The reclaimed materials used in these tote bags were part of a special protest to protect the neighbourhood green space in central London. The developers were planning to wipe out the green space that the neighbouring flats were looking over, to build more flats. 

This area near Old Street is already very closely built up. Last summer we had a chance to watch people gather to play basketball and tennis in the evenings at this green space, the sound was full of life and happy yells. The community won and the green space was saved, thanks to the hard fighting grassroots community campaign group called EC1 Voices in Islington, lawyers, barristers, charities, and the famous footballer Les Ferninand. 

These bags remind of the individuals that got together for their community. And they look very cool too. Made at the studio in Cornwall. And what makes them even more special, is the story behind. 

Local residents, users, and footballers formed the alliance in January 2024 to oppose Islington Council's controversial multi-million-pound redevelopment plans for the 50-year-old Finsbury Leisure Centre site.

Residents, local footballers, the City of London Football Club, and groups like CPRELondon argued that shrinking and moving the football pitches to a rooftop would reduce their size, damaging local youth sports, community health, and social cohesion in one of the densest areas in the UK.

Following intense community pushback, backing from figures like Les Ferdinand, and a legal threat, Islington Council withdrew the proposal to build homes on the football pitches. 

Feel free to email us if you have more ideas like this that we could engage in, or if you would like to share similar experiences.