Our journey began back in 2012 and was born out of the desire to retain a Post Office in the area when the postmaster at the West End Lane site wished to retire and close his branch. Father Andrew, who until the summer of 2017, was the vicar at St James’, saw a tweet from local estate agents Dutch and Dutch who were looking for alternative venues to host the Post Office. St James’ church was suggested and subsequently accepted as a viable site.

The addition of The Sanctuary Cafe and Hullabaloo soft play was soon part of the planning process and business model, as it was clear from the outset that to ensure its long-term financial sustainability our project had to have a wide appeal and varied income streams.

The journey to open was an eventful one, facing both logistical and financial challenges and after many months of business plans, presentations, fundraising and consultations, building work started in April 2014. We opened our doors for the first time at 1pm on 18th July, 2014 and with the church bell ringing out to announce our arrival a new era for St James and West Hampstead had begun!