The work and support provided by The Engine Room in Tottenham Hale is invaluable to the community, which is why they’re one of our #LocalHeroes.
The Engine Room is a church, community centre, café, nursery and hub of support for both the Ferry Lane and Tottenham Hale estates.
We love volunteering our time to help the team with the variety of events and activities The Engine Room puts on and have recently been delighted to hear the team have welcomed Natalie from Korea who is working alongside them until next summer. We caught up with her to find out a little more about her background, and reasons for dedicating her time to The Engine Room.
Can you tell us how you came to be a volunteer at The Engine Room?
I’m currently a university student, during my studies I was looking for a chance to volunteer in another country. I wanted to broaden my perspective and develop new talents and abilities. The pastor in my church recommended a charitable organisation called Time for God through which I could access volunteering opportunities with Christian organisations in the UK. Time for God provide volunteering opportunities by working in partnership with churches and Christian organisations from all the different Christian traditions across the world and with other European and International Voluntary Service Organisations.
What is your day to day role at The Engine Room?
My role is helping The Engine Room’s Operations Manager AJ with bookings, administration and marketing projects. I also help with community activities like the weekly Messy Play and Art Workshops and take part in the church life at St Francis at The Engine Room.
What are you enjoying most about it?
I enjoy both helping with the bookings, administration and management as well as the varied community activities. I get to communicate with many different people across a wide range of ages from many different backgrounds. I love how multi-cultural Tottenham is!
I’ve also got to know some of the wonderful stories from families and from the organisations we work with. By meeting so many different people I can use and practice my English, get used to lots of different accents and get to know lots of new English words such as “queue”; I queued for five hours to see Ariana Grande recently!
I am getting to know more and more about life in the UK and continuously practice my English language skills which will be really useful for my future life.
What are you enjoying about living in Tottenham?
I feel very excited to live in Tottenham, I love the environment and facilities of Hale Village where I live and work. Hale Village is very tidy, safe and a super convenient place for me to live. I also love the modern architecture and the proximity to the River Lee. It’s also been really interesting to see Anthology’s Hale Works rise from the ground!
Along with many Korean people, I am a big fan of Tottenham Hotspur and I am looking forward to seeing a home match soon in the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with super Spurs fan AJ! I can’t wait to see Son Heun Min (Sony) in action.
I really enjoy a Sunday roast and beer and I was very much looking forward to it before I came here and it just as I thought it would be; amazing! I’m looking forward to experiencing other delicious foods. My Dad runs a restaurant in Seoul, so I love my food and trying new foods.
What are your future plans?
As I feel God guided me to be here, I plan to learn as much as possible and ensure that I benefit as much as possible from my volunteer experience at The Engine Room and hopefully give something back.
I would like to pursue a career in cosmetics in the future, I want to be a part of a European cosmetic brand so if anyone has any contacts please contact me at The Engine Room! I’m sure my experience here and living in the UK will be helpful in making my dreams come true!
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If you dream of living in a close-knit community, then discover our Hale Works development. Make sure you get in touch with one of our Anthologists today by calling 020 7760 1583 or emailing haleworks@anthology.london