THE ANGEL STOP, THE BOROUGH TRANSFORMATION PROJECT

by Nabiha Qadir

In Wings of Desire, the 1987 film, angels, in the guise of men, watch over the city of Berlin as guardians and protectors of the mortals of the city. The 21st century Covid-19 pandemic has focused our attention on the role, importance and necessity of our NHS workers. We call them angels but poorly paid, overworked and unsupported they struggle to make ends meet, feed their families and afford the living costs of London. The Angel Stop, a sanctuary for the angels of our city, is a service station for keyworkers in the city. A place where they can rest, eat, wash their clothes, shower and get ready to face another life-threatening shift. The success of the angel stop evolves into a clinical centre where surgeries to enable winged humans, amongst other functional human transformations, is facilitated where they learn to fly and use the Angel Stop with ease.