Our Wellbeing Hub opened in 2021 to take care of the wellbeing of people in need living in our local area. The Hub is where our food distribution service is based, providing top-ups of food and other essentials for local people who have been struggling through the pandemic.

There are other wide-ranging services providing holistic support including our regular Mindful Mondays class, weekly information and advice sessions covering anything from benefits to emotional support, help managing family finances and more. We also provide signposting advice and assistance to approach other local organisations, enabling people to access the help they need.

A recent initiative at the Hub is our Poetry of the Mind sessions in conjunction with Poet Steve Tasane, Islington's Direct Action Project (DAP) and The Peel. The group come up with poems written below. The group aims to bust stigma and share facts about wellbeing by opening up conversations about mental health.

Poem at St Luke’s 16th May 2022 - We Move, We Connect, We Give, We Learn

We exercise in our chair –

It is a mountain we can climb

It is a bicycle we can ride

It is a Boeing Jet we can fly

It is a racing car speeding by

We connect with babies

in the mummy’s tummy –

We protect them, respect them, keep them safe.

Never neglect or disconnect,

Reaching out is direct and correct.

Life is far from perfect,

but if we project with positivity,

Collecting smiles and love

is going to be next.

 

We donate to charity –

To claps and cheers.

In full capacity we dry the tears.

Beaming with pride

As the butterflies inside

Flap and flutter free outside,

Buzzing with warmth

And fluffy like a pillow,

So we can lay down our heads

And melt into fuzzy slumber.

 

We look, listen, and learn –

We give and get in return.

We touch and talk,

Twist and turn,

Stay together, not torn apart.

Tick tock, time passes by,

Let’s not tip-toe round

But teach and learn.

Let’s say ‘hello’

And not ‘goodbye’….

DAP & St Luke's Poetry & Anti-Stigma Workshop, 17 January 2022

DAP Facilitator: Graham Reeves, Poet Facilitator: Steve Tasane

Collective wellbeing poem, written by the group.

I am breathless, suffocating and tired.

You are my inhaler, my facemask;

You are my outreach.

We are well ventilated, safe,

Sharing fresh air, like a tree.

 

I am a storm that’s rising,

Crashing waves and moving mountains.

You are a phoenix rising from the ashes.

We are the calm

Both before and after the storm.

 

I am clunky, pinching high heels

Struggling along troubled cobbles.

You are fluffy socks, warm and comfy.

We are walking on a soft, sandy beach,

The gentle grains hugging our toes.

 

I am skating on thin ice,

Feeling a mess, depressed.

You are holding me, keeping me balanced.

We are getting better, solid together,

A team, a strong wall withstanding the storm.

Poem written at St Luke’s 21^st March 2022

Beacon of Hope

There is an overwhelming darkness

Life is taken by Covid

War is splitting us apart

The world is polluted and rank

Energy bills soaring through the roof

Children starving in the world

Isolation and loneliness

Causing stress and anxiety

The doors are locked and the blinds are down

 

We see a beacon of hope

Vaccination and hygiene keep us safe and well

We have learnt to love and come together

We recycle and re-use – a sustainable lifestyle

Free school meals, food banks

Tea and cake, pic’n’mix, take and make

Phone calls, reconnection

Loving our neighbours

Rebuilding community

Our hearts are open

and full of life and love