Norwood Forum is working with Lambeth Public Health to pilot Lambeth’s health and wellbeing hubs initiative, bringing together local organisations to improve health and wellbeing in the community.
Lambeth’s innovative Health and Wellbeing Hubs offer an early intervention approach in communities where health and wellbeing outcomes have reduced significantly during COVID. The hubs connect and support voluntary, community, and faith organisations.
Gipsy Hill was selected as a pilot for the hub programme because the area experiences high rates of deprivation; respiratory disease at all ages; hospital admissions, long-term illness and early (under 75) death; with unemployment and income deprivation leading to poor mental health. A wide range of issues – including isolation, poor housing, and no work or insecure or poorly paid work – directly impact on health and wellbeing.
Norwood Forum was awarded a £100,000 grant from Lambeth to set up and manage the Gipsy Hill Health and Wellbeing Small Grants Fund. We received 26 applications from community organisations based in or working in Gipsy Hill and awarded 13 grants to a mix of well-established local service providers and start-ups. The start-ups could lead to really effective services in the future – and we see developing new ways of supporting the community as a really important part of the role of the hub. The successful applicants were:
1. Box on the Hill, Community Sparks Change
2. Community Tech Support & Learning, ClearCommunityWeb CIC
3. Emmanuel Community Youth Club, Emmanuel Church
4. Emmanuel Homework Club, Emmanuel Church
5. Family nature and gardening sessions, Nature Vibezzz
6. Gipsy Hill Wellbeing Champion Network, It's a Playground Ltd
7. Grow with Gipsy Hill, South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
8. Open Door - Community Sing; Open Door - Mindful Movement, Christ Church
9. Paxton Parklet on Gipsy Road, Friends of Gipsy Hill
10. Stay Active & Social for Older People, Upper Norwood Library Hub
11. The Gipsy Hill Zine Project, Paper Stories
12. The Norwood School Health & Wellbeing Garden, Incredible Edible and Norwood School
13. The Reach Project - 360degree health and wellbeing support, New Covenant Church Equipping People
Regular updates as these projects become active and information on how you can take part if you live in Gipsy Hill, will be posted here regularly.
If you would like to receive information direct, then please email us here: info@norwoodforum.org
You can read more about the Gipsy Hill Health and Wellbeing Hub on the Love Lambeth website and on the small grants scheme here elsewhere on our website.