due to isolation and loneliness. The centre is central to our wellbeing.

Name Withheld

Posted on 3 October 2021

I've been going to Waterloo Action Center for life drawing classes almost every weekend since lockdown lifted and am so grateful for the space that it provides for me to pursue this activity.

For all the work, help and support it provides for the community, it would really be a tragedy if it could no longer continue to operate.

Ivor Dembina

Posted on 31 August 2021

This is vital community facility surrounded by an encroaching corporate world that cares not one jot for those who live in the neighbourhood. It must be saved.

Sandra

Posted on 26 August 2021

I was sent to the centre in 2017 by the citizen's advice bureau, i had moved out of a flatshare situation and i wanted my deposit back, the ptoperty manager had agreed on giving me half of it but then simply waited to see if i was going to forget about it. I was new to tenancy and deposits so i had no idea what to do. The legal help i received there was effective, within 3 weeks i had my money back. It is imperative that the centre may continue to help the community unfortunately not many of us can afford the legal help we sometimes need. I want to send a big thank you to the centre and all the people that work there to make the community a better and fairer place to all. Thank you!!!!!

Tom Bonner

Posted on 25 August 2021

The WAC has provided an accessible and well-situated space for our club to meet for the last 5 years. Many members would be unable to continue coming from after-work if we had to relocate to somewhere further out. Whilst I understand that the council needs to find funds, replacing this building with another chain coffee-shop would incredibly diminish the diversity of available activities in the area.

I like coffee, but I've never made a clubs-worth of friends in a Pret.

Name Withheld

Posted on 26 July 2021

I have been attending drawing classes at Waterloo Action Centre for at least 4 years. As someone who did not go to university or art school, opportunities and resources are limited and so it has been vital to my practice as a printmaker and to my life. As we have been separated and isolated during the pandemic and as the world tries to reopen I believe community centres to be of top importance not least. At a time when we are increasingly distrustful of our leaders, community centres are a beating heart that keeps the pulse of the community going. Please don't sever this artery.

Leon1e MCKENZIE

Posted on 22 July 2021

Lambeth council do not want the public to receive help and support to fight there staff bad practice they carry out behind closed doors. Save Waterloo action centre!!!

Michael Maclaren

Posted on 19 July 2021

I have used for l/drawing quite a few times. Being 72 and lived in London all my life, and my parents who fought and lived here during the war. I know how important and vital these places are. Especially in this Covid period. Where we all know that it is vital for peoples mental health that they have something constructive and challenging to do.

Sue

Posted on 2 July 2021

I am sad and angry that Lambeth would give such a hefty hike in rent to the Waterloo Action Centre that has been a pivotal centre for the area. The information that you can acquire there as well as the many classes that are held there are a life line for the people that attend.

I heard of WAC from my mother (who lived in the area, but I lived in Brixton Hill) when I was about to divorce my now ex-husband, she told me that you could get free legal advice, if you were prepared to wait in line. I then had some housing troubles and returned to gain more advice. I have also urged others to used WAC.

We (the area) really need to have somewhere reliable to get hold of information, not everyone has access to digital services at home or otherwise.

Please change your mind in hiking up the rents on WAC and other important charities that keep a life line for folks that are vulnerable.

Marin

Posted on 25 June 2021

This is a precious community space that I have visited several times with United Voices of the World. It deserves to remain and continue serving London's residents!

Amira Elwakil

Posted on 25 June 2021

I have been to WAC numerous times. I have attended various events and workshops that were excellent community-building opportunities and the space enabled them to be very accessible. I have also booked the space myself for English for Action’s annual conference in which English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) practitioners from Lambeth and beyond get together to discuss pedagogy, share experience and expertise and collectively work on improving their practice. Having access to a space in central London meant that participants from across the country could easily get to the conference. The space itself is also really spacious which we needed for the activities we ran during the conference.

Losing such a vital community hub would be devastating for Lambeth residents but also everyone else.

Cat Wiener

Posted on 24 June 2021

This is an amazing space which has offered so many different facilities for the local community for years, cheaply/for free. Please Lambeth Council value the not-marketable value of a community centre that cannot afford to pay higher rents - if WAC is forced out, this is how a community dies.

