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As regular readers of The Wick will no doubt be aware, we purposefully choose to invite a guest editor for every edition of the paper, rather than have the title presented by a single, consistent figurehead.

The idea is that we can better reflect the phenomenally broad range of people who make up this fantastic community that way.

Therefore one edition may be edited by a local student, and the next by…. the CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, as is the case with the autumn 2025 edition.

Shazia Hussain was appointed late last year to oversee the third phase of the legacy development of the QEOP and surrounding areas, following time as Deputy CEO at Waltham Forest Council, assistant CEO at Brent Council and Director of Community Development for Leaside Regeneration.

She’s a proud East Londoner through and through, (as you’d expect with that CV), and her Editor’s letter in the current edition lays out her vision for how the impact of the London 2012 Games should be felt by the people who call this part of London home.

Read Shazia’s full Guest Editor introduction here.

We’re asking local young people to comment on Shazia’s vision for the future of the area from their perspective, for an upcoming feature in the Xmas edition of The Wick.

As a half term exercise, why not ask the younger members of your household to join in and email us their thoughts - simply respond to this email or to [email protected] 

🎥 Another new public artwork on The Line, Dreams Are a Language Made of Images, is a site-specific commission by artist Zineb Sedira, based on a quote from the Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. The work encourages reflection on the interrelationship between dreams and cinema, working in dialogue with its location on the walls of Three Mills Studios, a leading centre for film and TV production, on the banks of the River Lea down at Bow.

👩🏼‍🎨 Artist Isabela Córdoba Torres’ debut show in London, Sensory Activation, offers a compelling exploration of emotion, movement and abstraction through watercolour - a new body of work that blurs the boundaries between visual art and performance, on show at Unlock until 10th Nov.

🎞️ Head to Colour Factory on Thurs 23rd Oct for a special celebration and social, screening five short films each exploring the theme of community and black love as part of the venue’s pioneering Creative Legacy Grant initiative. MakeRoom Presents: Made of Dreams also includes a Q&A with the film-makers and a DJ set to top things off nicely afterwards.

🌑 Innovators in 360-degree audio tech-meets-performance shows, Darkfield uses striking sets, complete darkness, binaural sound and sensory effects to place audience members at the centre of intense, evolving narratives. Their immersive shipping container-based shows are now on in the QEOP for a limited run, until 2nd Nov. . Use the code WICK10 to get a special reader discount on ALL tickets

🌌 The latest free exhibition in the First Floor Galleries of UCL Mashgate is Space Tangle, featuring a series of works by artist, Dr Sarah Fortais, using outer space to change our perspective on waste and materials here on Earth. Open daily to 2nd Nov.

🛋️ The Giant London Flea, the capital’s largest indoor flea market, returns to the QEOP’s multi-storey car park on Sat 25th Oct with over 100 traders bringing vintage home decor and preloved bargains to spruce up your home sustainably.

🖼️ The new show at Felstead Art at The Trampery is Palimpsest, a collection of mixed media collages by artist Anastasia Tribambuka, that act as a record of memory, presence, and absence. ~The art interweaves fragments of personal and collective stories and exploring the shifting patterns between us and the fragile traces that remain. Runs to 6th Dec.

📽️ The New Black Film Collective are at Sugar House Island with a pop-up a screening of Bob Marley: One Love complete with a panel discussion afterwards on Wed 22nd Oct, as part of Newham’s Black History Month season.

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🎃 The Lord Napier is throwing a kids Halloween party (followed by an adult one later in the evening) on Fri 31st Oct, with a garden scavenger hunt, costume competition and loads of bags of treats.

🪕 The String Club are running a half term holiday camp of beginners ukulele workshops leading up to a big concert at Gainsborough Primary School from 27th - 31st Oct. 

👻 Local purveyors of big beats for little feet, Wickidz, celebrate their first anniversary with a big bash at Nico’s Hackney Bridge on Sun 2nd Nov with resident DJ Rob Da Dad being joined by some spooky new friends, terrifying fancy dress, arts and crafts and devilishly good cocktails for the grown-ups.

🥳 The original all-night bender, Trade, lands in Hackney Wick for the first time this Sat 18th Oct, across the rather more sedate hours of 2pm-2am and taking over all the rooms at No.90 to celebrate an epic 35 years in the clubbing game. See our IG Live preview interview with Smokin Jo below.

🍺 The Love & Beer Festival relocates for its third year to Beer Merchants Tap this Fri 17th Oct featuring masses of craft beers and home brews, collabs, food and goodie bags.

🗣️ Live singalong Full Joy Jam is back in Hackney Wick now there’s a brand new home for Akasa just a stone’s throw from the old spot - it’s now at Oslo House. Bring your best voice, instruments and perhaps vegan food for the potluck, this Sun 19th Oct.

👩🏼‍🎓 UAL are offering another chance to unlock your business potential with their next Help to Grow: Management Course - a 12-week leadership programme delivered by entrepreneurs and industry experts at the Fashion Business School, which aims to help participants build resilience, lead with confidence and grow a business strategically and sustainably. The next cohort you can join begins on 29th Oct.

♻️ As part of Circular Economy Week, The Loop  is showcasing some of the businesses based at their hub at a special event on Fri 24th & Sat 25th Oct. Expect workshops, upcycling, repair, textile rescue, exchange and other circular economy principles from the likes of Yodomo, White Weft, Reuser, Studio TIP, Looply BMU, Are You Mad and more.

🆓 To celebrate over a decade at their workspace in Old Street, The Trampery is offering 25 entrepreneurs and creatives a free three month desk space through the Pioneers Pass programme. Apply by 26th Oct.

🗣️ There’s a public consultation about the 901 Remus Road development with two exhibition events coming up at The Heath Studio on Fish Island today Wed 15th & Sat 18th Oct. 

👋🏼 Hackney Wick Arts Club, the local artist and makers space, are currently looking for new members to join their community. Email [email protected] for more info.

☝🏼 The Olympic Park’s inclusive leadership platform, Elevate, is looking for 18-27-year-old residents of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest to join the Elevate Board and play a role in empowering young people across East London to create positive change through lived experience, local influence, and equitable leadership. Apply by 27th Oct.

🖼️ Ahead of the landmark opening of the V&A East Museum early next year, the V&A are looking for a Senior Campaign Delivery Manager to deliver a complex, high profile launch and debut exhibition.

🧵 Caramel Rock, the local charity that transforms the lives of disadvantaged young people through fashion, education, and creativity, is looking for a new Chair to lead the Board of Trustees. Email them with your CV.

We grabbed a few moments with the absolute DJ legend that is Smokin Jo ahead of her set at Trade’s 35th Birthday at No.90 this Saturday for an Instagram Live interview. Excuse the tech faff at the start, but it’s a great insight into her undiminished love for the club and its regulars, living in Hackney Wick years ago and how yoga saved her…