It may sound weird that someone spends their time in a car park, but not if it’s this one in Peckham. In fact, there is lots to do in this five-storey redeveloped site, from having a drink with friends to wandering the DIY market.
Peckham Levels is a recreation centre with a difference. It’s in a car park and it’s meant primarily for young people.
“You may be surprised how many teens and young adults live in Peckham. So I ask myself, why not give them a place where they can hang out or learn new stuff?” says Shannon Santangelo, general manager of Peckham Levels.
“After all, the youth is our future generation in society. They matter,” she added, listing the centre’s offerings: a bar, a food hall, a private karaoke room, TV broadcasting live sport, and more. “I dare to say our centre is the best place for the youth to experience leisure, music and parties,” Santangelo jokes.
The centre organises a range of activities, including night-time jazz sessions, performances and art exhibitions. One of its most popular events for teens is the Open Deck DJ Session, Tempo LDN. Partly educational, it has an invited community of musicians and DJs to teach young people how to cue up and combine hip-hop music.
“Oh, I love scribbling and juggling with my friends here,” says one of Tempo LDN’s participants Hailey Baker.
She added “I’ve always wanted to learn DJ-ing but it’s hard to find one here. While I nearly want to give up, I just found out that there are sessions provided in Peckham Levels, which is absolutely amazing.”
The classes, said Baker, are inspirational. “Peckham Levels acts as a platform and an opportunity to push me step out of my comfort zone. I used to be an introvert, but now I have met someone from the group who shares the same interest with me.”
Her friend, Matilda Smith, also shared the same view: “In Peckham, we don’t really have much to do around here. Thanks to Peckham Level, we now have a few more nice leisure activity choices. These lessons are meaningful and what’s best is, they are free and fun!” Smith laughed. She also mentioned she met a few new friends and she looks forward to the sessions every week.
Baker falls in the core category served by Peckham Levels, says Santangelo. “Our main target audience is teens. Hence we don’t really charge much for our event. Some of our activities do require a ticket, but we make sure the price is affordable. We don’t want them to carry any heavy financial burden when connecting with their hometown.”
Apart from providing workshops for youngsters, Peckham Levels also tries to support small local businesses. It regularly organises DIY markets, where sellers are welcome to introduce their products to the public.
“Since 2017, we have built a home for creatives, local entrepreneurs and the people of Peckham,” says Santangelo. “Small business products, especially those handicrafts, are actually quite awesome, if not better than those manufactured by chain stores. It would be a pity if they cannot get in the spotlight they deserve just because the shopkeepers don’t have enough resources. Peckham Levels would be more than happy to give them an opportunity to shine.”
Behô Studio, which sells hand carved crystals, is one of the small businesses that rents space from Peckham Levels. Designer Vanessa Provin says she is grateful for the opportunity. “Running a DIY business is never easy. The rent on the street is sky high and it’s hard to attract customers as well. Working with Peckham Levels helps us to a certain extent. For example, we are able to reach more customers thanks to their network.”
“We love Peckham and we really hope we can shape the community now, as well as our future generation,” says Santangelo.