Matthew Hobbs

Posted on 24 June 2021

In July 2015 I experienced employment and housing challenges the result of Unlawful Deduction of Wages from a former employer. If it was not for the work of the WAC and the generous support of volunteers I would have been unable to meet legal fees and navigate complex systems. In short, I would have been destitute. It is not an exaggeration to say that the WAC supported me up and out of homelessness and back into a flourishing career. They are an essential community resource, and their work must be allowed to continue without hindrance.

Marianne

Posted on 24 June 2021

I am a Social Prescribing Link Worker based in Lambeth who has signposted and referred many of my patients to WAC. I have received amazing feedback regarding the high quality legal support offered by WAC and thus closure would leave a huge gap in legal services as well as community activities available particularly for low income and marginalised individuals. I believe WAC is an irreplaceable community asset and I hope Lambeth Council will recognise how the closure of WAC will be another loss for equitable access to legal assistance in Lambeth.

Manuela

Posted on 22 June 2021

My daughter uses Waterloo Action Centre for her ballet classes. It has a good layout with studios and a waiting room where I wait for her. It is an amazing place for the community and we fear that the rent rise will make it too expensive for these activities to be run here. We need these spaces for the community activities. Thanks

Corrine Edwards

Posted on 22 June 2021

I have lived in Waterloo since 1986.

During this time I have received help with dealing with Lambeth council housing issues.

Also with harassment from my downstairs neighbour. Lambeth never resolved this, but a lawyer helped us with advice.

I have attended event and meeting about local planning and the dreadful private garden bridge. We won! The meetings of WCDG have been very important to me and it was the TCOS group that also made me feel more part of the community. WAC must be saved from the greedy council.

Stewart Ganley

Posted on 21 June 2021

I have attended Life drawing classes at the Waterloo Action Centre for many years. I am sorry to hear there are problems

and that the classes might have to close. I know these have been difficult times for a lot of organisations, but I think there

are probably more people during this time who would benefit from learning to draw and paint. So I hope the centre can

stay open, in the future.

Devon Allison

Posted on 19 June 2021

The Waterloo Action Centre is a such a local treasure I was shocked to hear it is under threat from a huge rent increase by the local council. I understand financial pressure, but this really does seem to be "penny wise and pound foolish". From my years as a volunteer in the NHS, I know that WAC provides important health promotion programmes alongside its many other activities. Have local GPs been consulted about WAC's importance? The people WAC serves have been amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic. Surely this is the wrong time to threaten its future. I do hope that Lambeth Council will think again.

Stephen

Posted on 19 June 2021

I was horrified to find that this is going on! Extraordinary that the Council thought it OK to do the consultation during lockdown. I use the computer at WAC and have not had any access during lockdown. I haven't been able to get anyone at the Council to answer the phone but they have time for this! .

Name Withheld

Posted on 19 June 2021

The WAC is a fantastic venue. As a local company who ran many events throughout the year, the facilitates the WAC offered for it's price, and location of the WAC made this an absolute venue of choice. It's always been a pleasure working with the team of staff there and the sense of community is undeniable.

Closing the WAC would be a huge loss to Waterloo, for both local residents and businesses. I would strongly urge the local council to change their decision.

Paul

Posted on 9 June 2021

Please do not close the Waterloo Action Centre. I have used it at the worst time of my life when I had to go to employment tribunal against a toxic Airline. Many employees did not know how to start and the Waterloo Action Centre helped many extremely distressed people in this case.

The legal system needs to be democratic and give people from all levels of society and level of distress to have access to “justice “.

David Wombwell

Posted on 7 June 2021

The Waterloo Action Centre is a great and very important service running courses

for the community and should be saved for everyone to enjoy.

Name Withheld

Posted on 7 June 2021

WAC is a great place. Now that people are feeling more comfortable to leave their homes due to the pandemic you are closong it. I am disheartened as WAC does so much for the community and Lambeth Council should do all it can to keep it open. All the people they help, some need somewhere to go, something to do or something to learn and WAC is that place where the effort and atmosphere are priceless.

I am grateful and thankful for WAC.

I hope Lambeth Council do all they can and WAC remains open ?

Name Withheld

Posted on 7 June 2021

I have worked in the VC sector for more than 30 years. Waterloo Action is the most used resource in the borough of Lambeth for legal Advice without this service the community - the most vulnerable- will be left without any supported or informed legal recourse- to increase WAC’s rent to an impossibly unsustainable

Level is untenable at a time when so many people are faced with eviction, debt and loss of employment. I urge Lambeth Council to reconsider their decision.

