Women’s History Month 2026
In 1887, a group of women gathered with a simple but powerful idea: that the skills, time and energy they had could be used to support others in their community.
From that idea, Time & Talents was born.
Nearly 140 years later, we’re still here in Rotherhithe, supporting local people of all ages. Our work has evolved over the decades, but the spirit behind it remains the same: neighbours helping neighbours.
And at the centre of that story are the women who started it all.
Women who wanted to make a difference
Time & Talents began during the late Victorian period, when many middle-class women were expected to live quiet, sheltered lives. Opportunities for leadership, education or work were limited.
But some women wanted something different.
Inspired by the growing Settlement Movement, they believed that social change should happen within communities, not from a distance.
One of the key figures was Minna Gollock, who worked with the Young Women’s Christian Association. Along with other volunteers, she helped organise what became the Time & Talents Settlement.
Their aim was simple:
to encourage educated women to use their “time and talents” to help others.
“A group of women… set about challenging the narrow, over-protected lives many young girls were expected to lead.”
Rather than donating money alone, they volunteered directly in working-class neighbourhoods, building relationships and sharing skills.
Supporting women and girls in Bermondsey
The founders soon established a settlement house in Bermondsey, then a busy dockside area where many people worked long hours in factories, warehouses and along the River Thames.
The settlement became a place where local women and girls could find support, skills and friendship.
Activities included:
- sewing, craft and cooking classes
- reading groups and education support
- social clubs and recreation for girls
- community events and outings
- practical support for young factory workers
In 1913, the Time & Talents even opened a hostel for young working women, many of whom lived in overcrowded homes. For some, it was the first time they had a room of their own.
The aim wasn’t simply charity — it was community, confidence and opportunity.
The settlement building
Time & Talents eventually settled at 187 Bermondsey Street, where a purpose-built settlement building opened in the early 1900s.
The building, designed in the Arts and Crafts style, included club rooms, meeting spaces and accommodation for young women. It became a hub for education, social activities and community organising.
Female volunteers ran most of the programmes, teaching practical skills, organising clubs and visiting families in the neighbourhood.
At a time when women rarely held leadership roles in public life, this kind of work was quietly revolutionary.
Surviving change and hardship
Death, destruction, survival and spirit – The Blitz in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, Southwark News
Over the decades, Time & Talents supported the community through major social changes.
During the Second World War, volunteers continued to run clubs and provide shelter for people who had been bombed out of their homes.
As the welfare state expanded after the war, the role of settlement organisations began to change. But Time & Talents adapted rather than disappearing.
In 1980, Time & Talents moved to a new home, a converted Victorian mortuary building in Rotherhithe.
Today, that unusual building has been transformed into what we now know as Time & Talents today; a lively community centre.
Time & Talents today
Nearly 140 years after it began, Time & Talents still brings people together through:
- social clubs and community groups
- youth programmes
- creative and wellbeing activities
- volunteering opportunities
- support for carers and older residents
We now operate from our historic Rotherhithe centre as well as in Surrey Quays, continuing our mission to help people connect and support one another.
A legacy of women’s leadership
Perhaps the most remarkable part of Time & Talents’ story is that it began as a women-led organisation and remains strongly shaped by women today.
In the late 19th century, the founders challenged expectations about what women could do. They organised projects, managed buildings, and led social change in their communities.
They may not have used the word feminist, but their actions helped redefine what women’s leadership could look like.
That legacy continues today through our volunteers, staff and community members who keep Time & Talents thriving.
Connecting past and present
One of the most special things about how Time & Talents began and what it has become today is that there is a sense of continuity.
Some residents remember attending children’s clubs decades ago. Others now volunteer themselves, passing on the same spirit of community support.
What began as a small group of determined women offering their time and talents has grown into a charity that has supported generations of people across south-east London.
And nearly 140 years later, the idea still holds true:
sometimes the most powerful way to change a community is simply to share what you have.
Sources
Key historical sources used in this article:
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