For Hackney residents Peter and Annika, the diversity of the local area and being able to see just how welcome and at ease their guests feel is one of the many reasons they’re proud to be among our east London hosts.

Here, they share their love for their neighbourhood, and how a chance visit to a photography exhibition set them on their path to hosting.

Hosting was not a new concept for us. We have friends in Sweden whose home was always open; they had a room downstairs that was always occupied so we’ve seen other people doing similar things.   

Peter’s father grew up in Hackney and did quite a lot of work with people who were homeless. He did the ‘London Run’, in Lincoln’s Inn field, handing out soup to street homeless people. ‘Paying back’ and using our privilege in an act of solidarity has always felt quite important to us.   

Many years ago, we saw an inspiring photographic exhibition at St Martin’s-the-Field about hosting refugees which stayed with us. Having had a full working life in education, both as teachers and head teachers, we wanted to do something. When we moved from full-time work to both of us mostly being at home, we felt we had capacity to explore hosting.    

The chance to host through Refugees at Home suited our lifestyle, because we’re away quite a lot, and we have other commitments and care responsibilities. There was something about it being short-term, supporting adults, creating safety, and then people moving on, which worked well with us.  

We thought, well, let’s try it and see if it works or not. We didn’t then overthink it. We felt very supported by Refugees at Home and the selection process has felt very well managed. And we wouldn’t have stuck with it if they hadn’t supported us or done the right vetting.  

Every guest has been different, but that’s been great. It’s been cooking, football, games, especially number-based games like Rummikub. One guest who didn’t speak much English beat us every time. He took great joy in just thrashing us in that game, it was great!  

It’s clear to us that we are not the long-term solution; we’re not their caseworker, we’re not there in a therapeutic role. We are a place of safety and warmth, a staging post in people’s journey where they can stop and breathe for a bit.   

We’ve learned so much about the world we live in, different perspectives, different history, the geography of where people live; and then that gentle nudging about Britain and our historical responsibility in shaping the politics of the world now.  

We’re committed to living in Hackney and the richness of it. Our guests have connected with the area and feel at ease in it. There are places nearby, like Ridley Road Market, where they enjoy being able to source food and things from home. We’ve also had guests who’ve accessed local services, like English lessons, so we think Hackney is a great place to be hosting.  

Inspired by Peter and Annika? Find out more about hosting here, or request a callback to speak to a member of the team.  

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