Rachel

Posted on 1 June 2021

As a long-term resident of SE1, I absolutely loved that there was such a beautiful space in the heart of my community that catered to local people; regardless of one's background, there was something amazing to do there. If I wasn't attending classes, I was popping in just to see friendly faces, connect with neighbours and be in the special little garden. I've also hired out the facilities on multiple occasions for small gatherings and events - something I could only do as at WAC with its decent prices for local individuals. Each time they were there, everyone at my events loved the space and appreciated its location at the heart of a surprisingly buzzing Waterloo community. Please value the spirit of this place and do the right thing!

Name Withheld

Posted on 1 June 2021

My son has been having ballet lessons at WAC for a long time. It's a brilliant, important, affordable centre for locals, at the heart of the community. It seems very unfair, as well as sad for him and all the other kids who use it regularly, if the rent becomes too high and the lease is made difficult.

Name Withheld

Posted on 26 May 2021

I joined quite a few drawing events organised by London Drawing quite few times in the past, including the drop-in life model classes prior to the pandemic as well as the 3-day workshops. It is important for me to be able to attend the art classes that are available and open to anyone, especially in the venue located in this side of the river, as my travelling time will be considerably longer if the venue was on the north. I I have also witnessed other events which were also taking place at this venue where one of the most vulnerable population such as elderly was benefiting from the experiences - I believe art provides people with hope and inspiration and its benefits are not easily quantifiable. As a society we should be able to provide these opportunities more widely with low costs, not other way around.

Name Withheld

Posted on 25 May 2021

I have been going to WAC once or twice a week for the last 5 years (pre covid) and one thing that always amazes me is the true sense of community and allowing the gathering of local people from all walks of life. The classes I attend (mostly pilates, but also yoga, ballroom dance parties and sewing group) and the people I met are always friendly and welcoming and my visits to wac really help my mental wellbeing.

Name Withheld

Posted on 25 May 2021

WAC I did enjoy some fantastic online lessons during Lockdown. It is vital for a creative community to be able to stay connected, get some inspiration and exchange.

Philip Newton

Posted on 25 May 2021

Waterloo Action Centre is an amazing community asset. I work in a sedentary job in the centre of London but the opportunity to attend yoga and pilates classes in my local area means I get regular exercise and I meet other people out of work. The classes I go to are well attended and there are always other activities taking place / groups meeting. Every community needs somewhere like WAC, even more so as we emerge from the pandemic, to encourage people back into taking exercise and meeting others. I sincerely hope that Lambeth Council recognises the contribution that WAC makes to the community as a health promoting asset and fully supports its activities.

Name Withheld

Posted on 25 May 2021

6 years ago I suffered a breakdown. Despite experience parenting, mentoring and caring for others I couldn't help myself and realised there was nobody to help me. Traditional help was difficult to find and involved waiting lists, taking time off work and the dread of having to explain my situation. WAC provided the immediate outlet I needed to get back on the road to recovery by doing something I loved. I started dropping in every week for life drawing classes. The environment was accessible, inclusive and non-judgemental and the organisers and community were patient and caring. With each visit my confidence and self-esteem grew. WAC saved me, I would now like to return the favour and save WAC.

P.S. Special thanks to Anne and the LondonDrawing team and community at WAC

Name Withheld

Posted on 25 May 2021

I've been attending life drawing classes at Waterloo Action Centre for years. It has such a unique and welcoming communal atmosphere, a place to learn a new skill, meet new people, relax and have fun. There's always such a wide variety of open classes one can take, which always makes it such an exciting place to hang around. I work for a mental health charity and I know, both from first hand experience and from our data, that many more people have been experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation during the pandemic than in normal years, and that this has been experienced across all age groups. This means that community centres like the Waterloo Action Centre are more vital now than ever before. It would be such a shame if it had to close because of raised rent costs and I urge you to reconsider for the sake of the community.

Julie Miller

Posted on 25 May 2021

Lambeth council, we really need to consider the value this center holds for the disabled who meet here and drink tea, go for outings and are able to have a social life away from their homes...I myself have been visiting this center for over 30 years, dance classes and workout...yoga and social events.



Please KEEP it SAFE

Miss Julie London

Emily Muna

Posted on 25 May 2021

WAC is an incredibly important part of the local area in Southwark and Lambeth, and the services it provides make a huge difference to those who need them and rely on them - whether it's free legal advice, adult learning classes, foodbank and item donations or meeting space for local community groups. It's loss will have a hugely negative impact on the local community and the lives of individuals, families and communities who depend on organisations like WAC.

Sol

Posted on 17 May 2021

It's been great to be able to use the facilities of the WAC and create a community. I would love to continue being a member of the WAC that does so much for the community.

Pat Taylir

Posted on 17 May 2021

I was one of the first community workers appointed to work at WAC in 1974 and I have very good memories of working with local people in Waterloo to revive its community activties and provide a focus for new energy and ideas in the community. I learnt a lot from my time at WAC and believe that it's model of community support is very sound and successful. Lambeth Council should be supporting WAC not put this long standing and successful project at risk.

Liam C

Posted on 17 May 2021

I am very concerned about the proposed rent increase being imposed on the Waterloo Action Centre. The centre has proven to be a vital source of community engagement and inclusion over the years and has played an important part in tackling social isolation during the pandemic.

Lambeth Council must review their decision and allow the Centre to continue its important work at a peppercorn rent.

Lesley Martin p

Posted on 12 May 2021

I have used The Waterloo Action Centre for various things over the years,and feel that it offers a vital life line for local people,especially the elderly

Nadia Frances O’Donnell-Pacha

Posted on 12 May 2021

I am in total shock, Waterloo Action Centre has been point of call for many people for many years, providing support to the local community, I came to the site today to help a vulnerable resident and seek advice, this service is essential for those in the local community. Waterloo Action Centre serves the entire borough of Lambeth a huge population for one branch, it is a success story for community support - how can this be happening taking away essential local services for vulnerable people. The rent should be free Sadiq Khan or Boris give them funding or a building please this will effect the entire population of Lambeth residents, at a time where support is needed more than ever!

EMIL WIJEWEERA

Posted on 12 May 2021

My mother worked at WAC for several years in the 1980s, helping to run a health club for the local youth.

I have used the legal services held on Thursdays for dealing with my mother's probate issues as well as my noisy neighbours, when the council were unable to do anything. WAC has been a focal point for us locals for decades and I think it offers a lifeline to those on low incomes and without access to internet and paid services. it is clear that the whole Waterloo and Lower Marsh area is undergoing a deliberate gentrification process to get rid of services that local low income users might need. In this period of austerity we need it more than ever.

Anais

Posted on 12 May 2021

I love WAC, I love that the centre hosts a variety of activities from Samba to life drawing. It would be such a loss for the community to lose this space where many of us go to to express our creativity.

Name Withheld

Posted on 12 May 2021

I have attended dance classes at WAC for over a year now and it has been an invaluable part of me settling into the area and meeting members of the community. The mental health benefits that these activities hosted at WAC bring are so important so it would be a travesty for it to close, especially in the period of time we are in now in which we need community and connection more than ever.

Victor Glaser

Posted on 8 May 2021

A resident of Lambeth for over seventy years I was saddened to hear of Lambeth Borough Council's intentions to increase the annual rent for Waterloo Community Action Centre from £5,000.00 to an outrageous and unrealistic £45,000.00. I have been an active member for many years. Until the Pandemic I attended this centre for various classes on a weekly basis, as it offered me an outlet to pursue interests; to socialise and make new friends. I feel it improved my well-being, making life worthwhile. I don't feel Lambeth has considered the long-term benefits this Community Centre offers the elderly Borough residents, and thus contributes to the NHS in caring for many personal needs and in turn easing the burden on their services.

I trust that in these unprecedented and challenging times you will reconsider your (unreasonable) decision, putting people before financial interest.

robert colenutt

Posted on 8 May 2021

AS a community worker in Southwark many years ago WAC was always a bedrock of community energy and support. Community centres like WAC are the anchors of community and everything should be done by local councils to support them not undermine them. WAC has done - does do - amazing work and I fully support their campaign

Name Withheld

Posted on 8 May 2021

I was a Waterloo resident for 45 years and I am staggered that Lambeth Council is considering raising WAC’s rent to such a level that it may have to close. As we emerge from this pandemic WAC’s services are needed more than ever.

Of the 7 Day Care facilities on the LBL website, WAC is one of only two that welcomes all seniors. No hoops to jump through, no assessment – the epitome of easy access.

