News and Events

Meet Izaak Fox, gym enthusiast and personal trainer based out of Energie Fitness Bethnal Green. We recently caught up with Izaak as part of our growing series of ‘Bethnal Greeners’ conversations exploring the who’s who of Bethnal Green.

Your History

Hey, so I’m born and bred in North London, I was never really a sporty child like most boys. I preferred superheroes, drawing and drama. My friends kind of forced me into football but I only really got into it when I was about around 11 and am now a massive Arsenal fan as a result. I was always skinny growing up, at 13 I went to a youth gym and slowly fell in love with working out. Quite quickly my arms got a little bigger, seeing such results got me immediately hooked. In the coming months I found myself doing all I could to get bigger; learning off of my peers about exercise, and doing my own education regarding fitness at home during my spare time. After a year, my gym offered to take me on as a volunteer gym instructor. I had such a great experience here, helping out with maintenance, running classes, and got a free gym membership in return. The instructors themselves taught me more and more each day, and I found myself bringing it all together. I later stopped volunteering at the gym to focus on my exams for school, but always knew it was something I really wanted to do and get back into.

Your Business

In order to get me started as a health and fitness trainer I attended a six week full time personal training course and then went on to mobile personal training around London. That was during my first year, it was in my second year that I found myself working in Energie Fitness Bethnal Green as a personal trainer. I currently specialise in a lot of areas of personal training, such as fat loss, weight gain, strength training, kettlebells, and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I like to be an all-rounded PT to be able help every type of client for all their fitness needs and specific goals.

Your passion for the area

What I really like about Bethnal Green is the diversity of people that I get to meet and often work with. The history of the area is a real draw for many people and it’s not hard to imagine why. When I step out of the gym even, there’s just so much on offer in terms of green space, shops, cafés and places to eat and drink.

Your Offers

I offer all members a free complementary PT session to kick start their fitness journey, just get in touch. My aim is to make exercise fun and something that doesn’t feel like a chore through having a friendly personal trainer who keeps you motivated, and laughing.

Your future

I intend to grow as a personal training professional, learning the best ways to help my clients reach their fitness goals. I hope to one day become a general manager for a gym and even create a gym of my own.

If you’re interested in getting in touch with Izaak you can contact him on his mobile: +447543807144 and work email izaak.fox@energiefitness.com

V&A Museum of Childhood + Breakfast + Networking = Good Times

We are really pleased to announce that our latest breakfast will be hosted by the iconic V&A Museum of Childhood located on Cambridge Heath Road. Our networking breakfasts are always an awesome opportunity to meet fellow Bethnal Green businesses, organisations and people whilst enjoying a hot drink and a good ole’ pastry at the same time. The atmosphere is relaxed so don’t worry if its your first time attending; we’re a welcoming bunch!

It’s also really great to be hosted by the museum as it is going through a really cool transformation process which will see its collections double in size! Whilst providing an amazing backdrop for children and their families to explore.

More detail to follow on guest speakers, and on next steps for LoveBethnalGreen. Tickets for the event can be found here.

We’re looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday 19th March!

At Love Bethnal Green we’re always delighted to bring you a unique insight into all the fascinating businesses and organisations operating from within Bethnal Green.  So as part of our growing series of ‘Bethnal Greeners’ conversations we had the real pleasure of speaking to Belinda Leung; the face behind Woolidando. Woolidando is actually a tripartite delight nestled in the heart of Bethnal Green Road! Acting as a café, plant shop and gallery space all-in-one. An interesting setup to say the least, read on to find out more!

Your history

Woolidando is a café, plant shop and gallery space all wrapped into one! The idea is something I had been planning for a number of years and after the perfect space came onto the market, the dream finally became a reality in 2018. I am a concept artist and illustrator in the film and gaming industry having worked on major films and for companies like Nintendo and SEGA. I wanted to have a gallery space in the cafe as a way to showcase the art of my peers in the entertainment industries, who are all accomplished artists in their own right, and provide them with a platform to exhibit their personal work. We once held a silent charity art auction which raised £1500 over a weekend. The money went to the World Land Trust in an effort to protect a strip of rainforest in Belize. Our next charity art auction will be in support of Cancer Research, showcasing life drawings from artists in the entertainment industries and a number of local artists.

Your business

Our focus is on community and sustainability, we want everyone to feel welcome in our shop and we do our best to ensure that everything is ethically sourced and traceable. Our goal is to change the high street and provide a green space in Bethnal Green whilst raising awareness of environmental issues in the UK and across the globe. We are constantly making improvements to become as low-waste and zero-plastic as possible.

