For centuries, St Luke’s main activity was paying pensions and grants to poor people in the parish from money left to them. In March 1982 Queen Elizabeth opened St Luke’s Community Centre for the benefit of its existing pensioners and other residents living in the area. The Centre was previously a London School Board primary school and then the Frank Barnes School for the Deaf. Our large Victorian building has changed a lot since those days with extensive renovations, extensions and upgrades making it what it is today and with the facilities and space to serve the local community of all ages.

As a parochial charity, St Luke’s can only spend its own money helping improve the conditions of life of those residents living in the area of benefit, which is the ancient parish of St Luke’s, Old Street. In today’s terms the area is mainly Bunhill Ward in south Islington and parts of the City of London, Clerkenwell ward and Hackney.