And it doesn’t just cater for the elderly population, at some part of the week there is something for everyone at WAC.

I can’t think of another building that houses such a wide range of services under one roof.

WAC houses 4 other community groups, and provides opportunities for solo-businesses and non-profit organisations by providing space for hire at affordable prices. Would these survive if WAC cannot afford to stay open?

The strong relationships that WAC has with local businesses, theatres and colleges are undoubtedly strengthened by its accessible location. Strong, trusting relationships develop over time and can’t easily be replicated, so it is important that WAC remains in its current form and location at the heart of the community.

Covid-19 has changed the way we live and work. It has highlighted the need for strengthening our communities with well-connected spaces where people can access safely most of the things they need to live a healthy and happy life, without relying on a car. WAC is ahead of the curve as it is ideally placed to fit into this model.

If you lose WAC, you lose the services. We, the taxpayers, won’t let that happen.

Tony Pryor

Posted on 8 May 2021

I attended the London Drawing class at th WAC almost every week for around two years. The class itself made a huge difference to me - my abilities developed enormously with the first class professional teaching, and it was a wonderful place to meet other people also enthralled about art.

The rooms we used themselves were invaluable. Both large, high-ceilinged, and airy, and the first floor one beautifully naturally lit, I can't think where a similar space could be found - certainly not in any office building. They were ideal for the classes.

And the sense that we were part of a social enterprise, benefitting local people in so many ways, was critical. It is perhaps the only publicly accessible, community space of this size and generosity in this part of London.

The council should be proud of it, not threatening it's survival.

Arturo Araujo

Posted on 8 May 2021

I'm a cancer researcher and university lecturer. I moved back to London 4 years ago. While I was familiar with the area when I was a student, most of my friends are gone. The Waterloo Life drawing class was an oasis in a desert of stress. It provided me with a safe environment to learn from others how to express myself through drawing, as well as the opportunity to make new friends and slowly feel less lonely and less stressed. The location was incredible, and was one of the things that encouraged me to keep going. I know there are many people in my situation and it is important for the Waterloo Action Centre to be able to keep supporting the activities that bring people together and make the stressful London life much more bearable. I certainly feel my life and mental health were greatly improved by Life Drawing at Waterloo Action Centre and hope that it will keep bringing such integral support for all.

Name Withheld

Posted on 3 May 2021

I have struggled all my life with my mental health and the one thing I rely on to keel me healthy and well is by being able to access art classes. The Waterloo Centre has been my lifeblood, I don’t know what I would do without it. It is an amazing, comforting haven which provides people like me with affordable access to facilities not found anywhere else. Everyone knows councils are hard up, coronvirus and successive governments have deprived our local authorities of money but please remember your duty if care too. The benefit enjoyed by so many Lambeth residents accessing affordable classes is immeasurable - it is far more than any extra money you may achieve by increasing the rates. The damage would be immense and counterproductive.

Name Withheld

Posted on 3 May 2021

Please do not raise the rents for our popular local WAC. Waterloo Action Centre which functions as an essential resource in an expensive central area where many are on low salaries. There are lots of local residents nearby who rely on this centre. During the Covid crisis the importance of community has been paramount: WAC is an important hub and serves a well established community which will not have other local alternatives if it is forced to close because it has to finance new rental payments. Personally, It has provided opportunities for young artist friends to show work, collaborate with ethic minorities, has supported me with urgent legal help when I could not afford to pay for advice, and given me excellent fitness training with Pilates. I think it would be disastrous if the centre closed and we lost the services currently provided by this centre.

Sherman Havens

Posted on 3 May 2021

The Waterloo Action Centre (WAC) is a place of safe friendship and fellowship for the community. It has become an integral part of my families life. It provides activities and interactions so you know you are not alone.

My wife has been attending for several years and it has helped with both of our mental wellbeing. Living in the centre of a large metropolitan city can be a lonely place when you get a little older. WAC provides activities and day trips that truly bring those from the community together and let's us all feel that we are not alone.

It would be a great lose to the community as the area is redeveloped and regenerated (these are good things), WAC provides a safe haven for those who have lived and struggled here the longest.

Rather than forcing WAC to vacate the property and probably disband the council and the GLA should be supporting this worthwhile and valuable resource to the community. It provides a space where people with time can volunteer and provide friendship and support to those in need. You never know who is in need when you visit WAC, they accept everyone on an even and equitable basis.