Your offers

We are a café and a plant shop! Our coffee comes from Ozone Coffee Roasters in Old Street and we have an extensive range of fine loose leaf teas- some of which possess fantastic medicinal qualities.  We have a daily changing menu of vegan friendly soups from across the globe, including congee and harira. We also serve a delectable range of sourdough toasties that combine international flavours – the ‘K-pop’ is a must-try! Our organic pastries are delivered fresh everyday and our sourdough bread is from a local bakery just down the road. We sell succulents, cacti and tropical foliage plants, and we also source rare indoor plants for the serious plant collectors. To compliment the plants, we also stock a wide range of plant pots and hand-crafted ceramics made in East London alongside a cards, gifts and accessories for nature lovers.

Your passion for the area

There is nowhere in London that has as much energy as Bethnal Green! We have so much love for the diverse community here and we meet different people from all walks of life every day. Many of our customers are local artists, screenwriters and actors that make up part of Bethnal Greens incredibly creative community, and many of our other customers make the trip down for lunch from the financial district in Liverpool Street. Bethnal Green is also home to many young families too and it’s great to see young people growing up in the area and enjoying all the plants in our shop. The weekend also brings Brick Lane Market and Columbia Road Flower market, which brings great footfall to the area. As an owner, I am particularly appreciative of our neighbouring businesses. They have been incredibly welcoming and we all make an effort to look out for each other.

Your future

We don’t want to expand too quickly and hope to make more of an impact locally before branching out. We plan to propose a Sunday food and farmers market on Barnet Grove to bring better food to the area and encourage people to eat more healthily and sustainably. And as a long term mission, we’d like to help with the issue of youth disengagement and drug problems in this part of the borough, which unfortunately feels commonplace.

Got your attention! Woolidando is located on 253 Bethnal Green Road, so what are you waiting for?! Go and show them some love.

As we kiss goodbye to Fool’s Spring, and welcome back Second Winter, the LoveBethnalGreen team is in reflective mood. The seasons have never been so confusing, sun burn at the weekend and soaked thru and freezing by mid week? You what, mate? There are certainly uncertain times ahead, so check the weather, use your layers wisely, and get out and about to enjoy some of these wonderful Bethnal Green based offerings in March..

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The Sodo Scribble

Sunday 3rd March, 2pm-6pm

The Sodo Scribble takes place on Sunday 3rd March at their spot behind Cambridge Heath Road. This interactive session will be hosted by Ryan Gillett and visual poet, Gommie.

Their pizza is superb and they’re lovely folk – so get along with the kids and get scribbling in E2!

Sodo Pizza, Poyser Street, E2 9RF

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Bethnal Green Tube Disaster Annual Memorial Service 

Sunday 3rd March, 2pm

The team behind the memorial to Bethnal Green’s tube disaster arrange their annual service, commemorating the tragedy that took place some 76 years ago. In an ever-shifting area and with life sometimes feeling like it moves at 100 miles per hour, this Sunday memorial provides a valuable opportunity to sit still and think, remembering how fortunate we are to live in a relatively peaceful part of the world. Let’s all work hard to keep it that way. There will be an exhibition about the disaster to absorb after the service, and teas and coffees will be on sale.

St. John on Bethnal Green, next to Bethnal Green Tube Station

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Dorothy Bohm at V&A Museum of Childhood

Until May 5th

Dorothy Bohm has been taking photographs for over 70 years, ever since her father gave her a camera as she fled Nazi Germany as a child. She has had it with her ever since, photographing little happenings across the globe.

She has gone on to co-found the Photographer’s Gallery, London, become a Tate Artist, and have her work acquired by the V&A.

This display explores the universal qualities of childhood. Despite her photography covering so many decades and so many different cultures and countries, what connects us all through the experience of childhood shines through in Dorothy’s intimate work.

Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA

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Sounding Bethnal Green

Friday 1st & Friday 15th March 2019, 6:45pm – 9pm

As much a social as a cultural event, Sounding Bethnal Green is a series of informal evenings combining performance, interview, discussion and practical workshop. Led by professional artists from all parts of the world who have settled in east London, they will highlight the remarkable demographic of the area, its history and the music flourishing locally. Come along and listen, join in, contribute, and of course, meet your neighbours!

1st > Focusing on music and musicians from Bangladesh and Southern India, led by internationally-celebrated tabla player Yousuf Ali Khan.

15th > Focusing on the music of Somalia with Mohamed Maalo Nuur.

St John on Bethnal Green, next to Bethnal Green Tube Station

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LoveBethnalGreen Networking Breakfast

Tuesday 19th March, 08:30 – 10am

We continue our breakfast series, this time in partnership with V&A Museum of Childhood, who will kindly host us in their main space. Come along to meet businesses, organisations and individuals working in Bethnal Green. There will be pastries. There will be hot drinks. There will be good people all over the place.

Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA