08 July 2025
Hamza Jahanzeb
London – The East London based charity Ministry of Stories, co-founded by Nick Hornby, announces DreamState – a free multi-sensory experience designed to immerse visitors in a world of imagination. It will run at The Ditch at Shoreditch Town Hall between Monday 28th July and Saturday 2nd August.
Well, what exactly is DreamState, I hear you ask?
It is a pop-up experience that invites visitors of all ages to discover interactive zones exploring themes from nostalgia and relaxation to celebration and creativity. The experience brings to life original work by 112 writers – all of whom are children based in the local Hackney area aged between 6 and 15 who attend Ministry of Stories weekly community writing labs.
DreamState features eight separate rooms, with unique worlds tied to the stories written at the Ministry of Stories community writing labs. The space will include a banqueting hall featuring the written word as the meal; a serene zone to help visitors relax; a nostalgia filled locker room that evokes childhood memories; a celebration room filled with glitter and confetti where visitors can party with a neon leopard; an eerie room complete with a scariness scale so that guests can choose the level of spooky that they are comfortable with; a botanist workshop with strange new plants that people may have never encountered; the control room where the ideas stem from; and finally the ‘dream dream’ room, which will ask visitors what dream they would most like to have tonight.
Who are Ministry of Stories?
Ministry of Stories was co-founded by author Nick Hornby in 2010 and aims to champion the writer in every child. It helps young people in East London discover their confidence, imagination and potential through the power of their writing. Working primarily with young children in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Islington, the organisation has supported over 20,000 young people in the local community since its launch through its free weekly community writing labs.
Ministry of Stories is partnering with architecture and design studio make:good to bring to life DreamState. The organisation works closely with local communities to shape neighbourhood change and support communities to create lasting social infrastructure. They have also partnered with Shoreditch Town Hall who will be hosting the experience at its basement venue, The Ditch. Funding partners include Hackney Council, funded by Cultural Hackney, Bridge Foundation, Arts Council England and Violence Reduction Unit, Mayor of London.
Rob Smith, Director, Ministry of Stories said: “Ministry of Stories has been supporting local children and championing their writing for fifteen years and we are honoured to be presenting their work to the world in our most ambitious showcase to date. The children who take part in our community writing labs are imaginative, fun and playful so there is no better way to show you their work than with DreamState. It will bring to life dreams, memories and stories, transporting guests to a world beyond their imagination. Stumble into a dream and discover strange new plants, some ghostly shenanigans or a glitter party. DreamState will be an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages.”
Trejean, aged 14 said: “Ministry of Stories: Best. Experience. Ever.”
Raniya, aged 8 said: “I have learnt to just believe in myself.”
DreamState will be open from Monday 28 th July to Saturday 2nd August at The Ditch, at Shoreditch Town Hall with time slots available throughout the day. The entire experience will last around 45 minutes and tickets are now available to purchase via: https://shoreditchtownhall.com/whats-on/dreamstate .
