Community health activities

A wide range of activities are available locally to help you:

• lose weight and improve nutritional intake
• get moving to improve fitness and flexibility
• with health tips and lifestyle changes to avoid heart conditions.

These activities are delivered by our community partners, which are organisations that know the needs of local people and are easy to access. Some activities are more practical others have a learning feel and others more creative.

Below is a list of our health activities with contact details. These activities run for short periods of time, so make contact and see when the next activities are running:

Abbotshall Road Healthy Lifestyle Centre

The Abbotshall Road Playing Fields in Catford have been a base for our local community for over 10 years. The Corbett Residents' Association worked with us to develop what it is now the Abbotshall Road Healthy Lifestyle Centre (HLC).

The HLC is a hub for a wide range of facilities and activities including:

• Home ground for the Lewisham Tigers Football Club for boys and girls and Carpe Diem Youth Football Club

• Weekly keep fit classes, yoga and stay and play activities for all age groups

• Truly Splendid vintage tea room

• Abbotshall community garden and urban wildlife garden

• Valued resource for local schools' sports events

• Venue for the annual community fireworks display

• A place to hire for private parties and events for all ages across Catford South.

The centre is based at Abbotshall Road, Catford SE6 1SQ.

Contact: Christine Bull: chris.bull@teachsport.org

Promoting Healthy Lifestyles, Action for Community Development

ACFD will be promoting a series of community events and workshops to promote healthy living and build a stronger bond between communities and healthcare services.

Contact: Roderick Richards: 020 8692 2277, chp@actionforcd.org.

My life my story, Age Exchange

The project seeks to increase mental wellbeing among isolated older people and increase their sense of self-worth by delivering four reminiscence sessions where older people would be encouraged to share interests, stories about themselves and their life experience.

Contact: Malcolm Jones: 020 8318 9105 or malcolm.jones@age-exchange.org.uk.

Health and wellbeing project, Ageing Well Fun Club

Providing a range of health and wellbeing activities for older adults aged 55 and over. Contact: Muriel White 020 7732 7521 or awfc@hotmail.co.uk.

Healthy mind, healthy lifestyle, Deptford Reach

To improve health and wellbeing of local Lewisham residents through a 32-week structured therapeutic programme and will help to end stigma around addiction, mental health and focus on mindfulness. Activities will enable and support adults to enjoy the health, wellbeing and social benefits of various activities in a supportive environment whilst promoting health within the local community.

Eat a rainbow, Co-op

Eat a rainbow food co-op improves health and wellbeing in north Lewisham firstly by providing high-quality, low cost fruit and vegetables. This allows local people who may otherwise have trouble accessing fruit and vegetables due to their location or cost to choose a healthier diet.

Contact: Minnie Ashdown 07407186760 or minnie.ashdown@170cp.org.uk.

Walk and talk, Family Services UK

To encourage those who might ordinarily not give themselves time or space to go on a walk, or those who have become isolated and would like to meet others in a relaxed environment. The walks will be geared towards those who are experiencing difficulties with physical and mental wellbeing aspects of their lives.

Contact: Corinna Shea 020 8265 1177 or corinna@familyservices.org.

Healthy eating, healthy activities, healthy life, Federation of Vietnamese refugees in Lewisham (FORVIL)

This project, with its intensive activities and help our public health experts, is aimed at improving Vietnamese people’s knowledge about healthy eating in order to improve their health, including their mental wellbeing.

Contact: Hanh Dan: 020 8694 0952 or vhasiproject@aol.com.

The Max-Wellbeing project, Global City International

Aims to decrease the incidences of health inequalities and improve the health of up to 40 French-speaking Africans, specifically adults (men and women) aged 20–65, by providing a variety of health promotion activities.

Contact: Immaculate Song 07948 578 501 or immasong@yahoo.com.

Wildlife gym, cook and eat, Grow Wild

This will be a weekly session where participants can engage with both cooking and gardening workshops and share freshly prepared lunch at Tidemill old school wildlife garden. The two activities will run simultaneously, aiming to appeal to a wide cross section of the community, to make a real and considerable difference to peoples experiences and understanding of cooking and gardening in terms of their health.

Contact: Sarah McFadden 07515 637375 or growwildlondon@gmail.com.

Chop and chat, Just Older Youths

The project aims to provide weekly group workshops in preparing healthy and economical needs. The workshops will be led by an experienced tutor who will teach people how to cook tasty and nutritious food. There will be introductions to new recipes as well as drawing on participants existing knowledge and skills.

