“If English is not your first and most fluent language, how do you share your life experiences with others, not familiar with yours… ‘ordinary people’s’ life histories deserve as wide a readership as possible.” (Sav Kyriacou, former project coordinator, The Ethnic Communities Oral History Project 1987 – 1994) In the late 80s/early 90s, the Hammersmith and […]
Carolyn Defrin, our Phd researcher, collaborated with Levitt Bernstein architects and artist Paul Burgess to create a film and architecture installation featuring Sycamore House and John Betts’ residents sharing memories of living in Hammersmith and their perspectives on housing. This project featured in the June 2017 London Festival of Architecture as part of the ‘Where do you think you are?’ […]
If you think you might be eligible, we'd be happy to give you a tour of our almshouses and share what it's like to live here.
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Free and low-cost children’s activities in Hammersmith this summer
Some children look forward to a fun-filled summer holiday. They might be at a sports club one day, a drama club the next and out playing with friends the rest of the week.
However, many children will barely leave their homes. If your parents are struggling to cover the essentials, it’s unlikely that they’ll have money spare for ‘fun’ things. It’s hardly surprising then, that children from low-income households are far less likely to take part in organised out-of-school activities.
What’s more, as these children are less likely to have a garden or easy access to green spaces, they have fewer opportunities to play outdoors, especially if they live in urban areas. As a result, children from a low-income household are more likely to experience social isolation over the summer holidays, as it’s harder for them to meet up with friends.
It’s not just their mental health that suffers over the school holidays. With no free school meals to fall back on, they’re less likely to eat nutritious meals. One in five parents worry about being able to feed the whole family over the summer break.
Thankfully, some schemes do offer fully funded or low-cost activities over the school holidays, mainly through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. School-age children who receive benefits-related free school meals are automatically eligible, and places are often also available to other children. Free healthy lunches are available at many of the clubs.
Fully funded summer clubs in Hammersmith & Fulham
H&F’s HAF programme gives children the chance to try a wide range of activities, from animal care to sports, graffiti art, DJing and more. Many of the clubs are led by our current or former grant holders:
Some of the clubs above are now full. However, there are many others to choose from at www.lbhf.gov.uk/holiday-activities-and-food-programme. It’s also worth registering to go on the waiting lists.
Our resident Stuart may have multiple health challenges to deal with, but that doesn’t stop him enjoying a good party…
Stuart’s life changed significantly when he suffered a stroke in 2020, aged just 56. He explains, “I woke up one morning and phoned the doctors to say something was wrong. They told me that I’d better get to the hospital, as they thought I’d had a stroke. When I got there, the doctor said, ‘You’ve got nerve damage,’ and sent me home. I got a call from the stroke unit the next day. They said, “You need to come in now because they shouldn’t have discharged you.” So, it was a stroke, but I also have nerve damage.
“After a while using a manual wheelchair, I developed carpal tunnel syndrome, so I now use an electric wheelchair. I can only stand for a minute as I have a compression fracture of the spine. I get pain on a daily basis. You don’t get used to it, but you cope with it.”
Stuart was in between jobs when he had his stroke. Unable to continue his career in childcare, Stuart moved into temporary accommodation but was evicted and housed in a hotel for several months. Luckily, we were able to offer Stuart a place at John Betts House. Three years later, needing a larger flat to make it easier to manoeuvre his wheelchair around, Stuart transferred to Sycamore House.
He told us, “My new flat is really nice. It’s a lot more spacious. All the doors are bigger and it’s more free flowing, so I don’t have to twist and turn. Someone came to check the water the other day and said, ‘Oh, your flat is amazing.’ I’ve been creative with the décor and have some unusual houseplants, which are thriving.
“The garden is a nice quiet space. It’s lovely to sit out in. I can’t do much gardening, but I can offer advice!”
A carer comes to support Stuart every day, but he likes the security of having staff onsite at Sycamore House. “We also have Careline here, so if I do have a fall or if I need an ambulance, I can just pull the cord and they’ll deal with it. I’m not alone.
“It’s a lovely little community at Sycamore. We do a lot of socialising. There are events going on that you can get involved with and people know your name. We’ve got an LGBTQ+ party coming up, which is open to everyone. I’m doing the music for it.”
Stuart also appreciates the location of Sycamore House, as he’s able to reach the shops and cafés using his mobility scooter.
While Stuart grew up in South Africa, he’s lived in Hammersmith for almost 30 years now and is very settled at Sycamore House. “I can’t see myself moving again. This is home.”
Reducing isolation for people who have lost their sight
Founded in 1834, BlindAid supports 1,200 blind and partially sighted people every year, around 100 of whom live in Hammersmith. The charity offers a range of services, including small grants, home visits, phone calls, and free cookery, art and yoga classes.
Richie Walden is BlindAid’s Operations Director. He says, “Many blind and partially sighted people don’t need support because they’re independent, employed, and have a wide social group. However, the people our service is aimed at tend to live very isolated lives. They’re usually older and may also have mobility or health issues.”
