Reflecting on our Be Well programme
During the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, South London Listens aimed to create an active and diverse network of Be Well Hubs with trained Be Well Champions in every borough in south London. Three years on, we have evaluated the programme and share our reflections in this blog.
What is a Be Well Hub?
Be Well Hubs offer safe spaces for people to turn to when they feel their mental health is low or simply want to feel more connected with their local community.
Community leaders are trained to become Be Well Champions. Champions can then provide listening support, information, resources and signposting to mental health support for people in their communities.
Dave Mellish is a Be Well Champion and a volunteer founder of a range of groups for older people who are isolated which take place at Bromley Football Club. These include a social meeting club – Ravens Group, a sporting memories dementia group, and a group for people with Parkinson’s. Dave explained:
"Our motto is: we are people that are here for you and will try and help you in any situation you are facing. We all know that supporting mental health is vital for us all, and social connection is a key part of that at all ages".
One of the attendees of the weekly social Ravens Group at Bromley Football Club said:
"Coming to this group has saved my life. I lost my wife a few years ago and felt so lost until I found this group."
Each Be Well Hub is recognised by its local mental health trust and local authority, and Champions have the tools to launch campaigns based on community asks.
Pictures: Be Well Hub launch in Sutton, Dave, Roy, Derek and Michael from the Ravens Group at Bromley FC, and Be Well South East London celebration event at Lucas Vale Primary School.
Since the start, 369 people have signed up to become Be Well Champions across 54 hubs from Merton to Greenwich. A range of organisations have chosen to become an established Be Well Hub, from Lewisham Islamic Centre to Kingston Carers Network.
Some secondary age students have even gotten involved in the Be Well Hub in their school. A community organiser described the experience for the young people:
"They've done lots of different talks with decision makers in the NHS and local authorities talking about and what challenges they're facing...That has been just incredible for their development...They've talked a lot about how they feel as young people that their voices aren't heard...I think the Be Well hubs have been helping to change that hierarchy dynamic within the school and which has been really exciting to see and to see how that has made them feel like they can take on new things and get more involved."
26 people also completed their Be Well training in Spanish to make sure that good mental health support is not limited by language barriers. Familia y Autismo has established its own Be Well Hub with a recent launch at the Colombian consulate in London.
Pictures: Be Well Champion training at New Testament Church of God in Lewisham, Be Well South East London celebration event at Lucas Vale Primary School, and Be Well Champion training in Spanish.
Be Well Hubs offer tailored services depending on the needs of the communities they operate in. These range from a monthly Bereavement Café at Kingston and New Malden Methodist Church, to a Wellness through Arts workshop series at Balham Libraries, and Family Guys, a peer support group for single fathers and grandfathers at Newlands Academy in Southwark.
Outcomes
Be Well Hubs mean that communities are recognised by and connected into the NHS and local decision makers. They can effectively organise at a local level to combat structural and systematic inequalities that impact on their mental health. 23 Be Well Hubs chose to use their training to launch their own campaigns to address the root causes of mental ill-health. These focused on fair wages, LGBTQ+ support, and housing, amongst other important issues.
Feedback from Champions has been positive, with many people saying they have improved confidence in looking after their own mental wellbeing and motivated to create change and tackle mental health stigma.
Dr Karl Rutlidge, a minister at Kingston Methodist Church, said:
“The Be Well mental health training is some of the best I have received and has really given me and my team the confidence to support the mental health needs of our local community.”
South London Listens has listened to over 4,000 people this summer and will be launching new priorities based on community asks in November.
To stay up to date with Be Well Hubs and our other work across south London, you can sign up to our newsletter here.
You can read more about Be Well Hubs and Champions here.