Paint the Change worked with the Linc Centre, a youth hub near Devons Road in Bow, to learn about amazing local people. We wanted to give local heroes the attention they deserve by commissioning portraits of them as murals on the Linc Centre walls.

Linc Centre’s “Local Heroes”

Young people put forward their resounding choice of Aaron Williams who has done so much for the Spotlight youth clubs in Tower Hamlets.

Aaron Williams – a.k.a “Bigman Scope” – is an MC, producer, writer, video director and Hype Man to Dizzee Rascal. He is a Creative Youth Worker focussed on Creative Development with Spotlight. Touring around the world exposed him to many different cultures, sounds and styles, giving him the desire to share his experiences by giving back to the community he grew up in.

He was also a member of Linc Centre as a young person, where he first got hooked on making music. Using the music facilities at the Linc allowed him to express himself openly, develop skills as an MC and build lasting relationships. “My main aim is to expose our young people to many different art forms and to show them a world outside their immediate environment. Having that space to create, have fun and express myself freely was everything to me.”

Poplar Housing Association, which runs the Linc Centre, selected the indefatigable Heather Peirce who sadly passed away in 2018. Her family, friends and colleagues have been passionate about sharing her legacy with the community so that she can continue to be an inspiration to others; they shared the below bio with Paint the Change.

Heather Peirce, who lived in Gayton House and was affectionately known as 'Lady Gayton', was well known and beloved amongst the Linc community. She got involved in community activities and was a very important and pro-active member of the Lincoln resident’s board. She said herself she joined the board to “keep Poplar Harca on their toes” and did just that.

Heather’s particular passion was fighting the anti-social behaviour in the area and saving Chiltern Green from being redeveloped - this lovely community green space and children's play area is still being enjoyed by local families today.

Heather Peirce was many things. A loving, warm, fun, supportive mum, grandmother, great grandmother and step grandmother; a wonderful friend and kind and conscientious neighbour; a feisty, skilful nurse heading up the radiotherapy department at Royal London Hospital and a keen traveller, seamstress, music-lover and theatregoer.

We love that through her presence on the outside of our building she will now look over us and push us forward to do more for our local residents. We hope that her image and story will inspire our locals to get more involved in their local community. Heather Peirce is an example of how much good one person can do for the area they live in and the people they live alongside.

Senie Emmanuel is a former Linc Centre youth coordinator, current schoolteacher and football coach at Mindset Development FC. As well as developing footballers aged 3-15 years old, Mindset also offers career and employment advice for local youth.

Recognising the role of youth workers in his own growth as a Tower Hamlets teen, Senie wanted to offer the next generation the same support and advice he had received at a young age. "Youth work gave me the chance to help develop, assist, nurture, and push young people into something that they want to do in life, and just give them different experiences that they may never have".

Linc owes part of its success to Senie for having brought decks to the centre in its first year of running back in 1998, which encouraged many local teens to hold music events and jam sessions for the community – Dizzee Rascal being one of the first members of the centre!

Helal Ahmed is originally from Bangladesh but has spent the majority of his lifetime in Bow, Tower Hamlets. Having grown up in the neighbourhood, he dedicated his life’s work to providing community services to the local youth. Known as a jovial and bubbly character (and for his great curries!), he is a former employee at Poplar HARCA and founder of Spotlight, a media and performance arts centre for children and teens.

As a youth-work manager, he gave the younger generation opportunities to lead and take ownership of themselves and their peers, and was a father figure to many. When asked about the significance of having ‘local heroes’ painted on the Linc Centre, one of the first community centres he oversaw, he said, "Where good things happen, we tend to forget those stories. When something not so good happens, that’s there as a history point. It’s quite important for people like us to highlight all the positive that’s come from the area. I’m chuffed – for these guys to have chosen me, it’s an honour."

Tanjina Nasrin is a beloved member of the Linc Centre and wider Bow community. She went to school in the area as a child and has very strong connections with most of the local families. She is the founder and runner of the Linc centre ‘Sister’s group’, which fosters a support network for women and mothers of the area, offering a safe space to seek advice and conversation without fear of judgement. Tanjina strongly advocates for mental health awareness, and finds solace and comfort in her love for the environment. She wanted to share this passion with members of the Linc centre, which is why she turned a plot of land at the end of Fern street into a community garden. She rallies volunteers to take care of the plants and organises outdoor events in the garden over the summer months. The olive tree on the face of the community building illustrates all that Tanjina represents to the people of the Linc centre. When asked about the Portrait Project, she said "For those of us who have been here longer, who are older, who know the community very well, who know the history of the centre and the community, the images [on the wall] represent part of our history, what we were a part of. And the fact that it’s in such a modern way, the whole graffiti kind of idea, is going to attract the younger lot to ask those questions, who are these people, it will stir up a lot of conversations, I think it’s fantastic".