Losing your eyesight can be incredibly scary and it’s a difficult change to adapt to. Richie says, “People’s worlds can shrink quite rapidly. More than half of our service users don’t leave their homes unless they have support. I once visited a lady who spoke so rarely that it took her 20 minutes to be able to speak properly to us because her vocal cords weren’t working.
“Where people have no friends, no family, no one coming in to see them, we will always prioritise them for home visits. People who do have some support, we’ll prioritise for phone calls and the occasional visit.”
BlindAid’s Sight Support Worker in Hammersmith, John, has been in post for 18 years. Richie says, “That continuity is vital to how we deliver our services, because it can take time to develop relationships and build up trust. It also means that if, for example, some free tickets come up for an accessible theatre production, we’ll know exactly who might be interested.”
As one service user shares, “BlindAid helped me re-connect, to socialise and feel normal again.”
As well as helping to reduce loneliness and social isolation, BlindAid supports people with more practical needs. Richie explains, “We give people time; they choose how they spend it. For some people, their isolation is their overriding need, and they just want to talk. Others might want us to help them fill in forms, install an app on their phone or set up a direct debit.”
While assistive technology can be transformative, it can also be expensive. What’s more, some services still send out physical letters or forms. Richie shares, “People often get sent a letter with the date of a hospital appointment. Because they can’t read the letter, they miss the appointment, come off the list and have to go through the whole process again. As well as reading letters aloud, we’ll often call people the day before a hospital appointment to remind them about it. We can also book them Dial-a-Ride or hospital transport.”
One key role of Sight Support Workers is referring people to other relevant services. That might mean arranging for an occupational therapist to visit, for example, or connecting people to community organisations. Richie adds, “We set people up with things like Sainsbury’s telephone shopping service, so they can order over the phone rather than online.”
BlindAid relies on a team of 120+ volunteers to offer extra support. In many cases, the only time a service user will leave their home is when they’re accompanied by a volunteer. They might go for a walk to the local park together or visit the shops or a café. Richie says, “We try to match people with similar interests. So, for example, we’ve got people who go to the cinema together, people who go to the theatre together, or concerts together.”
We recently provided BlindAid with a £5,000 grant to help support 100 people in Hammersmith. Richie shares, “We can’t run our services without external funding. We had to close services in a couple of boroughs last year, because we just couldn’t get funding for them.
“It’s hard to access grants for blind and partially sighted people because they don’t have a strong collective voice, so organisations aren’t really aware of what they’re experiencing. The fact that Hammersmith United Charities funds us is absolutely fantastic. It results in real, tangible support for people who are living in extremely isolated circumstances.”
How almshouses help to tackle loneliness
As anyone who has experienced loneliness knows, it can feel all-consuming. Not having someone to talk to, to share life’s highs and lows with, or to rely on for comfort and support can be a heavy burden to bear.
Most of us feel lonely from time to time, but some people are at greater risk of experiencing long-term loneliness, including those on low incomes, people who live alone and those with health conditions or mobility issues that make it harder to get out and about.
Half a million older people do not see or speak to another person for five or more days a week.
Modern life often takes us away from the communities where we grew up. Families become more dispersed and friendships can be harder to maintain. By the time people reach later life, they may find that family members and close friends live far away. At the same time, retirement, bereavement or declining mobility can reduce opportunities for everyday contact and companionship.
For more than 1,000 years, almshouses have provided homes and support for people experiencing hardship. Today, there are more than 1,600 almshouse charities across the UK, providing homes for over 36,000 people.
As charities, almshouses support people who may have limited housing choices because of financial circumstances, ill health, disability or other challenges. But they offer much more than affordable housing.
Community is a central part of almshouse life. Homes are often arranged around shared courtyards and gardens, with communal spaces designed to encourage neighbourly support and interaction. Many almshouses are located at the heart of the wider community, helping residents stay connected to familiar services, activities and opportunities. Staff are often on hand to provide practical support and facilitate activities that help residents build friendships and maintain meaningful social connections.
This sense of community is particularly important at a time when loneliness and social isolation are increasingly recognised as major challenges for older people. By creating environments where people can get to know their neighbours, participate in activities and feel part of something larger than themselves, almshouses help foster belonging and connection.
Many almshouse charities also contribute to the wider community. Hammersmith United Charities, for example, provides funding to local organisations that help strengthen community ties, reduce isolation and improve wellbeing across Hammersmith.
In short, almshouses do more than provide affordable housing. They help create communities where people feel connected, supported and valued, making an important contribution to tackling loneliness and building stronger neighbourhoods.
We currently have flats available at both of our almshouses – John Betts House and Sycamore House. We’re always happy to show prospective residents around. Find out if living here could be right for you.
Help is available if you’re struggling with loneliness or isolation. For example, befriending services can be a great way to meet new people and feel more connected. H&F council has provided a list of local befriending services here. You might also find this list of national organisations useful.