Contact: Jane Keane 020 7732 7458 or janekeane1@gmail.com.

Indo Chinese health promotion 2015, Lewisham Indo-Chinese Community

To promote healthy eating, wellbeing and physical activities through dance and tai chi classes for the Indo-Chinese community members in order to promote their health conditions and improve quality of life.

Walking football, Millwall for all trust

Aims to attract those aged over 30, who still want to be active but due to injuries, cost, time, fear or lack of ability do not participate in regular sport. Walking football is designed to help people keep an active lifestyle despite of their age, as well as getting those back playing football who has to stop due to injuries.

Contact: Marc Elliot 020 7740 3463 or melliot@millwallplc.com.

Sew you need to get out more, NXG Trust

This project aims to promote healthy living amongst isolated people with particular emphasis on improving mental wellbeing, encouraging isolated people to get out of the house and into the community. Learning, developing and sharing skills around sewing and textile techniques in a friendly environment to help combat social exclusion and improve self-esteem and mental wellbeing.

Contact: Jill Mountfield 020 7639 7605 or jill.mountfield@nxgtrust.org.uk

Gardening and home life, Pepys Community Forum

To engage with local residents to connect our community gardening with home life to better promote overall well-being and a healthier lifestyle. To meet a need to grow fresh food in a highly dense urban environment. Making the most, too, of small spaces like containers, balconies, window boxes and walls, and producing maximum crop yields at a low cost.

Contact: Malcolm Cadman 020 8694 3503 or malcolmpepysforum@gmail.com

HIV Awareness, Red ribbon living well

The project aims is to work with individuals and groups to improve sexual health by raising safe sex awareness and advice to reduce the risk of transmission of STIs including HIV/AIDS. Raising awareness of services for testing support. Offering peer support for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Contact: Husseina Hamza 07939 795605 or redribbonlivingwellproject@gmail.com.

Food and fitness for young people, REMEC Youth

Within it regular youth provision the project aims to address the lack of consistent information, advice and guidance in relation to healthy eating, physical activity and sexual health for 11–19-year-olds. By providing a range of interactive workshops and outings.

Contact: Vincent Onwukanjo 020 7639 3337 or remeducational@yahoo.co.uk

Stress proof you and your community, Transforming trauma sorting stress

Is a series of programmes dedicated and adapted for specific groups in the community including elderly people, people with disabilities, families and people affected by HIV. It provides participants with the tools to build their own residence and confidence so that they in turn can build resilience in their families and communities to cope with life stresses, challenges and fears.

Contact: Josephine O’Gorman 07941 002250 or sortingstress@gmail.com

Intergenerational arts, Bellingham Golden Oldies & Sedgehill School

Painting and ceramics workshops taking place at Sedgehill Secondary School, involving pupils at the school and members of Bellingham Golden Oldies over-50s group, that get young and old working together to produce pieces of art.

Contact: Anne Roberts 020 8461 2213.

Intergenerational Gardening, Dumps Adventure Playground & Farmstead Road Community Garden

Series of gardening workshops taking place at the Farmstead Road Community Garden in Bellingham.

Contact: Gary Buswell 020 8461 2213.

Men’s Health Project, Active Gateway

Project that targets men aged 35 and above. Series of eight workshops that include a health discussion led by a professional and a brief exercise session. Health topics include bowel cancer, prostate cancer, healthy eating, physical activity, CVD, stress, diabetes and alcohol.

Contact: Tim Hector 07999 379195.

Bellingham Craft Club, Well London and Rushey Green Time Bank

Weekly jewellery-making and sewing workshops that take place as part of the Bellingham Time Banking initiative.

Contact: Clem Pacquette 07984 034275 or www.rgtb.org.uk.

Bellingham Healthy Walk, Well London and NHS Healthy Walks

Weekly community walk led by Well London volunteers. The walk caters for all abilities including beginners. Followed by refreshments and friendly chat in the community hall.

Contact: Sarah 07830 988809.

Cooking For Life and Soul, Delicious most Nutritious

Cookery classes around how to eat on a budget, combined with community storytelling. Sessions will run again later this year.

Contact: Fay 07863 561538 or www.deliciousmostnutritious.co.uk.

Low Cost Clinic, Therapy 4 Healing

Led by a belief that everybody should be entitled to good health and wellbeing, the Low Cost Clinic helps to make treatments accessible and affordable for those dealing with long term health conditions, disabilities, learning difficulties or life difficulties, including children and carers.

Visit the Therapy 4 Healing website for more information.