Heritage Building Workshop Success for Sunday School Stories

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Heritage Building Workshop Success for Sunday School Stories

18 March 2025

We’re proud to share heritage with people from all walks of life at our current Sunday School Stories workshops, facilitated by Fullers Builders who are restoring and retrofitting our Sunday School Hall to bring it back to life to invite more communities to celebrate pride, culture, arts, and more. We've captured the atmosphere of what's been going on with quotes from participants, and beautiful photos from creative volunteers, together sharing the immersive, hands-on, enriching celebration of heritage and community.

Thank you to all who have joined so far and yet to share our taster workshops on traditional Roofing, Carpentry, Brickwork, and Plastering. These sessions invite architectural, conservation, and construction fans, as well as those who suffer barriers to arts, culture & heritage. At Sunday School Stories, we have seen a true sense of intergenerational and intercultural communities continue to grow.

"It was inspiring to see creativity and craftsmanship come together for a meaningful purpose."
"The ability to connect and celebrate the material, culture and history of a space."
"All fascinating. Kindness and patience really appreciated. A lovely informative day."
 

The immersive experiences kick off with light refreshments accompanied by a heritage talk led by Friends of Union Chapel that champion and continue Union Chapel's legacy of heritage, arts, and social justice.

The day continues with introductions and demonstrations on the theory of the building techniques, followed by a lunch prepared by The Margins Project's chefs Supported Employment Programme's trainees.


Photos by Harry Chapman @vi_olo

"It was a great privilege to meet so many nice people from diverse backgrounds and it was inspiring to see everyone working together."

Participants then get stuck in with hands-on experience and mentoring of the building techniques, with multiple test areas of example roofs, wooden frames, or walls set up to get practical with what they have learnt; guided and encouraged by the Fullers team.

“I enjoyed spending time working with my hands in the company of other people. It was a nice environment!”
"I absolutely loved the workshop. The team were brilliant at explaining the process and so patient!"
"All good. Especially our instructor was very professional and taught in a very polite way."
"Good environment, working and learning from experts."
"An incredibly valuable experience, and we appreciate the opportunity to contribute through arts and creativity in such a hands-on way."

 


We round-off with a hard hat tour of the current Sunday School Hall, showing in real-time the active restoration and retrofit works taking place to bring the space back to life and to the community for future arts & heritage events. Even taking a walk up the scaffolding to get a closer look at the complex brickwork and roofing techniques necessary for respectfully preserving the Grade II* listed building for 100s of years to come.

"It was a pleasure to take part, and we truly appreciate the opportunity to collaborate. Our group had a fantastic experience, and we loved seeing how practical skills can be used to empower and support communities."
 


Photos by Brittany Genis

"A really great workshop and I learnt a lot"   “It really was a fun and informative day."
"Many thanks to everyone involved in providing a really excellent learning experience"
"Well-organized, and the materials provided were excellent."
"Facilitators were knowledgeable, patient, and provided great guidance throughout."

"Before receiving your call, I was feeling so lonely and broken hearted. I am grateful that I was able to attend, and would love to attend future Sunday School Stories opportunities."
 


Photos by David Peach


"I was delighted to have the chance to photograph one of the recent skills workshops. A really valuable programme. It was really engaging to meet with both locals and others looking to learn new skills. Everyone was very accommodating and the day ran seamlessly. The project aims to not only deliver the capital works but create an archive of the history of Union Chapel and use it as a way to engage with the wider community. I left with a deep appreciation of the wide ranging scope of the church and the organisation which has been supporting the community and the disadvantaged since 1799. If you ever have chance to visit, attend one of their many events or are in need of a space for your own event, I'd highly recommend a closer look." - David Peach, photographer


Through Sunday School Stories, we're opening doors to new audiences, either organically connecting with Union Chapel's diverse audiences and through liaising with the Union Chapel Church Refugee & Asylum Seekers project, Volunteer Action Islington, Public Health-Care & Wellbeing Department- Brent Council, and more.

We've seen participants from a wide variety of communities come together; from retired people and refugee & asylum seekers to architecture students and heritage & DIY lovers, and more from local and beyond Islington.

"The workshop was a truly enriching and engaging experience for all the participants. Everyone not only enjoyed the activity but also expressed genuine excitement and satisfaction by the end of the session. It was wonderful to see how involved and motivated the group became throughout the workshop. Activities like these provide a unique opportunity to combine practical learning with moments of relaxation and connection, which greatly contribute to overall well-being. This workshop was no exception—it created an environment that fostered teamwork, creativity, and a sense of accomplishment among the participants.

I deeply appreciate the opportunity to be part of such a meaningful initiative. Workshops like these are not just about acquiring new skills but also about nurturing mental and emotional health, and it was heartening to witness how positively this session impacted everyone involved. Thank you again for organizing such a fantastic event" - Karla, Community Support Officer, Public Health-Care & Wellbeing Department- Brent Council.

 

GET INVOLVED

In partnership with Fullers Builders Ltd.

Made possible thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Players, and more. Click here for full list of Sunday School Stories supporters.

 

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