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Community writing labs

Start your child’s very own writing adventure and build their skills for life

Free after-school writing labs

We make writing exciting

At Ministry of Stories, we believe the best way for young people to gather skills and realise their potential is by discovering the power of their ideas and imagination.

Our free after-school writing labs are for children aged between 6-15 from our east London community.  They are run in our dedicated writing centre – a fun, safe, and creative place hidden behind our own fantastical shop Hoxton Street Monster Supplies.

Interested in your child joining? Please check out our eligibility requirements at the bottom of this page.

See if your child can join!

How OUR PROGRAMMES Work

Helping young writers grow

We run welcoming and open-access programmes and encourage young people from all backgrounds and experiences to get involved. We have a fully accessible building and do our best to be flexible and responsive to your child’s needs.

We are proud to support young people’s imaginations to take the lead and offer them the chance to get excited about all forms of writing, from poetry and podcasts, to screenplays and songwriting. Attending weekly sessions will help your child improve their literacy, build confidence and self-esteem, make friends and have fun!

Ministry of Stories is also proud to announce that we secured the London Youth Bronze Quality Mark Award for 2022 to 2025. This is a badge of excellence awarded for the provision of well-run, safe services for young people.

Our secret

Inspirational mentors

All our programmes are designed and delivered by professional writers and educators. Young people are given individual support by our team of specially trained volunteer mentors.

They help children develop language and communication skills, giving them greater confidence – in education and in life. All our volunteers are DBS checked and trained in safeguarding procedures. Your children are in safe hands.

More on our method

Imaginations welcome here

All of our community writing labs take place at our Hoxton Street writing centre. See if your child is eligible, choose a day, and get in touch using the ‘Check if your child can join’ button below!

Who’s eligible to attend?

Due to high demand in our busy neighbourhood, we have to keep our offer very local. We can only offer places subject to availability.

For our 11 – 15 year old group, members must attend secondary school or live in Hackney, Islington or Tower Hamlets.

For our 6-8 and 8-12 year old groups, the child must either live within 500m of our writing centre (see on a map), or attend one of the following schools:

Days and Times

  • Tuesday — 15:45 – 17:00 (ages 6-8)
  • Wednesday — 15:45 – 17:15 (ages 8-12)
  • Thursday — 15:45 – 17:15 (ages 8-12)
  • Saturday — 11:00 – 12:30 (ages 8-12)
  • Saturday — 14.30 – 16.00 (ages 11-15)  Members must attend secondary school and live in either Hackney, Islington or Tower Hamlets

Want your child to start their writing adventure?

Check if your child can join!


community writing projects