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How long have you been living in Hammersmith?

I arrived in Hammersmith in winter 2001. I was born in Madrid, Spain, on the 5^th of November. When I first heard the huge Bonfire Night celebration in a park here, I was stunned, and more so when my friends explained to me the history behind that date. Since then, I have celebrated my birthday with Guy Fawkes night and the sound of firework displays at London parks.

I went to Camberwell College of Art and studied a Master’s in Paper Conservation that I enjoyed a lot. Caring and protecting old books, photographs and paintings with my hands was an extraordinary experience that I have kept in my heart.

Are you retired or are you still working?

Very probably, I am retired now, but as my main job was, and still is, to study, I am lucky and I continue studying, with less compromise now, but still with a lot of pleasure. So I could say that I am retired and also working… or more likely neither!

Why did you apply for a home at John Betts House?

First of all, for my health. My heart deterioration made it impossible to continue living with a lot of stairs, garden, etc and the doctors suggested that I live in a better place to manage my heart condition. My main concern was to continue living in Hammersmith, where I have lived for all my time in London. A friend of mine spoke to me about John Betts House.

Do you feel that you’ve been welcomed to John Betts?

Since the first day, I could feel a good energy, vibration and environment at John Betts, Sycamore House and Hammersmith United Charities as a whole. Personally, I have received all the help needed to establish my new life here, with the paperwork, the logistics and the daily routine. I have felt myself listened to, cared for, and treated with a high respect for my life, my own space and decisions.

What do you think of your new home?

My new flat is by a lovely point of the garden where I can see the different flowers and plants changing colour and forms. I can see also my neighbours and talk to them and enjoy their plants and produce in their pots, like chillies and small tomatoes.

Behind the house, is the allotment with vegetables and aromatic plants. Three gardeners take care of them and they encourage us to take care of the beds during the time the plants are growing.

Now I feel a little stronger, I would like to plant some vegetables in spring. The gardeners show the best disposition to help me.

The flat itself is comfortable, safe and very adequate for my needs. The kitchen is wide enough and I enjoy cooking in it. The flat is also very bright and warm. I feel that I am in a friendly and calm space.

Have you met any of the other residents?

Yes, there are a lot of spaces where you can meet with the other residents, and always when I need something like information, or when I meet them at the laundry or allotment, I have always found them to have the best disposition and friendly answers. I think they are attentive and respectful.

Have you been to any of the activities that are organised?

Until now, my participation has been irregular due to the conditions of my health, but now I hope to assist more regularly. I have been to some coffee mornings and other meetings at John Betts and Sycamore House, but unfortunately less than I would have wanted.

What do you think of the location?

It is a neighbourhood where people are happy living here. Many of my friends live nearby. I enjoy the diversity, the old factories and breweries, art and film studios, the number of workshops and craftsmen, small museums (such as Emery Walker’s House and William Morris’), squares, pubs, houses and old facades. I also appreciate all the old trees, Bishop’s Park, the long walk along the river under the old trees and the continuous changes of scenery.

The small shops, fishmongers, hospital, good transport and other services, along with the almost absence of hills or slopes, make it very convenient.

The Upper Room began as a trestle table of sandwiches outside a church. 34 years later, it offers a suite of services for socially disadvantaged people. The charity also hosts other local organisations, such as Glass Door and Citizens’ Advice, to ensure people can access the information they need to move forward.

One of The Upper Room’s key aims is to support people on their journey towards gaining a secure job. In many cases, the charity’s clients face multiple barriers to employment, from not being able to speak English, to a lack of digital skills, UK-recognised qualifications and work experience. Those with a criminal history often face additional barriers, so as part of its package of support, The Upper Room enables ex-offenders to get their driving licence and gain work experience through volunteering.

CEO Iain Cooper shares, “This year, 44 ex-offenders have gained their licence through us. Doing so significantly improves their employment chances, which helps them to stay away from crime.”

Suicide prevention

One of The Upper Room’s newest programmes aims to reduce the risk of suicide for Polish men aged 40 to 60. Iain explains, “As a group, these men are particularly vulnerable to suicide, partly because of a macho culture where men don’t discuss their feelings.”

The Upper Room has partnered with mental health charity Rethink to offer counsellor-led safe spaces when men can share their experiences. Most of the men who take part are homeless and many struggle with alcohol mis-use. Iain says, “We’ve seen a tangible difference in the men; the mood has started to lift. One of the men is a rough sleeper who’s been a regular at The Upper Room for a long time. He was starting to have severe mental health issues. He came to the group but didn’t say anything for three or four weeks. One day, we sang Polish folk songs together. Someone was taking photographs and in one of the photos this man is smiling. Nobody here had ever seen him smile before, and he couldn’t remember the last time that he’d done it.”

Funding

The Upper Room receives no government funding and has seen a significant increase in need over the last few years. The number of people sleeping rough in London has more than tripled since 2008/9. In Hammersmith & Fulham alone, 462 people were found to be sleeping rough in 2023/24.

Iain shares, “In 2022, we served around 20,000 hot meals to people who were homeless or experiencing food poverty. In 2023, that increased to just shy of 33,000. We’re expecting to serve closer to 40,000 meals this year.”

HUC launched the Flexible 3 Year Grants (F3YG) programme to make it easier for charities to cope with the increase in demand, and to plan ahead. We recognise that many charities are struggling with expenses such as wages, rent and utility bills, so F3YG grants can be spent on core costs.

The Upper Room is one of our newest F3YG holders and will be awarded £15,000 a year for three years. Iain says, “Without the back office to support the front office, the front office would fall over completely. You need systems, processes, hardware and so on. Our team are exposed to really traumatic stories on a regular basis, so they need access to proper mental health support. Funding for those kinds of core costs is hard to come by, so knowing that we have that money in the pipeline is game changing.”

