Kingsley Hall relied on fundraising to provide services for local people. The dedication of the members of Kingsley Hall made fundraising events a great success, but with changes to the community, and different requirements of local people, fundraising strategies have had to change.

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

“I used to go down there at eight o’clock in the morning, and I didn’t expect to come home until one o’clock

in the morning. In fact, Mr Russell used to call it Dennis’ Day! We’d prepare it all morning, and we’d open it at two

o’clock, and then we’d have the stalls going until about half past four. We’d pack up, I’d stay down there and have a shower. Then at half past seven we’d start a social in the evening. That would go on until about ten o’clock, and

then we used to have to sweep up all the hall and clean it up, to arrange it for the service for the Sunday.

And then we’d sit down, have a cup of tea, and talk.” Dennis Riley

​

​

​

​

 

​

With changes to both Dagenham and the many different groups that use facilities at Kingsley Hall, the community centre has undergone changes in recent years. It can often be hard to unite newly arriving people into a single community, and Kingsley Hall provides an important service in helping to achieve this, much as it did when it first came to Becontree.

​

 “It was an oasis in a dysfunctional area. It draws you in, and, I don’t know why you feel this draw for Kingsley Hall,

but you become possessive about it, and you don’t like other people coming in and messing about with it.”

Carol Lucas

​

“I sat on a board meeting, and, without exaggeration, everybody else around the table had probably known

each other for fifty years… It’s certainly not easy to change if somebody just comes in and says, ‘Well I think you

should be doing that.’ And forgetting that people have been there for years, and working very hard.”

Jem Trehern

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​