Community Spaces
2inspire Academy CIC is proudly commissioned by Peabody to manage and activate two key community spaces in Thamesmead: Cygnet Square Community Day ( Formerly Cygnet Square Market) and Unity Lounge & Bar. Through these venues we deliver vibrant events, community programmes, pop-ups and family activities. We also provide entrepreneurial opportunities for local traders, as well as training and employment pathways for young people and adults. Each space serves as a welcoming hub designed to strengthen community life, celebrate culture, and support social well-being.
Unity Lounge & Bar
Unity Lounge & Bar is 2inspire Academy CIC’s newest community space, a warm, inclusive venue designed for people to connect, learn, celebrate, and feel at home. Located above Sporting Club Thamesmead on Bayliss Avenue, the lounge combines a relaxed bar, cosy café atmosphere, football hospitality, and flexible community rooms suitable for workshops, community activities, private hire, social events, and cultural gatherings.
More than just a venue, Unity Lounge & Bar was created with the vision of transforming a traditional sports bar environment into a vibrant, community-led hub where local residents, families, young people, organisations, creatives, teams, and supporters can come together through culture, entertainment, wellbeing, and opportunity.
The space proudly serves as the home venue for Sporting Club Thamesmead and Erith Town FC, providing football hospitality for players, coaches, visiting teams, families, and supporters during training sessions and home match days. Match-day experiences include food, drinks, social viewing spaces, and a welcoming environment that strengthens the connection between local sport and the wider community. This connection reinforces the lounge’s role as a true community anchor, bringing together football, culture, and community life under one roof.
From themed nights, karaoke evenings, family movie nights, and cultural celebrations to youth programmes, workshops, warm-space sessions, networking events, and wellbeing activities, Unity Lounge & Bar has become a growing social and cultural hub within Thamesmead. The venue is also available for affordable private hire and collaborative community use, supporting local groups, businesses, entrepreneurs, and organisations with accessible space to host events and activities.
A key part of the lounge’s mission is creating opportunities for local young people through 2inspire Academy CIC’s Upskill the Youth programme. Young people are supported to gain hands-on experience in hospitality, events, customer service, media, and community engagement within a real working environment, helping to build confidence, skills, and pathways into employment. Alongside Cygnet Square Community Day, the lounge plays an important role in 2inspire Academy’s wider commitment to empowering communities and creating inclusive opportunities for growth and connection.
Whether you are joining us for an event, hiring the venue, attending a workshop, watching a match, or simply stopping by for a drink or meal, Unity Lounge & Bar offers a welcoming environment where everyone is encouraged to participate, contribute, and belong.
Cygnet Square Community Day
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A monthly celebration of culture, community, and connection.
Formerly known as Cygnet Square Market, Cygnet Square Community Day is 2inspire Academy CIC’s reimagined monthly event that brings families, residents, businesses, and visitors together in the heart of Thamesmead. Set against the backdrop of Southmere Lake and The Nest Community Building, the event combines indoor and outdoor experiences that celebrate the creativity, diversity, and spirit of the local community.Taking place on the first Saturday of each month, the Community Day features a lively outdoor food court, family-friendly entertainment, cultural activities, workshops, performances, and community showcases, alongside an indoor marketplace hosting local traders, artists, makers, and small businesses.The evolution from “market” to “community day” reflects the project’s growth into a broader and more inclusive community experience shaped by feedback from residents, traders, and visitors. As the event developed, there was a growing need to create stronger engagement for families and local residents through interactive activities, entertainment, and cultural programming, transforming the space into more than just a place to shop.The project has also adapted to practical challenges, including outdoor trading conditions caused by the wind tunnel effect within the square, which highlighted the importance of improving infrastructure, weatherproofing, and indoor community use.Today, Cygnet Square Community Day continues to grow as a welcoming and vibrant platform for community connection, local enterprise, cultural expression, and youth opportunity. Through the Upskill the Youth programme, young people are also supported to gain hands-on experience in event coordination, hospitality, media, customer service, and community engagement within a live community setting.Cygnet Square Community Day reflects 2inspire Academy’s commitment to activating local spaces, supporting small businesses, celebrating culture, and creating meaningful opportunities for the community to connect, participate, and thrive together.
