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Festive film fun for Newham residents at UCL East
19 December 2022
UCL helped to round off Newham’s Big Christmas Lunch Week by inviting older residents to a festive film screening and refreshments at One Pool Street on its new UCL East campus.
Guests enjoyed the 1946 Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart and directed by Frank Capra, in the cinema of UCL’s newly opened One Pool Street building on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The screening was part of Newham’s ‘Big Christmas Lunch’ week, supported by local charity Eden Project Communities, which encourages voluntary groups, business partners and others to host a Christmas lunch, especially for those who may not be able to celebrate this year.
Ahead of the film, guests got into the festive spirit together over lunch and a chance to see and hear more about the university’s new UCL East campus, which is opening up as part of the East Bank development.
Degrees and research programmes on the new campus have been designed to support collaboration of all kinds with local communities. Both One Pool Street, which is next to the Aquatics Centre, and UCL’s Marshgate building opposite and due to be completed in 2023, are open to the public.
The cinema, which doubles as a lecture theatre, is one of a range of facilities that will host activities and events for everyone living in Newham and the surrounding boroughs to enjoy.
UCL East Partnerships Manager, Simon Magness said:
'UCL’s schools programme and research and volunteering initiatives have been running in and around Newham for well over a decade. Having a campus here on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park means that we can now build even stronger links with our local communities. Programming events and opening up our facilities to the public is part of that.
“As a new neighbour, Newham’s ‘Big Christmas Lunch’ offered the perfect opportunity to welcome people to enjoy our cinema space and an afternoon of festive fun. Once our new campus becomes fully established, with the opening of our Marshgate building in September next year, we look forward to many more opportunities to create activities and events and share our spaces with a wide range of partners in east London.”
The event, which took place on Saturdary 17 December, ended with a chance for guests and UCL staff to chat over mince pies and mulled wine.