The Canvas: Sydenham
vegan cafe +
community hub. March-Sept 2022

Our Vegan Cafe + Community Hub on Sydenham Road traded from March-September 2022 and passionately connected our community through free events and a welcoming space, open to all.

“We’ve loved meeting you all these past 6 months, and what we’ve all created. Thank you for being a part of the magic.

We’re taking some time to regroup, to work out how best to support more communities in the difficult months ahead. Our last day is Saturday 24th September.

A huge thank you and heartfelt goodbye, amazing Sydenham.”

- Ruth Rogers, founder of The Canvas

We’ve answered some obvious questions below, but if you have more - please email me, the founder - ruth@thecanvascafe.org

Why is The Canvas closing?

When we lost access to our beloved Shoreditch space (full story here), we lost vital infrastructure for our Sydenham cafe's business model. We looked at ways to continue and amend the model, which has been our focus for the past few weeks. We haven't been able to find a way forward that means Sydenham's Canvas space can thrive in the way it deserves.

Personally, I’ve really struggled with the events of this year. To push through these challenges whilst continually trading requires positive energy, drive and focus - this is what The Canvas, and The Canvas in Sydenham deserves. Since the devastating situation with our Shoreditch space, I haven't been able to do this; my mental health has suffered greatly, and I've been advised by those closest to me that I need a significant break.

It's very hard, as a founder, to take a break. It feels like you're giving up. But I assure you that this is not how I'm seeing this next step in mine and The Canvas' journey.

When I set up The Canvas, I did so with no business training or experience. I grew my social enterprise whilst learning on the job and the result was a vision built on passion, sweat and tears. Those who've joined me on my journey have all shared the passion, and many have continued working at The Canvas for years, because they've believed in its vision and fallen in love with its magic.

But because of my initial inexperience and naivety, the foundations of The Canvas have never been steady, which has resulted in issues that team members, customers and community members have all experienced.

It's this that I want to change.

This break will be a vital opportunity for me to regroup with key people and assess The Canvas' next steps. I believe in The Canvas' power to rebuild and grow, connecting and supporting more communities; pushing out its roots and opening wide its doors to create thriving community spaces that believe humans are amazing: they just need space to be so.

I can't do that right now. I need this break, before I can rebuild bigger + better.

Will The Canvas reopen, and where?

I absolutely intend The Canvas to reopen, and my hope is that we can return to our beloved original community in Shoreditch and another space South of the river too to continue the magic we started in Sydenham.

What about the funds you raised through the Save Our Seats campaign?

Even though we’d just raised a considerable amount of vital funding from our crowdfunder in June, because our landlord didn’t respond to our payment plan to clear rent arrears built up over Covid, we weren’t able to use any of that to save the Shoreditch site.

Everyone who supported us through Save Our Seats; your support is not gone. It will continue throughout these next steps, as The Canvas forms firmer foundations, forges new partnerships, and starts constructing the path to open doors once again.