This February, Barking Riverside hosted two social events at The Wilds that showcased the community’s drive to come together. The ‘Low Carbon Chinatown Supper Club’, and an after-work drinks concept led by our Residents Events Panel, welcomed residents for two evenings of food, drink, and entertainment. Both proved extremely popular, with residents engaging with new neighbours in a relaxed environment.

The ‘Low Carbon Chinatown Supper Club’ was a celebration of Chinese New Year with an environmental angle. Barking Riverside Ltd (BRL) partnered with designer and artist, Ling Tan, to combine both an educational workshop and an evening meal. The aim was for diners to experience Chinese food with a low-carbon focus, whilst being in the company of their fellow neighbours.
The 30-minute workshop taught guests about the data science behind the Supper Club’s low-carbon dishes and offered an opportunity for everyone to get involved in the food-making process.

The Supper Club first took place in Soho’s Chinatown last year before heading to Barking Riverside. Ling Tan now hopes to roll out the project into a touring model. She said: “Barking Riverside was the first stop on our tour as an indoor dining experience: it was a pleasure to provide an exclusive first look to Barking Riverside’s residents.”

The event raised over £400 for Sustainable Food Trust, a charity that works to accelerate the transition to more sustainable, low carbon food and farming systems.

An after-work drinks event was led by the residents through our Resident Events Panel. Resident volunteers work in partnership with BRL to decide a yearly programme of resident-led events, whilst continuously receiving support and training from BRL.

The idea for the event was to provide an informal space for relaxed after-work drinks, but with some additional ‘twists’ to ensure that new residents could feel welcomed into the community. Beginning with an ice breaker styled game of bingo, this set the tone for a fun and welcoming evening.

Nadhir Choudhury, a member of the Resident Event Panel, said, “The night was a huge success! It was great to see new neighbours socialising with each other over drinks and pizza. The "Get To Know Your Neighbour" bingo game and the foosball table was also a nice addition to the evening.”

In addition to the ice-breaker games and the pop-up bar, residents were also able to enjoy wood fired Italian pizza and live music from local DJ The King’s Decree, as well as a magician providing entertainment.

Over 70 local people attended the after-work drinks night, and the event generated over £800, which will be re-invested into the Residents Events Panel to fund future events.

The 2023/2024 calendar of events at Barking Riverside will soon be published on the ‘What’s On’ page.