A church which has put the fight against gang crime at its heart is turning its crypt into a safe haven for teenagers at risk of violence.
St Peter’s in Bethnal Green wants to build a sound studio in the basement of its building for young people from nearby estates in a bid to save them from being recruited by gangs.
The church is now trying to raise more than £2million to transform its crypt into a “community enterprise centre”.
It will be divided into four areas, one dedicated to a recording studio for local teenagers. Children from nearby estates would be able to record their own music there and be trained in sound engineering.
Rob Quail, development manager at the church, said: “We are in a very urban area with a lot of estates, and many youths are not being occupied. We are very near Hackney Road which is a major gang boundary.
“The sound studio is about providing alternative opportunities, something long-term and transformational.”
As well as being able to record their own music, youngsters would be encouraged to use the studio to create an oral history of the area by interviewing pensioners about life in the East End during the Second World War.
The church has asked the Heritage Lottery Fund for help with the crypt project, and is fundraising by selling a light-hearted calendar showing men from St Peter’s in various poses.
