HomeIslington (Phase 1 - Completed)
The following Well London activities took place in the Canonbury Estate target area.
Themed Projects
Be Creative, Be Well
- All Change Arts; Snapshot, arts project for young people.
- Artist Jemima Burrill: "Memory Soup" Local older people created five different recipes and developed them into postcards.
I do enjoy this class very much. I enjoy the company of the people that come and there're different things to do each time. Good for the brain!
Project participant, aged 71
Eatwell
- Cook & Eat courses
- Community Feasts were delivered in June 2008 and July 2010.
Enjoyed the cooking, encouraging me to eat more vegetables
DIY Happiness
Eight DIY Happiness sessions took place for local women.
Changing Minds
A number of Mental health awareness sessions took place in the local area.
Healthy Spaces
- Sickert Estate Community Gardening Club
Activate London
- Walking group at the Bridge
- Gentle Exercise classes at the Bridge
- Intermediate Exercise at the Bridge
- Scottish dancing at the Bridge
- Lindy Hop Classes at the bridge
- Yoga sessions for BME ladies at the Walter Sickert Centre x2
- Summer youth activities at the Urban Hope Youth Club
It is enjoyable meeting people and taking part in the class.
Project participant
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:
- Dance lessons.
- Swimming lesson.
- Certificate in counselling.
- Beauty therapy
- Security training.
Youth.com
- Bathtub racing
Related links
Participant Data
Total participants; 420
296 people reported an increase in healthier eating.
263 people reported increased access to affordable healthy food.
299 people reported an increase in levels of physical activity.
342 people reported that they felt more or much more positive.
Islington cook and taste course
Patricia Osborne is wiping a tear from her eye and clutching a brand new food processor. Her spaghetti bolognaise has just been adjudged the healthiest and tastiest of the entries in a Community Cook-Off in Canonbury, Islington.
The cook-off is the culmination of Well London's cook and taste sessions in the borough. It is being held in The Bridge, a community centre attached to Canonbury Methodist Church; Ms Osborne may have had an initial advantage over her competitors as she runs the kitchen here, but she says she is going to run it differently now. Image 3
"The win makes me feel like a world champion," she says. "I've learned a lot from this course - not eating a lot of salt, sugar and fat and doing lots of activity and exercise."
Asked whether the course has changed the way she cooks for groups in this community centre, Ms Osborne replies: "Yes, a lot. I now cook without adding salt or sugar, and if they ask for it I tell them they don’t need it." The win today isn't Ms Osborne's only recognition. She has also been made a community food champion, tasked with spreading the message about healthy eating now that the Well London course has finished.
"I've worked here for 12 years," she says. "I can start championing it here." Siobhán Mannion is a development worker for the Community Kitchens Project at the Manor Gardens Welfare Trust, one of Well London’s delivery partners in Islington. "The course has been a total success, in terms of numbers as well," she says. "Sometimes it can be hard to get the numbers for courses like this, but we have had fantastic attendance."
And she is confident that the lessons learned by course attendees will continue to spread. "We wanted community food champions to carry on this work when we leave - we have offered them training in food safety and there will be training in nutrition," Ms Mannion says.
"Even with the children here today I was surprised at some of the things they were coming out with, stuff about healthy eating - something seems to have sunk in."
