On December 5th Black Prince Trust and the Lambeth Public Health Team formally launched the Lambeth Community Living Room and BPT’s new Social and Wellbeing space “The Lounge”.
With the programme gradually growing since July, Lambeth Public Health and BPT welcomed guests for food and refreshments in the BPT Café to hear more about the newly established programme as well as new initiatives to come in 2024.
The Lambeth Community Living Room is a partnership programme funded by Lambeth Public Health and delivered by The Black Prince Trust at our Community Hub. It builds on work undertaken by the Thriving North Lambeth network, established in 2020 as part of the Thriving Communities initiative as a collaboration between The North Lambeth Primary Care Network (PCN), Lambeth Council, Local community pharmacies and community organisations such as BPT.
The Thriving North Lambeth programme is aligned to the wider Building Healthy Communities Programme with the principle aim of improving local health and wellbeing through a focus on early intervention and prevention in the community.
Working together, BPT and Lambeth Public Health have through the Community Living Room co-designed activities to meet local needs and engage those with barriers to engagement, including but not limited to the elderly and isolated, diverse ethnic communities, parents with young children, unemployed people and those with physical and mental health conditions.
Our new Community Living Room is the second of its kind in Lambeth following the launch of Thriving Stockwell’s Community Living Room launched formally in July of this year.
Expanding and complementing existing health and wellbeing provision, the programme has to date registered more than 600 attendances across health and wellbeing activities 5 days per week. Physical activities include all-ages yoga, non-contact boxing, indoor rowing, boxfit and Tai Chi; as well as a fully booked 6-week Self-Care is Healthcare Wellbeing Course for the Community.
In addition to activites and courses we have hosted a number of health and wellbeing initiatives. The Over-Prescribing Amnesty with NHS primary care partners provided a five-week drop-in programme for residents to come and bring their unused medicines for disposal discuss with an NHS pharmacist any concerns relating to their medication; and we also ran a Flu-Vaccination Drop-in session offering free flu-jabs for the community and will be hosting monthly visits from the Lambeth Health & Wellbeing Bus.
Half of the existing attendees are live in areas classed as the 30% most deprived in England according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation; 68% are from diverse ethnic backgrounds; 81% have some form of disability; and 57% are over the age of 60. We are proud to see that our programme has been effective at engaging its target audience.
BPT’s Health & Wellbeing Projects Lead Beverly de Valmency said “The addition of this Health and Wellbeing programme has been greatly welcomed and embraced by the local community, and much needed in the current cost of living crisis. We offer a fantastic blend of activity, healthcare information, support and signposting, space to socialise, warmth and healthy food. It is a privilege to lead such an extensive offering to North Lambeth residents.”
Lambeth Public Health’s Health and Wellbeing Engagement Coordinator for North Lambeth Lorraine Harrison said “It’s been a real privilege for me to work with the amazing team of staff and local residents at BPT to set up the CLR programme. The developmental opportunities created for new and existing working relationships with local and borough wide partners across the health and wellbeing system has really helped to make a positive impact in reducing health inequalities for its local community and beyond.”
BPT looks forward to developing the Community Living Room further in the New Year, continuing existing programmes and adding exciting new partnerships – the timetable can be accessed here on our website, or for more information contact Beverley de Valmency at bev@blackprincetrust.org.uk