• Free creative, hands-on workshops for 12–17-year-olds who live or study in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest 

• Delivered across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s East Bank cultural quarter 

• Partners include BBC Music Studios, Sadler's Wells East, UAL's London College of Fashion, UCL, V&A East and ABBA Voyage 

Hundreds of young people across east London are gearing up to attend East Summer School’s creative skills programme at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, taking place from Monday 27 July until Friday 07 August. The free initiative brings world-leading institutions together with grassroots creative, cultural and educational organisations to provide engaging experiences that inspire, empower and ignite curiosity. East Summer School is a collaborative programme led by London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). Delivered across East Bank institutions and other partner organisations at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the 2026 programme is supported by the East End Community Foundation. 

Partners include BBC Music Studios, Sadler's Wells East, UAL's London College of Fashion, UCL, V&A East, ABBA Voyage, East London Dance, Skate Cabal, Class Of Your Own and X7eaven. Each will support participants to develop sought after creative skills that apply to industries spanning fashion, broadcasting, performance, design, innovation and more. 

The programme is open to young people aged 12–17 who live or study in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest. They will get a chance to attend hands-on workshops that explore fashion design and storytelling; documentary-making and urban design; visual and fine art; and dance and performance. Programme examples include designing flood-resilient neighbourhood maps at UCL, inclusive dance classes at Sadler’s Wells East, discovering the history of fashion through archives at UAL's London College of Fashion, creating content for BBC’s Asian Network, curating artistic displays at V&A East Museum & Storehouse, and going backstage at ABBA Voyage to learn about lighting, audio and production. 

East Summer School is a programme within East Ed, an LLDC initiative that connects schools, educators and young people with East Bank partners, universities, employers, and creative organisations on and around the Park. It builds on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s Inclusive Talent programme, providing pathways into the creative industries and strengthening one of the capital’s key growth sectors through the emerging talent shaping east London's future. 

Shazia Hussain, CEO at London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “We can’t wait to welcome the next cohort of East Summer School participants to the Park this week as we continue to leverage our assets and partnerships to open up more opportunities within the creative industries.  

Skills for the future are developing at pace so we want to make sure children and young people from east London don’t miss out, and that Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park institutions can help prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. Creating opportunities and raising ambitions are central to the programme and are a brilliant example of the work we’re doing to accelerate inclusive growth for east Londoners through free, hands-on opportunities for young people across the four Growth Boroughs.” 

Tracey Walsh, Chief Executive of East End Community Foundation (EECF), said: "EECF is delighted to support this initiative for the second year running, empowering the next generation of local talent. Our £50,000 contribution towards the East Summer School forms part of our wider investment in holiday provision across Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham. East Summer School enables young people across east London to access world-class creative skills, free of charge. We cannot wait to see these young creatives thrive as they dive into inspiring workshops covering fashion, film, and urban design to fine art and dance."  

Tamsin Ace, Director of East Bank, said: “East Summer School provides a perfect opportunity – both for young people to gain hands-on career insights into the creative industries, and for East Bank’s partner institutions to continue its longstanding work with LLDC to forge and strengthen their connections with local talent. By coming together to provide immersive, practical and inspiring experiences for this emerging creative generation, I hope we can help young people imagine themselves in creative careers in these institutions, and offer them a stepping stone towards that future." 

More than 300 young people attended 24 East Summer School workshops in 2025. This year participants will be able to choose one activity per week between Monday 27 July and Friday 7 August. 

The programme will culminate in a showcase event at the ArcelorMittal Orbit where participants will get to display or perform what they have created. It will be a chance for parents, carers and wider stakeholders to witness East Summer School’s impact, hear from the participants and meet representatives from Park institutions.  

Find out more about East Summer School here.  

-ENDS- 

Notes to Editors 

Press images can be downloaded here.   

For more information, hi-res images and interview requests please contact: press@queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk  

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park  

Spread across 560 acres, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a dynamic east London destination featuring landscaped gardens, historic waterways, iconic sporting venues, a diverse range of food and drink offerings, cultural and educational institutions, an arts and events programme, and world-class sport and entertainment at London Stadium, ABBA Voyage, and the ArcelorMittal Orbit visitor attraction, among others.   

As one of the capital’s three innovation districts, it is a vibrant hub that blends visitor experiences with opportunities to live, work, learn, innovate and engage with knowledge, culture and technology. The Park is home to East Bank, the UK’s newest culture and education quarter, bringing together world-class cultural and educational institutions including Sadler’s Wells East, BBC Music Studios, V&A East Storehouse and V&A East Museum, UAL’s London College of Fashion and UCL East.  

London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), responsible for the development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, leads sustainable regeneration to maximise the legacy of the 2012 Games.  LLDC is committed to fostering inclusive growth and creating thriving, sustainable neighbourhoods that provide opportunities for lasting economic and social benefits for local communities and beyond.  

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About East Bank 

East Bank is the UK’s newest culture and education quarter at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It’s the place where everything happens – entertainment, inspiration and discovery – and it is open to everyone who visits, lives and works in east London. East Bank is a unique collaboration between cultural institutions, world-leading universities and the people of the four neighbouring Growth Boroughs (Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest).  

 
East Bank is made up of five partner institutions: BBC Music Studios; London College of Fashion, UAL; Sadler’s Wells East; UCL East campus and V&A East Museum and Storehouse. It is the largest ever cultural investment by the Mayor of London, and marks a commitment to long-term, world-class culture and education in east London.  

East Bank provides skills and jobs for local people, brings more than 10,000 students to the site, and attracts thousands of visitors from London and beyond. East Bank will help cement the capital’s reputation as a world leader in culture, education and innovation, creating 2,500 jobs and £1.5 billion of economic benefit. More information on East Bank can be found here.  

About East End Community Foundation 

The East End Community Foundation is a grant-maker and philanthropy advisor dedicated to improving lives in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and the City of London. The Foundation builds partnerships and invests in communities to make lasting change so local residents can access the wealth of opportunities that surround them.  With more than 35 years' experience of grant-making, the foundation offers advice to corporates and individual high earners on where to target their donation, to make the biggest impact. 

www.eastendcf.org/