Please reconsider the intrinsic value of a proven community gem.

Nora Maddock

Posted on 3 May 2021

Dear Lambeth Council,

Please reconsider your decision to significantly increase the rent for WAC. The centre's wonderful staff and volunteers have provided invaluable opportunities and resources for so many people over the years. Through this work they have brought joy to the local community (and beyond) and improved health and wellbeing. This has saved you a huge amount of money. You should be supporting successful and trusted community organisations, not forcing them out and creating soulless commercial zones that are of no benefit to the local people you claim to support.

I look forward to hearing you have changed your decision,

Nora Maddock

Name Withheld

Posted on 29 April 2021

My disabled mother and I got invaluable legal advice for issues relating to help and benefits we were not aware we was entitled to, which was a massive help.

Daniel Smith

Posted on 29 April 2021

I am a local. I have used Waterloo Action centre for many years and it's a vital resource for people that live locally.

I use the centre regularly, attending Tai Chi classes that help with social isolation, knowing it is there reaching out to the many long term residents of the area who cannot afford more commercially priced activities, it's also somewhere I can get advice or know there is someone to help.

Over the years I have observed how the area around Waterloo has changed, often for the better, I don't mind change. But a key thing I have noticed is how developments are often ignore the people that have lived here for years. So the area has seen property prices increase, social housing become increasingly difficult to access and retail based not on the needs of residents but on the demands of office workers.

We need the WAC and protecting it should be a priority. We have enough burger and pizza restaurants, coffee bars and overpriced mini supermarkets. Please for once think of the people who have lived here for years.

I'd like to see more council support for WAC not less.

Name Withheld

Posted on 29 April 2021

Waterloo Action Centre needs to stay as a community service for Waterloo. I have lived in Waterloo for 34 years and also worked locally for over at various times in my career in the last 20 years and WAC has been an important resource on both accounts.

As a local resident, most recently during the COVID pandemic WAC provided technical support help for my mum when she got a new laptop; also supported Tai Chi classes to continue online (that I had previously taken part in person) and during the pandemic was an important part of keeping my well being, community spirit and physical and mental health in a positive place. I also saw so many local people connect to Tai Chi for the first time and consistently engage with it, for me invaluable as I experience a long term chronic pain condition.

In recent years WAC also provided invaluable access to photocopier for our Tenants & Residents Association on occasion; useful meeting space of different sizes for local community groups I have been involved in such as Waterloo Community Development Group which provide an integral mechanism for local residents to engage with local issues.

In addition when I have worked for local theatres such as the Young Vic theatre, WAC was a useful resource for hiring rehearsal space.

From gallery exhibitions to legal and welfare support to activities for older people I know that the services and community hub that WAC provides should not be lost or put at threat because it is a 'life line' for people. From the skills that volunteers share and develop; the chat and support those who interact with and use WAC give one another and the history it holds and sense of community that this area desperately needs for local residents is irreplaceable.

Amaya Garcia

Posted on 29 April 2021

To Lambeth Council

I used the Waterloo Action Centre (WAC) at a time when I needed advice and support. Without the WAC I would have not been able to sort out my difficulties and move forward with my life.

The WAC is an invaluable resource for the local community and people on low incomes like myself need the Centre.

The proposed rent increase would mean the end of the WAC so please reconsider your position on this so that the Centre can stay open for the benefit of the local community.

Yours sincerely,

Amaya Garcia

Name Withheld

Posted on 28 April 2021

Waterloo Action Centre a place for community, friendship and coming together. It would be a real shame noone want to see the centre closed. The centre caters to all ages and to people with disabilities. This is a centre that has been used in the community for the community. We have other plans we would like to offer which would benefit the people living in the area. Please look into this as Waterloo Action Centre is a place that should definately remain open.

Name Withheld

Posted on 28 April 2021

WAC hosts London Drawing life drawing classes which I used to attend before lock-down, and they were very helpful in boosting my self-confidence and maintaining my mental health. The price for a drop-in class was reasonable and the staff hosting it were always helpful and accepting. The people who also attend these classes were all great artists who I felt comfortable being around. WAC's drawing classes are a great way for me to express myself in a constructive way in a supportive environment which I feel is the same for more people like me who attend those classes there, especially after the imposed lockdown that's tested everyone's mental health.