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Hackney (Phase 1 - Completed)

The following Well London activities took place in the Brownswood (Woodberry Down) target area during the Well London Programme.

Themed Projects

Be Creative, Be Well

Immediate Theatre: Creative workshops and a 'Festival of Light'.

The community garden is GREAT and has really taken off. The singing has been a real joy and creative space” (Project Participant)

Buywell

Food co-op started end Sep; Food Access Steering Group.

Eatwell

Cook & Eat courses.
Community Feasts were delivered in July 2009 and March 2011.

I thought this class would be boring but my mum made me come, now I am here I really like it - it's really fun

DIY Happiness

Eight DIY Happiness sessions.

Changing Minds

Mental health awareness sessions took place on a variety of subjects including:

Understanding mental health conditions.
Wellbeing for local residents.
Relaxation session
Stress Management

Healthy Spaces

The Woodberry Down Community Garden

For my mother you don't just go for a walk you need a purpose for it. The garden was perfect for getting her out of the house. It had made a big difference.

Activate London

Healthy Walks
Young peoples canoe sessions
Week of taster activities
Cycling Work shop
Young people bushcraft
Young peoples dance sessions
Intergenerational cycling proficiency course
Immediate Theatre youth.com project
Estate football sessions
Cycle picnic
Turkish Gardening Group

Heart of the Community Projects

Training communities

This project provided training for the following Well London groups:

WLDT members
Well London Activators
MWIA facilitators
Young Ambassador

Training Communities also offered Personal support packages (PSPs). Examples of training people chose included the following:

Electrical Inspection and Testing.
TESOL level 2 with business.
Mental Health first aid.
Stress management.
Weight management.
Complimentary therapy testing.
DIY Course for women

Youth.com

Dance sessions.
A dance performance at the Woodberry Down Community Festival.

Participant Data

Total participants; 699

559 people reported an increase in healthier eating.
526 people reported increased access to affordable healthy food.
496 people reported an increase in levels of physical activity.
559 people reported that they felt more or much more positive.

Margaret Lewis, Woodberry Down estate Hackney

Margaret Lewis has lived on the huge Woodberry Down estate in Hackney for the past 20 years. It hasn't always been a happy time.

"I've had problems on this estate," Ms Lewis says. Her house has been burgled, and she has been on the receiving end of harassment and intimidation - but becoming involved with Well London has, she says, made her feel much better about herself and about living here.

This morning, as she does every Thursday, Ms Lewis joined the Well London walking club for their weekly constitutional around Finsbury Park. "I've also done the [community] gardening, the healthy eating courses… it’s brilliant. Absolutely brilliant,’ she explains. ‘I did DIY Happiness, too, and every class was different. It was like going forwards, instead of going backwards. I’ve come out of my shell now. It’s just the best.

"I go walking every Thursday, I help out and volunteer with the over-60s, and I'm meeting more people on the estate too… Other than coming here [Robin Redmond community centre, the base for Well London’s Woodberry Down projects], I wouldn’t meet other people. You just don't, otherwise."

Ms Lewis has been involved with Well London for the past two years. She is full of praise for the programme, and in fact, her only complaint is that it has not had long enough.

"I don’t think Well London should stop. It has drawn people together. But it needs to run for a number of years. People here are still learning that it exists, so how can it leave a legacy? Some of us will carry on walking but it will depend how it goes."

For Ms Lewis personally, though, the legacy is already assured. "I'm a lot, lot better than I used to be," she says with a smile.

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