Corporate partnerships

The Upper Room is keen to hear from businesses looking for a charity partner or volunteering opportunity. Iain says, “We can offer really positive away days for staff. Employees truly enjoy getting the chance to give something back to their community, and the business can get some great shots for their social media channels.”

If you’d like to find out more about The Upper Room’s corporate packages, please email uradmin@theupperroom.org.uk or call 020 8740 5688.

My Health, My Life is Hikayetna’s latest project. The community organisation is creating several short films in Arabic to help refugees and migrants recognise mental health issues and understand how to get support when they need it.

Here, Sulaiman Othman, Director of Hikayetna, tells us about the project and why it’s needed.

“I’ve met many refugees and other members of the Arabic-speaking community who are struggling with trauma and mental health issues. Many have come from a war zone and have lived in refugee camps. Once they arrive here, they’re kept very busy with documentation, assessments, setting up schooling, talking to the council, getting housing and so on. They don’t deal with the pain that they’ve brought with them. Some feel ashamed to talk about mental health, as in Arabic cultures, people often don’t talk about their feelings.

“Even if they do try to get help, there’s a lack of resources in Arabic. Support may be provided by the local community, the NHS or charities, but people can’t access it.

“We wanted to take this knowledge, these resources, and make it easy for people to access them. The videos are about breaking the ice, raising awareness, encouraging people to talk about mental health, and giving them the chance to make a fresh start.

“We’re going to produce three or four videos initially. Each will be two minutes long. We’re using Arabic in the videos, along with English subtitles and infographics.

“We’ll cover mental health, what it is, how the NHS can help, and how we can reduce the stigma around it. We’ll also interview an Arabic-speaking mental health specialist familiar with the culture.

“We’re hoping to launch the first video on social media in December. We’ll have a launch event to encourage the community to come together and talk about mental health issues.

“This is a small project, with a small grant, and a small team, but it’s part of a longer term goal. We’re meeting with universities and local organisations that provide mental health services to discuss how we can work together to support the Arabic community’s mental health and make it easier for people to connect, integrate and engage.”

Hikayetna has received a grant from Hammersmith United Charities towards the cost of creating the videos. You can find out more about our community grants here.

Employers now have a duty to protect their workers against sexual harassment from managers, colleagues, customers, visitors and other people who they might come into contact with through their work.

If one of your employees is sexually harassed, they may be entitled to compensation from your organisation. If the tribunal finds that you didn’t take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent that harassment, the compensation could be increased by up to 25%.

What counts as sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature. ​When it comes to workplaces, the person carrying out the harassment often (but not always) targets someone who’s at an equal or lower pay grade.

The person carrying out the harassment may intend to humiliate, intimidate or degrade the person they’re harassing. However, in some instances, they may not realise that the behaviour is causing the other person distress, particularly if the person they’re harassing feels too uncomfortable to complain. For instance, if an employee is being sexually harassed by their manager, they may try to ignore or make light of it because they’re worried about their job. What some people might consider as joking, ‘banter’ or part of a workplace culture can still be sexual harassment.​

Behaviour doesn’t have to be physical to be classed as sexual harassment. For example, if a member of the team makes lewd jokes or suggestions, or makes sexual comments about someone’s body or clothing, that may be classed as sexual harassment. The comments don’t need to be aimed at a specific person to be deemed harassment.

Examples of sexual harassment include:​

• Asking questions about someone’s sex life
• Telling sexually offensive jokes​
• Making sexual remarks about someone’s body, clothing or appearance​
• Making sexual comments or jokes about someone’s sexual orientation or gender reassignment​
• Displaying or sharing pornographic or sexual images, or other sexual content​
• Touching someone against their will, for example hugging them or stroking their arm​
• Sexual assault or rape​

Who the legislation covers

The Worker Protection bill is designed to protect all those who are in ‘employment’ and covers:

• Employees who have a contract of employment with the organisation
• Contract workers, including agency workers and those who contract to provide work personally such as consultants and freelancers, who cannot send someone to do the job in their place
• Apprentices who have an apprenticeship contract
• Job applicants

While volunteers aren’t always covered under employment legislation, they deserve to volunteer in a respectful environment where they feel safe and protected. Therefore, we recommend that policies, communications and training also include volunteers.

What you can do to prevent sexual harassment in your workplace

If your organisation employs people, it must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. These might include (but aren’t limited to) the following:

• Carry out a risk assessment to look at how sexual harassment could take place, and how risks can be reduced.
• Create (or update) an anti-harassment and bullying policy, which explains what sexual harassment is, what everyone’s responsibilities are when it comes to preventing and tackling it, and what actions will be taken against anyone who breaks the rules.
• Ensure that all employees read this policy and are trained to recognise sexual harassment.
• Give additional training to team managers so they know how to deal with sexual harassment.
• Make sure that staff members know how to report sexual harassment and have options for who to report it to (for example, if their line manager is the culprit, the staff member will need to be able to report the behaviour to someone else).
• Clearly communicate a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and intimidation (for example through posters).
• Investigate any complaints swiftly, thoroughly and sensitively.

Further reading

We recommend reading the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guide on harassment at work, which has been updated to reflect the new rules.

Outside of the workplace, Hammersmith & Fulham Council have brought in a new public spaces protection order (PSPO) prohibiting street harassment. The order covers activities such as catcalling, sexist, homophobic or transphobic slurs and non-consensual physical touching. The police will be able to issue fixed penalty fines for such behaviour.