The Arch Company’s #loveyourlocalarches campaign will culminate with Arch Day 2021 on Saturday 3 July – a celebration to highlight the diverse array of small businesses across our railway arches and their importance to local communities.

Working with Network Rail and TfL in London, The Arch Company is encouraging the public to visit their local arches and explore the bakeries, breweries, butchers, restaurants, beauty salons, wellness workshops and mechanics that call the arches home.

The Mayor for London, Sadiq Khan, has backed the campaign and says: “London’s recovery from this pandemic will be powered by our small businesses, many of which are still reeling from the impact of the last 16 months. Companies and community groups based in these unique spaces have kept the capital running during these challenging times, so now it is more important than ever for us all to show our appreciation and support these vital local businesses. This summer – let’s do London.”

To help celebrate Arch Day, The Arch Company is supporting the activities of numerous small and independent businesses with match-funding grants of up to £2,500 in partnership with the community action charity Groundwork.

Among the small businesses taking part in this year’s Arch Day events are:

• Little Black Pants Club at Nursery Road in Brixton: creating a micro-production line, running on pedal power, to promote sustainable fashion and offer members of the public custom-made clothing
• Moor Beer Brewery at Enid Street in Southwark: offering tours of their brewery and a talk on how they brew their barrel-aged beer, as well as tastings for groups of up to 20
• Wawa Restaurant at Druid Street in Southwark: serving an exclusive range of street food to takeaway or eat in their alfresco dining area, as they open their doors for the first time
• The Loft Pilates Studio at Jaggard Way in Wandsworth: running a ‘bring a friend for free’ offer for classes on Arch Day

Chapel Walks Arch Day Fest in Greater Manchester will be hosting a flagship picnic party from 11.30am – 7pm, with plenty of food, drinks and fun. A DJ set will set the tone with families and friends encouraged to pre-book to avoid disappointment.

Commenting on the Chapel Walks Arch Day Fest, the City Mayor for Salford, Paul Dennett, says: “Saturday 3 July is Arch Day – a special national day created by The Arch Company to increase awareness of arch businesses. In Salford, we are supporting the campaign and encouraging people to support businesses locally in the city, located in the railway arches on Chapel Walks and New Bailey Street.”

Local businesses taking part include:

• Beer Nuveau will also be offering an array of drinks, to toast to the British summertime
• Mandy’s Mobile Munchies will be serving a classic British Afternoon Tea
• BContours will be hosting taster sessions for their barre workouts, with 20-minute slots running throughout the afternoon

Further information on the events taking place in your area can be found here [link to webpage listing events]

There will also be a series of events taking place across the UK – from Worcester to Newcastle to Kent. For more information about the #loveyourlocalarches campaign, please email us at thearchco.comms@thearchco.com, or follow the #loveyourlocalarches and #ARCHDAY2021 hashtags on Twitter @thearchcompany or Instagram @the_archcompany.