Well London – what does it mean for Croydon?

Well London is a new Big Lottery funded programme which aims to improve health and well-being across London. The Well London Alliance, a group of organisations brought together by the London Health Commission, has been awarded £9,460,000 by the Big Lottery. Well London will work with the most disadvantaged communities in London, at a very local level, using a community development approach. The programme will tackle three of the most important determinants of health inequalities: poor diet, lack of physical activity and poor mental well-being. Well London will also research and assess what interventions work, to help guide future policy and develop practice.

In Croydon part of Broad Green around Handcroft Road and Parson’s Mead has been chosen as one of 20 areas for delivery of Well London. The area has a population of about 1600 people, and has been selected because of its high levels of deprivation. It will benefit from the delivery of coordinated community-led projects to improve health. Well London aims to build on and complement existing provision and initiatives in Broad Green, while enabling the development of new activities in partnership with local people. A number of projects will be delivered over 3 years by different partners of the Well London Alliance. Central London YMCA are the lead for young people and children, Groundwork for physical activity and the environment, London Sustainability Exchange on food access, SLaM for mental health and well-being and the Arts Council England for the use of art and culture in improving health.

The first Well London work in Broad Green will begin in October 2007 in the form of a comprehensive health needs assessment to capture local people’s own accounts of their needs and priorities. This will happen through community cafes, focus groups and interviews in the community. Before October 2007, we need to identify a local co-host organisation, to facilitate the effective design and delivery of the needs assessment. Ideally this should be a grass roots voluntary organisation with good links and networks across Broad Green and the surrounding areas.

The Healthy Croydon Partnership will facilitate the establishment of Well London in Croydon. A Local Advisory Group made up of organisations already working in the area will be set up to oversee the work. SLaM are Croydon’s lead partner in the overall Well London programme. Together we will aim to capture and disseminate learning from Well London to inform work in other parts of the borough.

If you would like to be involved in setting up Well London in Broad Green, or would like to be kept informed, please contact Rachel Nicholson, Health Inequalities Policy Officer, on 020 8760 5794 rachel.nicholson@croydon.gov.uk

For information on Well London visit the London Health Commission website www.londonshealth.gov.uk/well_london.htm