This month’s Community Spotlight features one of the wonderful hosts of the Walworth Living Room, Luis! Our hosts play an important role in creating a welcoming and inviting environment for the neighbourhood to enjoy. Whether he’s catching up with visitors over brunch, or showing off his skills over a game of chess, Luis is keen to get stuck in and make the Living Room a place where everyone feels at home.

When and how did you get to know about Pembroke House?

I would see the Living room every time I dropped off my sister at her primary school, but at the time the space was closed. So when I saw the job post for the Host it was already familiar, and it was a chance to learn more about Pembroke House. I’m very glad that I’m now meeting a lot of people, and working at the Living Room has been a great experience so far. I can’t wait to see what new activities and what new people I can meet in the future.

What made you curious about the Living Room?

I was eager to get to know the community. I live in Old Kent Road and sometimes feel that though you see a lot of people that you might know on the street, you never end up connecting or having a conversation with them. But since working at the Living Room and meeting new people, I’ve felt a difference. 

When you say my community what does that mean to you?

I associate my community with the places I usually go to, such as the Living Room, Surrey Square School, and the restaurants on Old Kent Road which are very welcoming and have great food. Some of my favourites are El Socavon and Salteñas Martins. Surrey Square park is also a place I used to spend a lot of time during the summer. I’d go there with my sister and get to know parents from her school, but at the moment it’s not well looked after. 

What defines a community? What makes a community strong and thriving?

How well the people get along with each other, and how we support each other – I think that already happens pretty well in Walworth. It’s really inclusive, with people from different backgrounds that get along. There are also a lot of services and you don’t have to be British to use them. It’s a very open minded area, and everyone is welcome here. 

What do you want to bring into the role as a host?

I’m looking forward to making the Living room more known to the Spanish community and to try to bring even more people to the space than the regulars. Success for me is to have as many people to come and join us for activities. For example we’ve already been door knocking in the neighbourhood, and that’s been a great way to meet new people, especially those that haven’t heard about us. I try to be myself, get to know them and try to be real and authentic. 

Is there an element of your role you enjoy the most?

I love taking part in the activities. There are different things happening every week, so it never gets boring and I’m always looking forward to what’s coming up next. For example, tomorrow we have social chess, and I’m really excited about that! I also enjoy the community brunch and getting to know people over snacks.

Is there someone in Walworth who you’d like to see in our next Community Spotlight ? If so, please get in touch with our copywriter, Nikita Quarshie.